Biblical Perspectives on Educational Leadership and Organization

Educational institutions can be viewed through multiple lenses, like those offered by Morgan (1998). The various "images" of organizations that Morgan (1998) provides allow for strategic insight and critical evaluation of an educational organization struggling to meet the needs of a diverse student body. By applying the lessons learned in case studies, it is possible to develop solutions to organizational issues. Additional lenses or images of organizations include the biblical perspective. Although not discussed directly by Morgan (1998), a biblical perspective lends insight into how educators and members of the community can work together toward common goals.

In a classical organizational framework, a student might be considered a "client." However, an educational organization differs fundamentally from a for-profit business. A student is not a client in the way a customer might be for a telecommunications company or even for a private for-profit educational institution. In the case of a public elementary school, the institution is funded by taxpayers and serves the public in ways that transcend profit. The goals of public education include creating a better society by developing the young minds that will be the future leaders of the nation and the world. With this ultimate organizational mission and vision statement in mind, school administrators can apply a biblical perspective right alongside the structural, systems, cultural, and political lenses.

Michel (2005) stresses the importance of strategic foresight in biblical leadership. Strategic foresight involves keeping in mind the central mission of the organization and its core values. Leaders need to be honest in their self-assessment, both of their own individual work and contributions to the organization and also regarding an honest evaluation of the organization's performance. In this context, school administrators need to perform quantitative and qualitative analyses on student data to identify the root causes and consequences of psychological or social difficulties experienced by students. An honest evaluation of the organization will reveal weaknesses in the educational structure, pedagogy, learning environment, or resources used in the classroom. Similarly, community leaders can participate in a strategic foresight action committee to promote the values and ideals that support student success.

Leaders in educational institutions can be viewed through a biblical lens as servant-leaders or as spiritual stewards. As Oberholster (1993) suggests, stewardship in a Christian perspective means being accountable to all stakeholders. In this context, educators and educational administrators are accountable to students, parents of all students, and to all residents of the community. Spiritual leaders also remain humble in all situations. Instead of blaming students or their parents, it would be more effective to take responsibility for the school's own role. Being proactive requires humility, honesty, and a willingness to change. In the spirit of strategic foresight, leaders in education develop "clear strategies as to how they can achieve the goal that was set before them," in the same way that leaders who were "in tune with God" do in the Bible (Michel, 2005). Educators and administrators can work together to develop strategic action plans for specific students, but those plans can also affect the entire student body to improve outcomes. As Michel (2005) points out, no leader works alone. From a biblical perspective, leadership is a shared and common program of action. "Strategy should be a team effort; it is not to be done alone," (Michel, 2005).