The leader of a K-12 Christian school must wear many hats and learn to be effective in each of the hats they wear. This is even more so in smaller schools, where staff at all levels often take on additional responsibilities beyond the office or classroom.
Of the many decisions school leaders make each year, few will have more impact than these two: what you teach and who you hire to teach it. Personnel and curriculum in other words. Over the years, I have heard many stories of failed schools, failed leaders, and once strong schools on the verge of closing. Usually at the top of the list that led to collapse are issues in personnel and mission drift in the curriculum areas. (Low-quality board leadership is usually near the top of this list as well.)
Curriculum in the Christian school must not only be “Christian” but also distinctively biblical. Timothy writes, “From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus”. (II Timothy 3:15)
Finding qualified candidates who are called by God to serve in the Christian school is a challenge, but not impossible. Number-cruncher extraordinaire, George Barna, defines the hiring priorities of effective ministries as follows: Called by God, Christ-like character, and functionally competent. I have been in hundreds of staff interviews, and one thing I always seek to hear is the story, or journey, of how God led the applicant to serve in a Christian school.
Regardless of the school size or theological tradition, when leadership compromises in these two strategic areas, the school will become marginalized professionally and spiritually,
The Christian school is more than an escape or an attempt to satisfy parental dissatisfaction; it is a model of education founded firmly on the never-changing truth of God’s Word.