The Academy for GOD Launches ProDev Partnerships for 2024-2025 Academic Year
The Academy for GOD is excited to announce the launch of its Professional Development (ProDev) Program partnerships for the 2024-2025 academic year. Now in its second formal year, ProDev connects students' biblical education with real-world work experience, enabling them to graduate debt-free and confident in their career paths. Institute for GOD President and Academy Founder, Gregg Garner, a theologian and entrepreneur, has been developing this program iteratively since 2011. Together with The Institute staff, he is committed to breaking the stereotype that Bible college graduates struggle to find employment.
The Academy for GOD is excited to announce the launch of its Professional Development (ProDev) Program partnerships for the 2024-2025 academic year. Now in its second formal year, ProDev connects students' biblical education with real-world work experience, enabling them to graduate debt-free and confident in their career paths. Institute for GOD President and Academy Founder, Gregg Garner, a theologian and entrepreneur, has been developing this program iteratively since 2011. Together with The Institute staff, he is committed to breaking the stereotype that Bible college graduates struggle to find employment.
Aligned with the college’s mission to produce "spiritually mature, competent professionals for global impact," The Institute combines rigorous Scriptural study with practical work experience and extensive global internships for every on-campus student. Since 2011, this unique combination has resulted in a 100% job placement rate for graduates—14% higher than the national average.
How Does It Work?
Traditional on-campus students enrolled in The Institute’s undergraduate program are invited to participate in the ProDev program. Here’s how it works:
"This is my second year at the Academy for my Pro-Dev. This has been my favorite work environment that I have been apart of. My bosses and co-workers have given me feedback and encouragement throughout my time here. I love being able to grow in my ability to work with children and grow in my teaching skills." - Ms. Vavold
Preference-Based Placement: Students undergo a personalized matching assessment that seeks to align individual career goals with available experiences with Christian businesses and nonprofits committed to investing in the next generation of professionals in Nashville
Scholarship Support: ProDev Partners contribute to a scholarship fund that significantly reduces the cost of students’ biblical education, helping students to graduate debt-free while gaining professional experience in their field of interest.
Real-World Experience: Students commit to 15-25 hours a week of professional experience in fields as diverse as medicine, education, hospitality, construction, social services, and the arts.
Flexible Learning Opportunities: Students may switch ProDev placements each semester to explore different career paths or to stay in one role to build a specialized skill set toward a specific career goal.
Career-Ready Graduates: By the end of their undergraduate education, students will have earned a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies or Community Development, complemented by a resume rich with workplace experience, additional microcredentials, and a wealth of soft skills developed through mentorship and practical engagement.
ProDev is more than a scholarship program, it’s an opportunity for incredible personal growth. President Garner explains: “Students participating in the ProDev program will have the chance to determine if what they imagine they want to do is truly grounded in reality. In this way, students don’t find themselves realizing after earning their degree that it’s not what they want to pursue. Instead, they gain that insight before even completing their general education. This saves families money, it saves students time, and it significantly enhances their experience. Once a student identifies their passion, they become more eager to learn about it. By the time they reach their upper-division courses, they’ve already filtered out what they realized they didn’t want to pursue. Now, they’re driven to learn. When you combine someone driven to learn with opportunities for practical application, explosive growth follows. That’s what the Professional Development program offers.”
2024-2025 Partnerships
In the fall of 2024, The Institute is thrilled to provide professional opportunities to its students working in the following areas, alongside the college’s departments of assessment, admissions, A/V tech, and marketing:
CASE After School Program
Hopewell Family Care Integrative Clinic
Nyumba Food Services (Califarmia Food Truck)
Nyumbarista (Coffee Shop)
GOD Int’l Facilities & Maintenance
The Arts at Center Street (Music and Theatre)
MCH Nashville (Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, Utilities, Geothermal and Solar)
Academy for GOD (Preschool-12th Grade)
A Collaborative Effort: ProDev at The Academy for GOD
Mr. C is a valued member of the Academy, respected by students and staff. As a second-year ProDev student, he significantly contributes to campus life as a recess supervisor and teaching assistant. He fosters a safe, enjoyable recess, encouraging inclusive play and providing support with conflicts and schoolwork.
