LifeWise Academy Founder Speaks on Faith and Education in Crawford County

LifeWise Academy now serves over 1,000 schools across 30 states, including all six school districts in Crawford County, Ohio.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 2:50pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a stack of colorful children's Bibles repeated in a tight grid pattern, conceptually representing the growth of faith-based education programs in public schools.LifeWise Academy's expansion brings faith-based education to public school students across the country.Galion Today

LifeWise Academy founder Joel Penton addressed a crowd in Crawford County, Ohio to discuss the mission and rapid expansion of the released-time Bible education program that now serves all six local school districts. Penton shared his personal journey of faith and vision for making LifeWise available nationwide to reach millions of public school students.

Why it matters

LifeWise Academy's model of providing Bible education during school hours, while adhering to legal requirements, has allowed the program to grow significantly across the country. The Crawford County event highlighted the community's unified support for expanding access to faith-based education for local students.

The details

Penton, a former Ohio State football player, transitioned to motivational speaking after college and then launched LifeWise Academy, a released-time Bible education program that operates off school property and is privately funded. The program now serves over 1,000 schools across 30 states, including all six school districts in Crawford County, Ohio. LifeWise offers Bible classes during the school day, with students bused to off-campus locations and returned to school afterward, ensuring they do not miss core academic instruction.

  • LifeWise Academy launched in Crawford County in spring 2022, starting in three schools.
  • The 2024-25 school year is the first with all six Crawford County school districts participating in LifeWise.

The players

Joel Penton

The founder of LifeWise Academy, a former Ohio State football player who transitioned to motivational speaking and then launched the released-time Bible education program.

Jim Tressel

The former Ohio State head football coach and current lieutenant governor, who has been a champion of LifeWise Academy and has spoken at the program's banquets since its beginning.

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What they’re saying

“As a Christian, as one whose life has been transformed by the Word of God, there's nothing more important than the Word of God and passing it on to the next generation — it is so intrinsically important.”

— Joel Penton, Founder, LifeWise Academy

What’s next

Penton said his goal is to make LifeWise available nationwide, with access for all 13,000 school districts, 90,000 school buildings, and 5 million public school students in the United States.

The takeaway

LifeWise Academy's model of providing faith-based education during school hours has allowed the program to rapidly expand across the country, with strong community support in Crawford County, Ohio serving as an example of how released-time Bible education can be successfully implemented to reach more students.