Park Christian School exists to be a Christ centered academic community that equips students to think biblically, live wisely, and serve faithfully. Academic success matters, but the school’s hope for students goes deeper. Park Christian wants students to know and follow Jesus, understand the world through Scripture, recognize the gifts God has given them, and use those gifts to serve others.
That work is grounded in partnership with the Christian home. Park Christian recognizes parents as the primary educators of their children and comes alongside them in the shared responsibility of helping students grow academically, spiritually, and personally. The school’s seven member churches strengthen that partnership, provide meaningful connections to the local church, and help preserve Park Christian’s interdenominational identity. Together, families, churches, and school leaders are united around the essential truths of Scripture while respecting differences on secondary matters.
As the school’s chief executive, the President reports to a nine member Board of Directors operating under the Carver model of policy governance. Four Board members represent the member churches, reflecting the important role these partnerships continue to hold.
People at Park Christian often use the word family, and they mean more than simply being friendly. They have prayed together, raised children together, served students together, and carried one another through difficult seasons. Parents are involved, people know one another’s stories, and when a student or family needs care, the community shows up.
There is also a strong sense of shared responsibility. Leaders delegate, teams work across departments, and people step beyond their formal roles to support students and one another. The Cabinet meets regularly, and an Executive Leadership Team helps provide direction, make decisions, and keep the work moving forward. This is not a culture where every decision or responsibility rests with one person.
Throughout the school, there is a genuine desire to cover and shepherd people well. Staff pray naturally, work hard, enjoy one another, and care deeply about students knowing and following Jesus.
Park Christian is both a biblical school and a respected college preparatory school. Students are challenged academically while learning to view every subject, relationship, and decision through the truth of Scripture. Faith is not limited to theology classes or chapel. It informs how the school teaches, how students learn, and how the community understands the purpose of education.
Park Christian uses Teaching for Transformation, a Christian educational framework that connects faith, learning, and everyday life. Teachers help students move from head knowledge to heart knowledge by recognizing that they are part of God’s story. Students are given meaningful opportunities to use what they are learning and the gifts God has given them to serve others and glorify God.
Think Biblically: Students develop a biblical worldview, understand what they believe and why, grow in their relationship with Christ, and learn to recognize God’s calling in their lives.
Live Wisely: Students complete a broad and rigorous academic program while becoming creative and collaborative thinkers, effective communicators, thoughtful problem solvers, and responsible stewards of their God-given abilities.
Serve Faithfully: Students learn to influence their communities through humility, kindness, leadership, integrity, and active service to God and others.
The educational experience extends beyond the classroom through chapel, Bible instruction, discipleship, fine arts, athletics, leadership opportunities, and community service. High school students complete 80 hours of church and community volunteer service before graduation, participate in a ninth-grade educational trip to Washington, D.C., and conclude their junior year with a capstone mission trip.
Park Christian is dually accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International and Cognia and is pursuing Exemplary Accreditation. Its goal is to graduate students who are prepared for college and for life: grounded in Scripture, able to think and communicate well, growing in wisdom and responsibility, and ready to use their gifts in faithful service.
Keep the Mission at the Center: Ensure Park Christian’s mission and Statement of Faith guide its strategy, academics, student life, employment practices, family partnerships, and community relationships.
Set Direction and Move Priorities Forward: Lead strategic planning, establish clear priorities, monitor progress, and identify opportunities that strengthen the school’s future.
Lead Through a Strong Team: Provide oversight to the Cabinet and Executive Leadership Team. Clarify responsibilities, encourage collaboration across departments, evaluate organizational needs, and hold leaders accountable for results.
Strengthen Academics and Student Life: Oversee the academic direction and K–12 student experience in partnership with school leaders. Support continued growth in academics, spiritual formation, athletics, fine arts, service, and student activities.
Steward Finances, Operations, and Facilities: Oversee budgeting, financial planning, facilities, risk management, and the responsible use of school resources alongside finance and operations leaders.
