Teaching is a challenging job. Myriad difficulties and surprises confront teachers on any given day. Christian educators also bear the ever-present responsibility of discipleship. What do Christian teachers need in order to succeed in the face of their daunting mission? Jesus calls those who are burdened to come to him, wear his yoke, and learn from him (Matt. 11:28–30). Therefore the Christian school should offer, in conjunction with pedagogical and technical training, a modicum of not-so-professional development that includes corporate pursuit of the Lord. Teachers need to be supported as they grow and directed as they serve. They need the Word, and they need worship.
At their core, Christian schools are invested in discipling students. The Association of Christian Schools International aims to support schools as they “prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ” (“Missions and Vision”). Likewise, Christian Schools International aims to support schools “in their task of teaching students to know God and his world, and to glorify him through obedient service” (“About CSI”). These discipleship aims stand in contrast with the mission of the Education Department of the United States, which is “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access” (“Mission”).
Teacher as Disciple-Maker
When the Christian school embraces its mission of discipleship, it must also take into account the implications for the role of the teacher. The aim of professional development is guided by how the school defines success in the classroom. An employment contract might say “math teacher,” but the foundational employment directive of that teacher is discipleship. The math teacher is understood to be someone who uses the vehicle of academics for spiritual development. Therefore, teachers are primarily disciple-makers, and their task is essentially pastoral. George Knight explains:
The major difference between the roles of pastors and teachers in our day has to do with the current division of labor. In twenty-first-century society, the Christian teacher may be seen as one who pastors in a “school” context, while the pastor is one who teaches in the “larger religious community.” It should and must consciously be realized that their function is essentially the same, even though by today’s definitions they are in charge of different divisions of the Lord’s vineyard. (211)
This reality has vast implications for professional development. How do we develop academic disciple-makers?
First, we must understand that embracing the mission of the Christian school is a seismic shift. Teachers have been trained to be subject-matter experts, but Christian schools need them to be discipleship leaders. Teachers have earned degrees in their content areas. They have been trained formally in pedagogy, planning, and other areas of education. They have practiced, evaluated, and researched. They have been mentored, and they have engaged in lengthy student teaching. They often understand their identity in terms of their academic prowess; as the art teacher, the grammar police, or the math genius. They have invested much in the academic part of their work. However, excellence in their academic content area is only part of what is required of them, and it is not the most important part. They have been employed for a pastoral task and need the school to enhance their abilities for that work.
Francis Schaeffer made the case that technicians are “highly qualified in one field,” but true education “means thinking by associating across various disciplines” (12). Many Christian schools have employed not academic disciple-makers but technicians. These technicians need to be developed into multidiscipline ministers of discipleship, and they need to learn on the job. Distinctly Christian, not-so-professional development, tailored to the specific mission of the Christian school, can help accomplish this transformation. This not-so-professional development could fall into three categories: pastoral care, discipleship, and culture building.
Pastoral Care
Part of the reason for the stress that Christian teachers experience stems from being ill-equipped for their real work. Teachers should be jumping for joy when a student asks about why God allows evil in the world. They should smile for days when a student wants to know how to build a habit of Bible study. They should dance when a student comes to them wanting know how to pray better, deal with a tough family situation, or recover from a big mistake. However, these beautiful opportunities are often interpreted as struggles rather than praises because teachers are not ready for them. The teachers themselves haven’t wrestled with theodicy or learned how to study the Word, so these opportunities weigh them down instead of buoying them up.
Pastoral training in counseling, apologetics, and worldview would help teachers. In fact, many Christian schools offer professional development activities in these areas. However, there are many teachers who need something more foundational than pastoral training; they need pastoral care. Before benefiting from a class on how to help students, teachers need space to wrestle with their own questions and issues. In order to best assist a student processing the tragedy of divorce, teachers need to work through their own pain regarding the death of a parent, the waywardness of a child, or the shame of personal failure. When a student reveals a struggle with pornography, the teacher who has worked through his own past struggles will be much more helpful than the one who has never felt like he had the chance to process and grow.
