Take The Long View

School leaders are leading in unprecedented times. Our school communities are adjusting to social distancing, working from home, distance learning, and uncertainty in the economy as we journey together through the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of where your organization was just four weeks ago, for a rare moment in history the game has been reset and we are all at the starting line of a new future. As is the case with all fresh starts, time continues to push us forward and how leaders choose to respond in this moment will in many ways determine the future of your organization. What has been your response to lead your Christian school through the current crisis: a reactionary mode, crippled with fear and indecisiveness, or proactive planning centered on a drive to not just survive but to thrive?    

Men of Issachar

Scripture tells us the men of Issachar were "men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do" (I Chronicles 12:32). Following the death of Saul and his sons at the hands of the Philistines, the men of Issachar were among the mighty men who joined David with his coronation as King of Israel. These notable men were mighty in valor, with the men of Issachar specifically commended for understanding the times and knowing what ought to be done. Now more than ever, the Christian school mission matters: to educate students in the truth of God’s word who will impact the world for Christ. Now more than ever, we need leaders grounded in their identity in Christ who can provide innovative and exemplary leadership to navigate the times and provide hope and truth in a landscape dominated by fear and uncertainty. And now more than ever we need to partner together with one another, sharing resources and strategies to build the Kingdom. As Romans 15:13 exhorts us, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope."

Our New Landscape - Our Shared Focus

As we navigate this new landscape, I believe the following themes best embody the position we as Christian schools must take as we work to stabilize and serve our school communities moving forward.

1. Keep your mission and distinctives in focus; for DC, we will continue to educate students to serve God and impact the world through Biblical thought and action.

• Our Christian school is open for business and more relevant today than ever before.
• Keeping our mission and distinctives at the forefront keeps our efforts focused and purposeful.

2. The current landscape is unprecedented and requires innovation.

• There is no textbook, manual, or seminar course to follow.
• Teamwork and listening is required.
• Continuous improvement and learning in a short time span will be our new normal. We cannot stand still; we must press forward.

3. We must “lead” forward with a shift to proactive planning for the days, weeks, and months ahead.

• Leaders cannot take a stance of simply “waiting out” the current COVID-19 Pandemic.
• How is your team looking ahead and proactively positioning your ministry to thrive in the landscape of the next 6-18 months?

4. Understand the long-term ramifications. While the future is still unknown, the world of Distance Learning will impact the educational landscape moving forward.

• Distance learning and all associated with it cannot simply be “put back in the box” or “turned off” when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
• Distance learning has opened new opportunities in Christian education. What is your leadership team currently doing to explore the positive additions DL can bring to your strategies and programs in the future?

5. In the midst of uncertainty, we can be certain of the Lord’s presence. We must continue to hold fast to the promises we find in God’s word, be diligent in prayer, and encourage those around us as the Lord encourages us.

Much is currently being written and thought about on this topic. If you are interested in a deeper dive into this concept, I would recommend Leading Beyond the Blizzard: Why Every Organization Is Now a Startup by Andy Crouch and the Praxis team.

Moving Forward - Together

Leaders must take time to process this new landscape with their faculty and staff. This is a journey we will take together. Delaware County Christian School is blessed with faculty, staff, and administrators who are capable and ready to move us forward. Together, we will work to serve our students and their families. We will trust each other, we will listen, we will adjust as necessary. Most importantly, we will commit our work to the Lord as we continually seek Him. Finally, we will move forward keeping the long view.

In closing, one of the individuals my class took time to study when I taught Eighth Grade Geography was Oscar Romero. Appointed Archbishop of San Salvador (1977-1980), Romero spoke out peacefully against poverty, social injustice, assassinations, and torture amid a growing war between left-wing and right-wing political forces until he was murdered during a celebration of Mass. The following quote is often attributed to Oscar Romero and applicable to us today: 

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

 The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,

 it is even beyond our vision.

 We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction

 of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.

 Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying

 that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

 No statement says all that could be said.

 No prayer fully expresses our faith.

 No confession brings perfection.

 No pastoral visit brings wholeness.

 No program accomplishes the church's mission.

 No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

 This is what we are about.

 We plant the seeds that one day will grow.

 We water seeds already planted,

 knowing that they hold future promise.

 We lay foundations that will need further development.

 We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

 We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation

 in realizing that. This enables us to do something,

 and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,

 but it is a beginning, a step along the way,

 an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

 We may never see the end results, but that is the difference

 between the master builder and the worker.

 We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

 We are prophets of a future not our own.

 Amen. 

We will move forward to the best of our collective abilities and allow the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

Dan Steinfield

Head of School

Delaware County Christian School