Recently, I spoke with several Christian school leaders in Ohio and Florida, who both shared their challenges in finding qualified leaders. Florida (Texas and Tennessee as well) is seeing a large migration of families moving from states such as New York, California, and, to a lesser extent, Illinois and Colorado. There are a variety of reasons for this population shift, most of which center on the cost of living and state-level politics. Ohio has seen an expansion of school choice initiatives under Governor Mike DeWine, leading to the start of numerous new schools and the rapid growth of many existing schools. DeWine has continued the efforts of former Governor John Kasich in school choice. Kasich was a presidential contender in 2018 and has children who
graduated from a Christian school in the Columbus area.
Here are three suggestions that may assist your school as we work to address the shortage of qualified ministry leaders.
- In a tangible, intentional manner, encourage Christian universities in your state to promote K-12 Christian teaching among their education majors. Encourage them to either begin a graduate-level program in Christian school leadership or provide support to those who do. Sending an email is not enough; make an appointment to meet with campus decision-makers in person.
- Grow your own leaders – Seek faculty members whom God has gifted with administrative skills and talents. Invest in these future leaders with financial
support for graduate school or professional training. Develop internship opportunities within your school and assign a mentor who can set tangible goals
for their growth. Establish a calendar for completing their training, including a “next step” action plan. In doing so, understand that once this training is completed, God may call them to serve in another school. We must love the ministry enough to allow God to direct our best people to other schools should the need arise. - Begin your candidate search early – You will soon find a shallow pool of qualified applicants, developing a partnership with those who provide K-12
Christian school leadership searches (such as CSD) may prove to be a valuable tool.
Until next post- Carry on the good work God has called you!