LifeWise Academy has struggled to establish a foothold in Missouri. According to SEA’s tracking of the organization’s own materials, only a small number of districts have entered the early stages of the LifeWise launch process. As of January 2026, none had secured final school approval.

One of the most visible efforts to bring LifeWise to Missouri centers on activity in the St. Joseph School District, where organizing dates back to 2023. When local advocate Nancy Gregory became involved in promoting the program in her community.

Even before her involvement with LifeWise, Gregory was politically engaged with state legislation. In 2022 she testified in support of Missouri HB 2649, which sought to create new provisions restricting gender-affirming care and transition procedures. That same year she also submitted testimony in support of HB 1595, an election-related bill focused on paper ballots and limits on ballot drop boxes. A notable and unique addition to the House’s witness appearance form for this bill states “I believe the 2020 election was fraudulently affected by internet and computer hacking from domestic and foreign entities.”

The First Attempt

In June of 2023, Gregory started promoting LifeWise in her community. According to reports, in July and August of 2023, she approached local school administrators to discuss implementing the program.  School officials ultimately declined to move forward, citing concerns about whether allowing students to leave campus during the school day would comply with state attendance laws.

On August 16, Gregory was filmed speaking about LifeWise and her plan to introduce it during a meeting at her church, Grace Calvary Chapel. According to reports, during that meeting Nancy told attendees, “This is where the army needs to rise up,” before asking for donations and signatures.

Five days later, on August 21, Gregory presented her Lifewise proposal to county commissioners, seeking broader local support after school administrators declined to move forward.

On September 1, 2023, St. Joseph school board member Kim Miller— who also attends Grace Calvary Chapel — appointed Gregory to the district’s Academic Committee. The first meeting Gregory was set to attend was scheduled for Sept. 12, and the first item up for discussion on that agenda was LifeWise Academy.

However, the situation quickly shifted. Within days, the district dissolved the newly formed community committees and the meeting was canceled before it took place. The decision followed escalating local controversy involving Grace Calvary Chapel and broader community tensions.

Josh Blevins, the lead pastor at Grace Calvary Chapel, has a history of using the pulpit for political activism.

During this same period he was involved in broader community controversy and public disputes tied to LGBTQ+ issues. During one meeting, Blevins and Gregory encouraged the audience to become involved in local school governance, including efforts related to LifeWise and opposition to LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools.

According to the reporting of Kansas City’s NPR member station, KCUR, Blevins also

 “discouraged Christians from collaborating with any LGBTQ+ groups, alleging that teaching about homosexuality in school and events like drag shows and pride parades are a form of grooming — manipulating children so they can become victims of abuse.

“We are against the practice of homosexuality,” he said. “Part of the grooming is normalizing sinful behavior in the culture.”

Local reporting indicates that this controversy spilled into discussions about school governance and committee appointments. On September 3, 2023, the district dissolved the newly formed committees just days after they were created. As a result, the meeting scheduled for September 12 — which included LifeWise on the agenda — never took place.

The Political Groundwork

Gregory reappears on January 26, 2024, in one of LifeWise’s internal emails.  In the message, she contacted LifeWise Program Coach Bekah Shaffer about correcting a typo in a white paper authored by First Liberty. She asked whether an updated version could be provided ahead of planned meetings with Missouri legislators at the state capitol in February.

This correspondence represents one of the earliest documented connections identified by the Secular Education Association between LifeWise organizing and First Liberty materials, and an early indicator of national coordinated legislative outreach tied to LifeWise Academy.

Gregory’s February meeting with state lawmakers was later confirmed by Whitney Lanning, a local school board member who provided additional detail. According to her account, Gregory traveled to the Missouri State Capitol the weekend of February 6–7, 2024, during a large annual community engagement event known as Great Northwest Day.

Kim Miller was also present at the event as part of a St. Joseph School Board delegation representing the district. According to Lanning, Miller separated from the group and attended meetings with Gregory rather than participating in the scheduled meetings with other board members.

Roughly a week later, internal correspondence shows a LifeWise staff member summarizing follow-up activity. In an email to LifeWise’s VP of Program Health Sara Spath and Program Coach Liz Hultz, Program Coach Bekah Shaffer described a 45-minute call involving Gregory and Andy Herf, a LifeWise registered lobbyist with Shumaker Advisors in Ohio.

In the message, Shaffer described the call as “a great chat about the people she had met and which ones might be beneficial in helping move forward.” She added that Herf planned to provide Gregory with suggested language for follow-up emails so he could be introduced directly to Missouri lawmakers and coordinate next steps.

Shaffer also noted that she had logged Gregory’s outreach, writing that she “also logged each of the emails Nancy sent to legislators.”