Deepen Partnership with Families: Monitor enrollment and retention, strengthen communication with families, and ensure the school continues to come alongside Christian parents in the education and spiritual formation of their children.
Grow Support for the School’s Future: Provide leadership for fundraising, donor and alumni engagement, church partnerships, and community relationships. Help guide the Performance Center through its final stages and invite investment in future priorities.
Work in Partnership with the Board: Keep the Board informed, implement Board policy, bring forward important opportunities and concerns, and maintain clarity between governance and school leadership.
- A mature and active Christian faith, full affirmation of Park Christian School’s Statement of Faith, and a demonstrated ability to lead within a Christ centered and interdenominational environment.
- Senior leadership experience in a K–12 school, with broad responsibility for people, academics, operations, and organizational direction. Experience as a President, Head of School, Superintendent, Principal, or comparable senior school leader is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated responsibility for organizational strategy, staff leadership, budgeting, operations, governance partnership, advancement, or other enterprise wide functions.
- A record of building healthy teams, developing leaders, clarifying accountability, navigating change, and sustaining trust across multiple stakeholder groups.
- Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and public communication skills, including the ability to listen carefully, explain decisions, and represent an organization externally.
- Experience partnering with a governing Board or comparable oversight body and an understanding of the distinction between governance and organizational leadership.
- Demonstrated financial judgment and the ability to interpret budgets, assess tradeoffs, manage risk, and align resources with strategic priorities.
- Demonstrated experience with relational fundraising, donor cultivation, church partnerships, enrollment, and community representation. The strongest candidates will know how to tell stories, cultivate trust over time, and make a clear invitation to invest.
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution required. An advanced degree in education, leadership, business, theology, or a related field is preferred.
- Experience in Christian K–12 education is strongly preferred. Familiarity with ACSI, Cognia, Exemplary Accreditation, or Teaching for Transformation would be valuable, along with the humility and capacity to keep learning.
Park Christian’s next President will step into a school with deep roots, and that is both a gift and a responsibility.
Many people here have served for a long time, and they know and love this school well. A leadership change after long and faithful service will bring gratitude, curiosity, and some uncertainty all at once. The next President will need enough confidence to lead without rushing to prove themselves, and enough humility to honor the people, history, and relationships already in place.
A new building adds to that. Construction is rarely easy. It disrupts routines, stretches attention and budgets, and asks everyone for patience. It is also a chance to be intentional about how the new space fits into daily life at Park Christian and to bring the community together around it. Completing the Performance Center is part of that picture.
Faculty compensation presents another important challenge. As the school approaches its desired enrollment capacity, the Board is not pursuing growth simply for the sake of growth. At the same time, we recognize the importance of attracting, retaining, and rewarding excellent teachers while ensuring tuition remains affordable for families. Improving faculty compensation without relying on increased enrollment will require thoughtful, prayerful decisions and faithful stewardship of the school’s resources. Faculty compensation, however, is not the only priority competing for those resources. New programs, school security, and transportation also require thoughtful consideration and investment. The next President must have the wisdom to discern where investments will have the greatest impact, the discipline to establish clear priorities, and the courage to guide the school community toward those priorities, recognizing that not every worthwhile initiative can be pursued at once.
Park Christian faces these questions from a place of strength. The school is debt free, has strong cash flow, and is trusted throughout Fargo–Moorhead. The Board’s hope is that Park Christian will grow deeper, living out its Christ-centered mission more fully while giving students stronger academic, fine arts, athletic, elective, and support opportunities.
The timing also helps. Chris Nellermoe, current President, is expected to serve on specific projects during the 2027–2028 school year, with particular attention to fundraising and the Performance Center. He wants to support a healthy handoff and see the next leader succeed. With clear roles, honest communication, and mutual trust, his experience can be a gift while the new President has the room and authority to lead.
This is also a supported and well-resourced role. A leader who joins Park Christian will not be asked to rescue the school or chase enrollment numbers. Instead, they will have the opportunity to shape what comes next and to deepen the mission in substance, not just in size. That kind of work is rare, and it is what makes this season so meaningful.