Dr. Alan Pue The Barnabas Group [email protected] .

Dr. Alan PueThe Barnabas GroupThe Barnabas [email protected]

“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 the

noblest of occupations.noblest of occupations.”Erasmus of Rotterdam

Continuously rising costs Continuously rising costs and the resistance we feel from our constituents to charge what

it costs

Deepening cultural conflict. Deepening cultural conflict. Many people, well-meaning and intelligent people fear us

Weak financial support.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. A largely untutored constituency. We have few advocates and even fewer apologists

A Lack of ImaginationA Lack of Imagination We are prisoners of our paradigms

Be . . .Be . . .a compelling storywell told

Build . . .Build . . .strategic partnershipsremarkable programs

Provide . . .Provide . . .exceptional service

An IndispensableIndispensable Mission

Delivered With Unmistakable Unmistakable ExcellenceExcellence

By Exceptional PeopleExceptional People

Resulting in Undeniably Positive Positive ImpactImpact

Is theologically, historically and academically sound ““Education for what purpose, competence Education for what purpose, competence

to what end?”to what end?”

Is connected to non-negotiable core elements Fully and organically aligning your core Fully and organically aligning your core

purpose to your every day practicepurpose to your every day practice

Leads to engagement, not evasion ““As you are going . . . .”As you are going . . . .”

A culture of . . .A culture of . . . Excellence Realism Vision Accountability Innovation Discipline Passion

Why Does Excellence Matter?

Excellence honors GodExcellence 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 responseExcellence demands a response And God said, “It was good.” And we say, “That was good.”

Excellence is a prerequisite for Excellence is a prerequisite for continued successcontinued success You might survive without excellence but you’ll

never thrive

Excellence is making maximum Excellence is making maximum use of the resources given us use of the resources given us

by God in a manner that by God in a manner that accurately reflects His person accurately reflects His person and effectively advances His and effectively advances His

purposes in the world.purposes in the world.

““I have offended God and man I have offended God and man because my work has not because my work has not

reached the quality it should reached the quality it should have.”have.”

Leonardo da Vinci

“The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with

their minds.”Walter Duranty

““The worst mistake in leadership The worst mistake in leadership is to hold out hope soon to be is to hold out hope soon to be

swept away.”swept away.”Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill

““Hope deferred makes the heart Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”sick.”Solomon

““A vision without a plan to execute is A vision without a plan to execute is nothing more than an hallucination.”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 How can we be better tomorrow at what

God has called us to do than we are God has called us to do than we are today?today?

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 anticipation and A culture of anticipation and continuous improvementcontinuous 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 ANDgenius of AND? Are you willing to look for the second right second right

answeranswer? Are you committed to both biblical unity and

constructive conflict?

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 Your North StarStar

That won’t happen without the right kind of people on your staff.

““Excellence is sometimes hard Excellence is sometimes hard to measure.to measure.

But the passion for it is But the passion for it is unmistakable.”unmistakable.”

Three Key Questions

What can you be best at in the What can you be best at in the world?world?

What are you really What are you really passionate about?passionate about?

Is there a market for your Is there a market for your passion?passion?

Character first, everything else Character first, everything else secondsecond

Unwavering resolveUnwavering resolve This is a call of God to vocation, not the fulfillment of

job responsibilities

Fully committed toFully committed to Continued individual and organizational spiritual,

intellectual, and professional growth Representing God with excellence Your purpose

Talent for the TaskTalent for the Task

Able to mobilize people and Able to mobilize people and maximize God given resourcesmaximize God given resources

Create a “portrait” of a graduateCreate a “portrait” of a graduate Integrity The Fear of God Resilience Courage Curiosity Passion Grace

“How does a person decide which cares and commitments will give shape and

substance to life, for life? How do students learn to conscientiously conscientiously

connect connect what they believe about the world with how they live in the world.?”

Steven Garber

The fear of God leads to . . .The fear of God leads to . . .

Knowledge Understanding Wisdom Affection

Here are the questions every student eventually asks:

Is truth a possibility, even a reality?Is truth a possibility, even a reality?

And is it a truth that has the And is it a truth that has the possibility of providing coherence possibility of providing coherence

for the whole of life? for the whole of life?

Implications! Implications! Implications?

If? Then. . .

““Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use a knowing fool. But to know how to use

knowledge is to have wisdom.”knowledge is to have wisdom.”C. H. Spurgeon

““The prudent man sees the evil and hides The prudent man sees the evil and hides himself, but the naïve go on, and are himself, but the naïve go on, and are

punished for it.”punished for it.”Proverbs 22:3 (see also Proverbs 1:20-21, 2:1-12)

“I will propose that the primary goal of Christian education is the formation of a peculiar people - people who desire people who desire

the kingdom of God 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

““We endure in the absence of We endure in the absence of triumph.”triumph.”John F. Kennedy

““The difference between iron and steel The difference between iron and steel is fire, but steel is worth all it costs.”is fire, but steel is worth all it costs.”

Maltbie Babcock

““We are afflicted in every wayWe are afflicted in every way but not crushed . . . .”but not crushed . . . .”

Paul to the Corinthians

“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 is not simply one of the virtues Courage is not simply one of the virtues but a form of every virtue at the testing but a form of every virtue at the testing

point, which means at the point of point, which means at the point of highest reality.”highest reality.”

C.S. Lewis

““Have I not commanded you?Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous!”Be strong and courageous!”God to Joshua

““That you may excel still more”That you may excel still more”Paul of Tarsus

““And still I learn.”And still I learn.”Leonardo da Vinci

““The mind of the intelligent seeks The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge . . . .”knowledge . . . .”

Solomon

“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked provoked

within him 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

““He that winneth souls is wise.”He that winneth souls is wise.”Solomon

““He that loves purity of heart and He that loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious, the whose speech is gracious, the

king is his friend.”king is his friend.”Solomon

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.