The Academy for GOD has provided experiences in K-12 education to Institute students for over a decade in volunteer, internship, and staff capacities. The Professional Development program has allowed us to partner even more effectively with the Institute to provide students seeking future educational occupations with real-time experiences. During the 2024-2025 school year, our professional development students are fulfilling responsibilities related to lunch and recess monitoring, teaching assistance, administrative assistance, receptionist tasks, building cleaning, and traffic duties. Institute students are learning skills related to classroom management, conflict resolution according to God’s word, and assisting students on campus and via remote learning channels. As students spend consecutive years working with us, responsibilities increase to develop their capacities toward holding faculty and staff positions into the future. We are thankful to spend time investing in Institute students in a way that trains them into our future teachers and leaders in innovative Christian education.
Call to Action
For businesses and nonprofit organizations interested in joining this innovative program, or for students eager to enroll in a program that combines faith with practical experience and financial freedom, please visit the instituteforgod.edu or contact Laurie Kagay, the college’s VP of Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications (laurie@instituteforgod.edu).
About The Institute for GOD
The Institute for GOD is a Bible and Missions college in Nashville, TN, accredited with The Association for Biblical Higher Education. Their mission is to develop spiritually mature, competent professionals for global impact. Learn more about The Institute for GOD on their website or via their episode of The College Tour on Amazon Prime (Season 10, Episode 2).
Celebrating 10 Years of School Meals: A Reflection from the Nutrition Supervisor
This year, we proudly celebrate 10 years of our school nutrition program at the Academy for GOD! As we look back on a decade of serving minimally processed, made-from-scratch meals with farm-to-school foods, we reflect on the efforts that have shaped our students' health and futures. Breann Chigumira, our dedicated Nutrition Supervisor, shares her testimony on the impact of this program and the privilege of guiding it from its humble beginnings to what it is today.
This year, we proudly celebrate 10 years of our school nutrition program at the Academy for GOD! As we look back on a decade of serving minimally processed, made-from-scratch meals with farm-to-school foods, we reflect on the efforts that have shaped our students' health and futures. Breann Chigumira, our dedicated Nutrition Supervisor, shares her testimony on the impact of this program and the privilege of guiding it from its humble beginnings to what it is today.
Nourishing the Future
“When the program first started, I knew this was a huge opportunity to impact the health of our students well into their adult years,” shares Breann. “We wanted to shape their eating habits, fuel their days, and expose them to new and healthy foods.”
In 2014, our program began with about 80 students, serving both breakfast and lunch every day. The mission was simple but ambitious: to create meals from scratch, with an emphasis on minimal processing and wholesome ingredients. “We made everything we could in-house, from salmon patties and tartar sauce to pizza dough and sauces. We even cut up whole pineapples to avoid fruits in sugary syrup,” recalls Breann. “The workload was intense, but the goal was always clear: to ensure our students had access to nutritious meals.”
Expert Culinary Leadership
From the outset, our program required a skilled culinary team to execute the vision. Breann served as our Executive Chef in the early years, drawing from her experience in college meal programs. As the program grew, we welcomed Mr. Rafa Reyes, a seasoned chef with over a decade of experience who brought his unique touch to our school menu. Today, our kitchen is led by Mr. John Edmondson, whose impressive background includes roles as the Executive Chef at Dodger Stadium and in 5-star dining. Their expertise and passion have been essential to maintaining the high quality of our meals.
Farm-to-School: A Core Value
Farm-to-school has been a cornerstone of our program since day one. With an on-campus garden, students have had the chance to work in the soil, harvest vegetables, and even pick fruits for their meals. “Seeing students pick lettuce, kale, and tomatoes that end up on their plates is a powerful lesson in sustainability and food origins,” says Breann. Long before the farm-to-school movement gained national momentum and funding, our garden staff were teaching students safe agricultural practices and the value of local food systems.
Overcoming Challenges, Celebrating Success
Balancing the demands of creating nutritious meals, adhering to regulations, and working within tight budgets has not always been easy. But as Breann reflects, “The challenge of feeding students excellent meals while meeting all guidelines is tough, but our students are worth it. We truly believe they are benefitting from years of learning healthy habits.”
