Kirk Smith joined ICHE as the Executive Director in 2013. He and his wife, Joely, have eleven children and are now anticipating the next generation of homeschoolers with their three grandchildren. In their nearly thirty years of homeschooling, the vision of home discipleship with the centrality of Jesus Christ has been Kirk and Joely’s passion and anchor.
Before joining ICHE Kirk taught and coached for two years at the high school level. He founded the House of Prayer church in Albion, IL, where he pastored for almost 25 years.
Even though Kirk and Joely were both trained as public educators, they committed to home schooling before their children were even born. They felt there was no way to fully live out Deuteronomy 6 if their children were away from home 8-10 hours each. Their home school journey has evolved, by the grace of God, from a model of “public schooling at home” to a lifestyle of home discipleship. The cornerstone of their home discipleship vision is the deepest conviction that it is through the fear of the Lord that both knowledge and wisdom are imparted, and it is through seeking God’s kingdom first that all the secondary considerations are added. This shared perspective with ICHE is what motivated Kirk to accept the position of Executive Director.