15F, 16F, 17F, and 18F—my family and I are all in window seats on UA7590, traveling from Grand Rapids to Chicago. We boarded on schedule (gate B1 at 11:00 a.m. on July 17, 2006), we departed on schedule (11:20 a.m.), and we’re now soaring across Lake Michigan. I’m glad we’re flying, not swimming or sailing. That would take too long, and we might get lost.

The crew is focusing on getting us to Chicago, both safely and on time—that’s clear. The pilot’s just come on the PA system, said that we’re 75 miles from Chicago, that we’ll land in the next 10-15 minutes, and that it’s 86 degrees in Chicago. Now the flight attendant is listing connecting gates: Tokyo, C10; Boston, B1; San Francisco, C17; Hong Kong, C16; and Minneapolis (our final destination), C11.

Now the lead flight attendant says, “Please check your seat pocket for trash. Please give it to the flight attendant who is coming down the aisle. Lock your tray tables, fasten your seatbelts, and put your seats in the upright position. Turn off electronic devices.” I’m glad she is giving instructions, instructions that will help us arrive safely and on time. We’ve paid for our tickets so we can visit my brother and his family in Minneapolis, and we want to make our connecting flight at gate C11.

I look at my watch: 10:45 a.m. As the plane banks left, I see Lake Michigan’s shoreline and Chicago. A few minutes more and we’ll be over dry land, descending as we go. My guess is that our pilot is using a compass, an altimeter, and a speedometer as he talks with Chicago about our approach and the runway we are to land on.

10:49—dry land. I see trees, houses, 3 golf courses, and a highway with cars speeding along it. We continue our descent. 10:52—our landing gear is in place. I can now read store signs. 10:53—touch down. We’re here, taxiing to our gate.

The lead flight attendant says, “Welcome to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The local time is 10:53. Please stay seated with your seatbelts fastened until we turn off the ‘fasten seatbelt’ sign.” We taxi along Concourse C, arriving at C9 at 10:59. Ding—the “fasten seatbelt” sign is off.

Success. We have been transported on schedule from gate B11 in Grand Rapids International Airport to gate C9 at Chicago O’Hare in plenty of time to board our 12:00 flight to Minneapolis at gate C11.

I’m glad the crew got us to the right gate, in the right concourse, in the right airport—not the wrong gate, the wrong concourse (so far away from C11 that we have to run to make the connection), or the wrong airport (Midway is another airport in Chicago).

I’m glad the crew didn’t just have a mission to get us from anywhere in Grand Rapids (airport or otherwise) to anywhere in Chicago (any airport, land on a highway, have us parachute out over downtown...).

The crew had a defined mission: On July 17, 2006, safely transport the passengers on UA7590 from B11 at Grand Rapids International Airport to C9 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, departing 11:20 a.m. and arriving 11:15 a.m.

Now imagine: You and your staff are now a passenger airplane crew. I’m considering flying with you. Please answer 3 questions:

(1) Do you and your crew have a general or defined mission? Are you safely transporting passengers from somewhere in Grand Rapids to somewhere in Chicago? Or are you safely transporting passengers from gate B11 in Grand Rapids International Airport to gate C9 in Chicago O’Hare International Airport, departing 11:20 on July 17 and arriving at 11:15? Personally, I refuse to fly with a crew that doesn’t have a specifically defined mission.

What kind of mission does your organization have? If your organization has general mission (Christian Academy in Japan, a school for the children of evangelical missionaries in Japan, equips students to impact the world for Christ), take the next step and specifically define what it means to achieve your mission. Take this step ASAP.

(2) To what extent do you and your crew focus on achieving your defined mission? What behaviors demonstrate that you are focused on getting from B11 to C9? Are there any behaviors that don’t demonstrate this? If so, do you want those behaviors to continue? As a passenger, I really, really want the crew to focus on achieving the defined mission. After all, I paid for the ticket.