Today, as we celebrate this milestone, we are grateful for everyone who has contributed to the success of this program—from our Founder and Head of School, Gregg Garner, to dedicated kitchen staff to our farm-to-school educators, and of course, our students who inspire us every day. The hundreds of thousands of meals we've served over the past decade are a testament to our commitment to their well-being.
A Decade in Photos: From Elementary to Senior Year
Below, you’ll find photos that capture the journey of our students with their school lunches—from their earliest elementary years to now, as some prepare to graduate as seniors. These images reflect not just the growth of the students, but the evolution of a program that has fed bodies, minds, and futures for the past ten years.
We are proud of how far we've come and look forward to continuing to nourish our students for years to come!
“We Walk by Faith”: The ‘24-25 Academy Theme
Written by Academy for GOD Director of Education, Mr. Craig Duffy
This year’s theme at the Academy for GOD is “ We Walk by Faith”. Although the wording comes from 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 this concept can be found across the Biblical canon. At the Academy, we use themes to direct and focus the student body as well as the faculty who are responsible for facilitating our educational program. The purpose of this communication is to bring you, the parents, family, and stakeholders, an understanding of this theme and a few ways to support the students off campus.
This concept of ‘walking by faith’ is not in a vacuum. Paul is referencing a preexisting greco-roman value, one that permeated the thriving city of Corinth. The Corinthian motto was “We walk by what we see”. This sits in the wider context of the rise of rational Greek philosophy. What can be seen, observed, and tested, (think early empiricism) is considered safe to ground a perspective of reality upon. Though a powerful form of categorizing and evaluating observable natural phenomena, it is limited to the world of human senses. Paul interjects and proposes a more appropriate motto for the believers in Corinth. We walk according to our faith, not according to our sight.
Academy Founder, Mr. Gregg Garner, teaches on 2 Corinthians 5:7 during the first K-12 assembly of the '24-25 school year.
The tension of sight is significantly addressed at many points in scripture. For this brief article I will reference the first and perhaps most popular instance: The dilemma of Eve and her eyes. The story goes that as God walks toward Adam and Eve, he finds that their eyes have been opened and through an education not of his design (Genesis 3:7). By this we understand that Adam and Eve did not inherently have the sight that God intended, that is, man was made with a dependence on God to learn, to be educated.
We can start to understand why Paul would have an issue with the Corithian motto. Our eyes are not enough to formulate the way in which we should live life and decide what is right and wrong. Our sense of sight has to be informed by the word of God, his way, his walk, his instruction. Simply put, God has to be the one to open our eyes so that we can walk within his intended way.
Faith according to Paul in his letter to the Romans “comes by hearing, hearing the word of God”. Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is the overriding principle by which the child of God understands and makes decisions within the world they live, and is not based on what can be sensed with our eyes. This is where we partner with God at the Academy.
This year, we aim to direct the focus of our student body on the building of faith. To help them reach conclusions that are based on faith instead of sight. That they can lean into and trust God’s word more than their own senses. That they can trust God more than what they can understand through their own senses and experience. This is a formidable task, it is the work of God. To complete the eyes of humanity. Join us this year as we train the sight of our students into seeing and believing the word of God above all other forms of education and experiences. Ask them open-ended questions about their day and listen for faith in their responses. If you find none, adjust their eyes by opening God’s word together, and help them to walk by faith.
For more biblical teaching on this year’s theme, watch our parent orientation where Academy Founder, Gregg D. Garner, expounds on the idea and how it will impact this school year.
Welcome to 2024-2025 at the Academy for GOD
Welcome to the Academy for GOD for the 2024-2025 school year! With our 12th year ahead, we are pleased to announce some new developments that promise to make this school year even more special. This year marks a significant milestone for us, as we have recently attained accreditation with Cognia and gained approval to become an ESA school in the state of Tennessee. This means that we can now offer educational savings accounts, providing students the opportunity to attend private school with greater financial flexibility.
We continue to provide a diverse range of educational programs to meet the needs of our students and families. Whether you are interested in our campus or homeschool programs, we offer something for everyone. Our hybrid options allow for a blend of on-campus and home learning, while our umbrella services provide support for families choosing to homeschool independently. Additionally, our remote learning program ensures that students can receive a high-quality education regardless of their location or context.
