Transcript THE COMPELLING SCHOOL - Transnational Association of

Dr. Alan Pue
The Barnabas Group
[email protected]
www.thebarnabasconnection.org
IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE
BECOME A SCHOOL WORTH SUPPORTING
AN IMPORTANT REMINDER
“To be a schoolmaster is next to being a king. Do
you count it mean employment to imbue the
minds of young people with the love of Christ
and the best of literature and to return them to
their country honest and virtuous men? In the
opinion of fools it is a humble task, but in fact it
is the noblest of occupations.”
Erasmus of Rotterdam
A VOCATION IN CRISIS
Continuously rising costs

and the resistance we feel from our constituents to charge what it costs
Deepening cultural conflict.

Many people, well-meaning and intelligent people fear us
Weak financial support.

Though some schools have been able to find resources through grants and
corporate gifts, few foundations actively seek to support Christian schools
and colleges
A largely untutored constituency.

We have few advocates and even fewer apologists
A Lack of Imagination

We are prisoners of our paradigms
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO?
Be . . .
a compelling story
 well told

Build . . .
strategic partnerships
 remarkable programs

Provide . . .

exceptional service
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A COMPELLING STORY?
 An
Indispensable Mission
 Delivered
 By
With Unmistakable Excellence
Exceptional People
 Resulting
in Undeniably Positive Impact
AN INDISPENSABLE MISSION THAT . . .

Is theologically, historically and academically sound


Is connected to non-negotiable core elements


“Education for what purpose, competence to what end?”
Fully and organically aligning your core purpose to your
every day practice
Leads to engagement, not evasion

“As you are going . . . .”
DELIVERED WITH UNMISTAKABLE EXCELLENCE
A culture of . . .
Excellence
Realism
Vision
Accountability
Innovation
Discipline
Passion
Why Does Excellence Matter?

Excellence honors God
 “.
. . for I will not take what is yours for the LORD or
offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.” David
to Ornan the Jebusite

Excellence demands a response
 And
God said, “It was good.”
 And we say, “That was good.”

Excellence is a prerequisite for continued success
 You
might survive without excellence but you’ll never
thrive
EXCELLENCE, A DEFINITION
Excellence is making maximum use of the
resources given us by God in a manner
that accurately reflects His person and
effectively advances His purposes in the
world.
EXCELLENCE, A FINAL THOUGHT
“I have offended God and man because my
work has not reached the quality it should
have.”
Leonardo da Vinci
A CULTURE OF REALISM
“The trouble with most people is that they
think with their hopes or fears or wishes
rather than with their minds.”
Walter Duranty
A CULTURE OF REALISM
“The worst mistake in leadership is to hold
out hope soon to be swept away.”
Winston Churchill
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”
Solomon
A CULTURE OF VISION
“A vision without a plan to execute is nothing
more than an hallucination.”
Steven Case, founder of AOL
The obligation of leadership, therefore, is to engage
in a strategic process that continually seeks to
answer the question:
How can we be better tomorrow at what God has
called us to do than we are today?
A CULTURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY
 Are
you willing to seek wise counsel?
(study Proverbs 18)
 Are
you willing to identify specific outcomes
and evaluate your efforts based on those
outcomes?
 Are
you diligent in the use of current
resources?
A CULTURE OF INNOVATION
A culture of anticipation and continuous
improvement
 Are
you willing to examine, evaluate and if necessary
discard the status quo?
 Are you able to thrive in chaos?
 Are you willing to take measured risks?
 Are you committed to the genius of AND?
 Are you willing to look for the second right answer?
 Are you committed to both biblical unity and
constructive conflict?
A CULTURE OF DISCIPLINE
The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for
incompetence and lack of discipline. To avoid
bureaucracy you must create a culture of
discipline.
A culture, not a tyrant
 The ability to stay “focused” on core principles
and common goals: Your North Star
 That won’t happen without the right kind of
people on your staff.

A CULTURE OF PASSION
“Excellence is sometimes hard to measure.
But the passion for it is unmistakable.”
A REALITY CHECK (FROM GOOD TO GREAT)
Three Key Questions
 What
 What
can you be best at in the world?
are you really passionate about?
 Is there a market for your passion?
BY EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE

Character first, everything else second

Unwavering resolve


This is a call of God to vocation, not the fulfillment of job
responsibilities
Fully committed to



Continued individual and organizational spiritual, intellectual,
and professional growth
Representing God with excellence
Your purpose

Talent for the Task

Able to mobilize people and maximize God given
resources
RESULTING IN EXCEPTIONAL OUTCOMES
Create a “portrait” of a graduate
 Integrity
 The Fear of God
 Resilience
 Courage
 Curiosity
 Passion
 Grace
INTEGRITY
“How does a person decide which cares and
commitments will give shape and substance to
life, for life? How do students learn to
conscientiously connect what they believe
about the world with how they live in the
world.?”
Steven Garber
THE FEAR OF GOD
The fear of God leads to . . .
Knowledge
Understanding
Wisdom
Affection
KNOWLEDGE
Here are the questions every student eventually asks:
Is truth a possibility, even a reality?
And is it a truth that has the possibility of
providing coherence for the whole of life?
UNDERSTANDING
Implications! Implications! Implications?
If? Then. . .
WISDOM
“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is
not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and
are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so
great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to
use knowledge is to have wisdom.”
C. H. Spurgeon
“The prudent man sees the evil and hides himself,
but the naïve go on, and are punished for it.”
Proverbs 22:3 (see also Proverbs 1:20-21, 2:1-12)
AFFECTION
“I will propose that the primary goal of Christian
education is the formation of a peculiar people people who desire the kingdom of God and thus
undertake their vocations as an expression of that
desire.”
James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom
See Colossians 3:2, Matthew 6:19-21, 22:37
RESILENCE
“We endure in the absence of triumph.”
John F. Kennedy
“The difference between iron and steel is fire, but
steel is worth all it costs.”
Maltbie Babcock
“We are afflicted in every way
but not crushed . . . .”
Paul to the Corinthians
RESILIENT, BUT . . .
“To do for yourself the best that you have it in you
to do – to grit your teeth and clench your fists in
order to survive the world at its harshest and
worst – is, by the very act, to be unable to let
something be done for you and in you that is
more wonderful still. The trouble with steeling
yourself against the harshness of reality is that
the same steel that secures your life against
being destroyed secures your life also against
being opened up and transformed.”
Fredrick Buechner
COURAGE
“Courage is not simply one of the virtues but a form of
every virtue at the testing point, which means at the
point of highest reality.”
C.S. Lewis
“Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous!”
God to Joshua
CURIOSITY
“That you may excel still more”
Paul of Tarsus
“And still I learn.”
Leonardo da Vinci
“The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge . . . .”
Solomon
PASSION
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens,
his spirit was being provoked within him as he
was observing the city full of idols.
So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the
Jews and God-fearing Gentiles and in the
market place every day with those who
happened to be present.”
Acts 17:16-17
GRACE
“He that winneth souls is wise.”
Solomon
“He that loves purity of heart and whose
speech is gracious, the king is his friend.”
Solomon
THIS IS THE FOUNDATION OF TRUST
People may share a passion for your purpose but if
they don’t believe that you can deliver that
purpose with excellence over a long period of time
they are not going to make a significant
investment in your organization. People must see
unambiguous proof of your ability to make a real
difference in the lives of your students while
making a difference for Christ in the world.