To what extent do you and your staff focus on achieving your mission, your defined mission? To maintain and increase focus on your defined mission, what behaviors do you and your staff need to keep doing? Start doing? Stop doing?

(3) To what extent are you and your crew achieving your defined mission? Do you arrive safely, on time, at the correct destination? What is your success rate? As a passenger, I want to depart from the right place at the right time, and I want to arrive in the right place at the right time, preferably 100% of the time.

As an organization, to what extent are you achieving your mission, your defined mission? Can you give me a percentage? If you’re not sure, how can you find out? How would knowing this percentage help you and your staff?

Bottom line: I fly with airplane crews that have defined missions, that focus on achieving the defined mission, and that have a very high rate of achieving the defined mission. Should I fly with you?

You: I want to close the gap between the words of our God-given mission and the reality of our situation. How can I close the gap?

Me: Before I respond to your question, let me first describe a process Christian organizations use that really works. It involves doing something—tracking vital data with charts, graphs, and tables. It involves doing something now—determining and monitoring goals. It involves doing something now, collaboratively—the administration, the board, and a certifying agency working together.

What is it? The budget. So now back to your question, “How can I close the gap?”

Shortest answer? Do something.

Shorter answer? Do something now.

Short answer? Do something now, collaboratively.

Longer answer? Do something. Learning, planning, and committing to using your plan don’t equal closing the gap. Doing your plan does (provided it targets closing the gap). What are you going to do? Ask your business manager, and he’ll tell you what he’s going to do to ensure sound fiscal practice.

Do something now. You can’t change the past. But what you do now creates the future. Your business manager understands this. So, he takes action. Now. By monitoring the budget and reducing spending appropriately. Remember, if you don’t act now, you aren’t moving toward a future of achieving your mission. If you act now, you are. The choice is yours. The clock is ticking.

Do something now, collaboratively.

• Administration: As an administrator, your business manager sets goals, monitors progress toward the goals, and uses the results to determine next steps.
  
• Board: The board determines the following policy, holding the administration (including the business manager) accountable for its implementation: “The administration shall not exceed the total operating expense budget nor the capital budget without board approval.” Additionally, the board asks the administration (specifically the business manager) to present the budget, using a schedule set by the board.
  
• Certifying Agency: The certifying agency (aka the auditor) determines business and accounting best practices. The auditor holds the business manager accountable for implementing best practices, in part by rigorously analyzing the business manager’s work.

As a result of your organization’s use of this process, your budget works.

Imagine. What might happen if your organization did something now, collaboratively? What if you organization, for example worked to increase student application of a biblical perspective to course content?

• Administration: The administration sets a goal of having 90% of students at/above standard on applying a biblical perspective to course content, scores being based on rubric-scored classroom assessments. The administration monitors implementation of assessments and uses assessment results to determine next steps.
  
• Board: The board determines the following policy, holding the administration accountable for its implementation: “Ensure that the program fosters the application of a biblical worldview to all of life.” Additionally, at each board meeting, the board asks the administration to indicate the following fraction:
  # of biblical perspective student assessments / total # of classes taught daily in the school
  
• Certifying Agency: School accreditation agencies (like ACSI and CSI) hold the school accountable to the following standard: “Each student completes a biblical perspective assessment in each class a minimum of 4 times a year.”

What might happen…?

• If your organization did something now, collaboratively?
  
• If you applied the “do-something-now-collaboratively” process to church planting? Hunger relief? Christian publications?

Steward what God has given you. Close the gap. Do something now, collaboratively.

Your goal? To meet or exceed the following organizational standard: The leader focuses organizational energy on achieving the mission.

To reach your goal, start by imagining. Imagine you and your organization focused. Imagine you and your organization consistently and systemically focused on achieving your God-given mission. If this happened, how would this impact the achievement of your mission?