We understand that our students are coming back from a variety of summer experiences. From family vacations to mission trips and service opportunities, each student brings unique experiences and perspectives into the new school year. To help ease the transition from summer break to the academic year, we dedicate the first two weeks back to acclimating students into the school environment. These initial weeks are crucial for setting a positive tone for the rest of the semester and the entire school year.
Parents, here are some ways to help your student prepare for a successful start to the new school year:
1. Establish a Routine: Start reintroducing a school-day routine a few days before school begins. This helps students adjust their sleep schedules and get back into the habit of structured days.
2. Set Goals: Encourage your student to set academic and personal goals for the year. Whether it's improving grades, making new friends, or participating in extracurricular activities, having clear goals can motivate and guide them (and you!).
3. Reflect on Summer Experiences: Take some time to discuss what your student learned or experienced over the summer. This reflection can help them integrate those experiences into their school life.
4. Get Involved: Encourage your student to explore the various extracurricular activities and clubs offered at the Academy for GOD. Participation in these activities can enhance their school experience and foster a sense of community.
5. Stay Connected: Open lines of communication with teachers, administrators, and fellow parents. Staying connected will help you stay informed and engaged in your student's education.
As we begin this new school year, we are excited to see the growth and achievements that will come. The Academy for GOD is committed to providing a nurturing and Christ-centered environment where students can thrive academically, spiritually, and socially. Let's make this year the best one yet!
Welcome back, and here's to a fantastic school year!
The Academy for GOD Earns Cognia Accreditation
The Academy for GOD announced today that it has earned Cognia® Accreditation. Cognia is a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers.
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The Academy for GOD Earns Cognia Accreditation
Old Hickory, TN – July 4, 2024 – The Academy for GOD announced today that it has earned Cognia® Accreditation. Cognia is a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers.
Cognia, formerly AdvancED, nationally recognizes districts that meet rigorous standards focused on productive learning environments, equitable resource allocation that meets the needs of learners, and effective leadership. Earning accreditation from the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission means that the school is accredited, and that The Academy for GOD is recognized across the nation as a school that meets Cognia Performance Standards and maintains a commitment to continuous improvement.
“School accreditation as conferred by the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission provides The Academy for GOD a nationally recognized mark of quality for our school,” shared Founder & Headmaster, Gregg Garner. “It demonstrates to our community our commitment to excellence, our openness to external review and feedback, and our desire to be the best we can be on behalf of the students we serve.”
To earn Cognia accreditation, schools also must implement a continuous process of improvement and submit to internal and external review. Schools in good standing can maintain their accreditation for a six-year term.
Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia, stated, “Cognia Accreditation is a rigorous process that focuses the entire school and its community on the primary goal of preparing lifelong learners in engaging environments where all students can flourish. The Academy for GOD is to be commended for demonstrating that it has met high standards, is making progress on key indicators that impact student learning.”
Cognia is the parent organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). Parents and interested community members can learn more about the Cognia Accreditation at cognia.org.
About Cognia
Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, professional learning, and improvement services to institutions and other education providers. The result of the merger of AdvancED and Measured Progress, Cognia was formed to bridge the gap between school evaluation and student assessment. As a global nonprofit working in 90 countries, our 40,000 institutions serve and support nearly 17 million students and 800 thousand educators every day. Cognia serves as trusted partner in advancing learning for all. Find out more at cognia.org.
About The Academy for GOD
The Academy for GOD is a Category III & IV non-public school, registered with the state of Tennessee and in compliance with all associative requirements.
As a Category III school, The Academy is accredited by Cognia, formally AdvancED. Cognia® is a global, nonprofit improvement organization dedicated to helping institutions and other education providers grow learners, teachers, and leaders. Category IV schools are Church-Related Schools, authorized to operate homeschool umbrella programs, as recognized by associations mentioned in TCA 49-50-801.
The Academy is a member of ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) and aligns itself with the association’s mission, vision, and statement of faith.
Media contact:
Alison Sherrod
Alison.Sherrod@AcademyforGOD.org
615.722.7107