If students become like their teachers, teachers need pastoral care so that they can become the disciples that the students will one day emulate. Therefore, schools should invest in the not-so-professional development of pastoral care through Christian or biblical counseling. Rather than only developing skills, schools should invest time and resources in developing their teachers as people. Every teacher is wrestling with some pain, grief, struggle, or worry. Individual counseling could be scheduled efficiently by inviting a few counselors to the school on a teacher workday. Teachers could each sign up for a session that fits into their schedule. Group counseling could also be arranged in numerous ways.
Discipleship
Discipleship is another essential area of not-so-professional development. Teachers will struggle to do the work of discipleship if they are not being discipled themselves. This is not to imply that the Christian school should usurp the role of the local church. Instead, schools should respond to the fact that teachers need to grow as disciples in order to help make disciples.
A disciple is simply someone who follows someone else. Christians follow Jesus, but they do so by learning from others who follow Jesus. Paul called the Corinthians to be his disciples as he followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). In a sense, discipleship is a sort of apprenticeship in Christianity where one learns the trade from a more experienced practitioner. Educators are already familiar with this framework because of roles like master-teachers, mentors, and department heads. The master teacher is meant to assist, model, and support other teachers as they strive to become masters themselves. Since this model of mentorship is already in place at many schools, partnerships could be arranged in schools so that less-experienced Christian educators could learn Bible-study skills, prayer practices, and other elements of discipleship, along with practical teaching skills, from more-experienced teachers. While all-staff prayer times and devotionals are wonderful and important, they do not meet the discipleship needs of teachers as individuals. Schools need to provide a Peter or Paul for every Mark or Timothy.
Culture Building
Finally, schools should adopt an element of not-so-professional development focused on building a culture of worship around the missional heart of the school. Mission drift is a real problem. Teachers need to be reminded about why the school exists and why they have been hired. The ultimate reminder is the glory of God. Therefore, teachers should regularly be invited to worship God together. They need to hear the call to corporate praise: “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
. . . For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods” (Ps. 95:1, 3).
In education circles, one often hears, “We do this for the kids. They are worth all the effort.” However, while Christian schools love their students, they do not minister for them. They minister to the student, but they must never forget that Christian schools exist for God. Christian education is God-focused, and Christian schools are here to help students know, love, and magnify the Lord. In light of that truth, teachers must be given ample time and opportunity to focus on the glory of God. They must be invited to worship Him. They cannot lead students where they have not gone.
Teachers need time devoted to hearing the Word and responding with praise. They need time to reflect in prayer and offer worship back to God. While Christian teachers want to work for God, they must be reminded that the culture of service stems from awe for the God who loves to serve his people (Isa. 41:10). This element of not-so-professional development teaches teachers not just to be standing tall at the front of the class but also to be kneeling low in God’s sanctuary.
Professional development that is free of wonder and worship cannot adequately equip Christian instructors to disciple young people through academics. Development suggests growth, and growth is more than the accumulation of knowledge or skill. While information is important, formation is necessary too. Therefore professional development in Christian education must make room for not-so-professional development aimed at helping teachers mature into ever-more-accurate representations of Christ so they can echo Paul to their students, saying, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).
Works Cited
“About CSI.” Christian Schools International, 2018, www .csionline.org/about.
Knight, George R. Philosophy and Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective, 4th ed. Andrews University Press, 2006.
“Mission.” US Department of Education, 2018, www2.ed.gov/about /overview/mission/mission.html.
“Mission and Vision.” Association of Christian Schools International, 2018, www.acsi.org/membership /acsi-overview/mission-and-vision.
Schaeffer, Francis. The Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy: Three Essential Books in One Volume. Crossway, 1990.
Kelly Hayes teaches classes in Bible, worldview, and worship at The King’s Academy in Florence, SC. He also serves as biblical integration team leader and chapel coordinator. Kelly has served as pastor and teacher in environments and groups that have spanned age, size, and region. He has been educated at Liberty University and Southern Seminary. You can read more of his writing at LeadLikeThis.com.