To start making this vision a reality, answer 4 questions:

1. What does it take to meet or exceed this standard?
   
2. What’s the current performance level?
   
3. What can you do to increase your focus of organizational energy on achieving the mission?
   
4. What does your organization need to do to increase its focus on achieving the mission?

What does it take to meet or exceed the standard?
To meet the standard:

• Input: You need to focus organizational energy on achieving the mission.
  
• Output: Your organization needs to focus its energy on achieving the mission.

To exceed the standard:

• Input: You need to consistently focus organizational energy on achieving the mission.
  
• Output: Your organization needs to consistently focus its energy on achieving the mission.

(2) What’s the current performance level? Find out by answering a question on inputs and a question on outputs:

Inputs: I ___ organizational energy on achieving the mission.

1. consistently and systemically focus
   
2. consistently focus
   
3. focus (meets the standard)
   
4. somewhat focus
   
5. rarely focus

Outputs: My organization ___ its energy on achieving the mission.

1. consistently and systemically focuses
   
2. consistently focuses
   
3. focuses (meets the standard)
   
4. somewhat focuses
   
5. rarely focuses

(3) Input: What can you do to increase your focus of organizational energy on achieving the mission? Here are 10 options:

1. Pray daily.
   
2. Memorize your mission statement.
   
3. Tell stories about achieving the mission.
   
4. Ask questions: What is our mission? What does our mission mean and not mean? What’s our definition of mission achievement? What’s our current level of mission achievement? What can we do to close the gap? How effectively will this ___ (meeting, project, task, proposed change) help us accomplish our mission?
   
5. Listen to the responses to your questions.
   
6. Use SMART goals and scoreboards.
   
7. Coach leaders.
   
8. Provide support, encouragement, and accountability.
   
9. Design job descriptions so that they are a function of mission achievement.
   
10. Empower 100% of staff to recite the mission, explain the definition of mission achievement, explain the current level of mission achievement, and identify how their job and schoolwide improvement plans contribute to mission achievement.

Pick 1 option. Do it. Today. And ask someone to hold you accountable. Until you get it done. Then, if necessary, pick another option.

(4) Output: What does your organization need to do to increase its focus on achieving the mission? Here are 10 things staff can do:

1. Pray daily.
   
2. Memorize the mission.
   
3. Learn to explain the definition of mission achievement.
   
4. Learn to explain the current level of mission achievement.
   
5. Learn to explain how their job contributes to mission achievement.
   
6. In each meeting, ask “How will this meeting help us achieve our mission?”
   
7. When developing proposals, ask “How will this proposed change help us achieve our mission?”
   
8. When considering whether or not to take on a task, ask “How effectively will this ___ (meeting, project, task, proposed change) help us accomplish our mission?”
   
9. When pursuing professional development, ask “What type of professional development will most effectively help me contribute to mission achievement?”
   
10. Track progress towards job completion and/or assigned improvement tasks. Share progress with a supervisor on a routine basis.

Ask each staff member to pick 1 option. Today. And hold staff members accountable. Until they get it done. Then, if necessary, ask them to pick another option.

Imagine you and your organization consistently and systemically focused on achieving your mission. Make this a reality by increasing your organization’s focus on achieving the mission. Target inputs (what you do) and outputs (what your organization does).

Steward what God has given you. Focus your organization's energy on achieving your mission.

---

Martie Tarter, Christian Academy in Japan (Music/School Advancement), SEND International:
Focusing organizational energy on achieving the mission is central to achieving the mission. Ways I do this include praying daily and talking about how what we are doing is connected to the mission. To take it to the next level, I’m going to provide encouragement and ask organizational members to set personal goals related to achieving the mission.

Christian school staff know answers, know what the answers mean, and use the answers appropriately. Just ask Christian school staff, and you’ll find out:

• Who is Jesus?
  
• What’s the budget process?
  
• What’s a noun?
  
• What’s the room cleaning schedule?
  
• What’s the water cycle?

Christian missionaries know answers, know what the answers mean, and use the answers appropriately. Just ask missionaries, and you’ll find out:

• Who is Jesus?
  
• What is sin?
  