In a reply, another LifeWise staff member praised the effort and wrote: “Looking forward to getting Missouri moved over to a May/Shall State.” That phrasing mirrors terminology commonly used in legislative campaigns to expand released-time religious instruction laws in states all across the nation.

This correspondence highlights the coordination between LifeWise corporate employees and a local activist to ensure a lobbyist registered in Ohio would be put in direct communications with lawmakers from Missouri. Public records confirm the lobbyist’s registration in Ohio; however, no corresponding Missouri registration or reporting activity was identified in publicly available records at the time of publication.

It raises broader transparency questions about how cross-state advocacy and lobbying activity are disclosed when education policy efforts move between states.

Escalation In 2025

A year later, on February 12, 2025, Missouri SB 698 was introduced with its first reading in the Senate, sponsored by Mike Moon.

The following week, on February 20, 2025, HB 1393 was introduced by Representative Josh Hurlbert. While both bills addressed released-time religious instruction, observers noted that Hurlbert’s version more closely resembled national model legislation written by LifeWise with the help of allied legal organizations, such as First Liberty and Alliance Defending Freedom.

Although both bills ultimately died in committee, the broader push did not end at either the local or state level.

On July 28, 2025 the St. Joseph School Board held a meeting where they decided to reinstate the community committees that had been eliminated two years earlier. Kim Miller’s appointment was again Nancy Gregory.

Gregory was also seen at a screening of LifeWise’s film Off School Property – Solving the Separation of Church and State at the Regal Hollywood Cinema 10 in St. Joseph on October 23, 2025, where she distributed flyers and collected signatures in the lobby. According to individuals present, Gregory also discussed efforts related to state attendance funding rules, telling attendees that organizers were working to change — or had already influenced — policies tied to attendance-based funding.

In early December 2025, both SB 1165 and HB 2157 were prefilled for Missouri’s 2026 legislative session.

Where Things Stand Now

The bills were officially introduced on January 7, 2026, by Senator Mike Moon and Representative Josh Hurlbert. The language of both bills mirrors their respective 2025 predecessors  (SB 698 and HB 1393). More information about the current bills and how they compare can be found in this document.

Even after the new bills were introduced, advocacy efforts continued. On February 3rd, 2026 Gregory was once again spotted at this year’s Great Northwest Days. According to Whitney Lanning’s first hand account, Gregory distributed a LifeWise branded packet of information, that included a memorandum addressed to “Missouri Legislators” advocating for the latest bills.

The Herzog Connection

Another organization frequently referenced in local reporting is the Herzog Foundation, a Project 2025 signatory whose stated mission is to expand Christ-centered K–12 education. Public reporting and local documentation indicate connections between Herzog-affiliated networks, Grace Calvary Chapel links, and broader advocacy efforts described in this timeline.

For example, Grace Calvary’s former lead pastor, Darrell Jones, now serves as president of the Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation. The foundation has also publicly promoted Christian education initiatives and has been referenced by local observers in connection with advocacy and political activity surrounding school governance in the region.

Herzog Foundation funding has also been referenced in connection with local political activity. Public records and reporting indicate that financial support linked to Herzog-aligned networks intersected with Kim Miller’s school board campaign, while local advocates have documented reported tensions involving other board members, including Whitney Lanning. The Herzog Foundation has also promoted LifeWise in its publications and media outlets.

Another notable connection involves Representative Josh Hurlbert, the sponsor of HB 1393 and HB 2157. Public biographical information indicates that Hurlbert is employed by the Herzog Foundation while also serving as an elected Missouri State Representative.

Why Missouri Matters

These developments raise broader questions about how released-time legislation is developed and advanced across state lines. The overlap between national advocacy organizations, legislative activity, and local organizing documented in Missouri mirrors patterns the Secular Education Association has identified in multiple states.

The documentation compiled here indicates significant coordination between local advocates, national organizations, and legislative actors connected to LifeWise expansion efforts.

These dynamics warrant continued public scrutiny, particularly regarding transparency, lobbying activity, and the role of out-of-state organizations in shaping education policy at the local level.

Taken together, the internal communications and cross-state advocacy documented here raise broader transparency questions about how released-time policies are developed and advanced.

The Secular Education Association extends its appreciation to Whitney Lanning, Herzog-free SJSD, R.J. Jackson, Piper For Missouri, and other local advocates who contributed documentation and firsthand accounts. We are grateful to the local advocates and community members who helped document these events. Their work highlights how essential transparency is when decisions affecting public schools are shaped beyond the local level.

Communities deserve clarity about who is driving these changes — and why.

Public education works best when decisions are transparent, local, and accountable to the communities they serve.

If you have information you believe warrants investigation, reporting, or broader public awareness, we encourage you to reach out.