• How can I be saved?
  
• What’s the name of your church?
  
• When are the worship services?

Answers are tools. Knowing answers, knowing what the answers mean, and using the answers increases the effectiveness of Christian school staff and Christian missionaries.

A mission statement is a powerful tool. Your mission statement is a powerful tool. To unleash its power, you need to:

• Know your mission statement word for word.
  
• Know what your mission statement means.
  
• Use your mission statement.

How well do you know your mission statement?

• Can you recite it word for word? Practice until you can.
  
• Can you say smoothly? So that it sounds like it does when you read it? Practice until you can.
  
• Can you say it in the same number of seconds it takes you to read it? Practice until you can.

How well do you know what your mission statement means? In 30 seconds:

• Can you tell me 5 things it means and 5 things it doesn’t mean? Right now? If not, identify these things. Practice sharing them until you can share them in 30 seconds.
  
• Can you tell me an interesting story that illustrates your mission? Right now? If not, write down a story. Practice telling it until you can effectively tell it in 30 seconds.

How well do you use your mission statement?

• Do you routinely use your mission statement to cast the vision and inspire others? If not, at the next meeting you attend, use your mission statement to remind everyone of the real purpose of the meeting.
  
• When developing a proposal, do you routinely ask, “How will this help us accomplish our mission?” If not, do this when developing your next proposal.
  
• When deciding whether or not to take on a task, do you routinely ask, “How effectively will this help us accomplish our mission?” If not, start when considering your next task.

Remember: Success is you effectively using your mission statement on a routine basis. Success is not knowing your mission statement or knowing what it means. But remember, in order to effectively use your mission statement on a routine basis, you need to know it and know what it means.

Imagine you and everyone on your church staff, tentmaking staff, mission staff, or school staff reciting your mission statement, telling 30-second stories that illustrate your mission statement, and routinely using your mission statement to focus energy on achieving your mission. If this happened, how might it impact the achievement of your mission?

Work smart. Know your mission statement. Know what it means. Use it. Unleash its power. Today.

---

Kim Essenburg, Christian Reformed missionary and English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan, uses her school's mission statement:

Christian Academy in Japan, a school for the children of evangelical missionaries in Japan, equips students to impact the world for Christ.

This means we emphasize:

• Equipping students to impact the world for Christ, not equipping students for college and career (although we do this)
  
• Students applying a biblical perspective to course content they have mastered, not students mastering course content
  
• Students using knowledge, not students having knowledge
  
• Using real-world and classroom assessments, not using just classroom assessments
  
• Being student-centered, not teacher-centered

I get excited when students get equipped to impact the world for Christ. Recently, I was looking at student essays on Cry, the Beloved Country. I was excited to read, “Arthur's goal is for black people and white people to treat each other fairly, which is exactly what God requires of us: ‘...to act justly and to love mercy...’ (Micah 6:8).”

Our school’s mission statement is a useful tool. I use our school mission statement to define the purpose of my teaching, shape the assessments I use, screen changes to the content I teach, and determine the professional development I’ll pursue.

You’re a basketball coach. Your team is playing in the tournament finals. It's halftime.

As you enter your basketball team’s locker room, what’s the single most important piece of information you need? Pick 1:

• Shooting percentage, yours and theirs
  
• Number of rebounds, yours and theirs
  
• Number of turnovers, yours and theirs
  
• Players in foul trouble, yours and theirs

Did you pick “shooting percentage”? Shooting percentage can make the difference in the game. If you increase your shooting percentage and decrease their shooting percentage (by stopping them from taking shots from where they are comfortable), you increase your chances of winning. I didn’t pick shooting percentage.

Did you pick “number of rebounds”? Controlling rebounds can result in control of the game. If you get more offensive rebounds and stop them from getting offensive rebounds (they have scored 8 points on second-shot attempts), you increase your chances of winning. I didn’t pick rebounding.

Did you pick “number of turnovers”? Mistakes can cost you the game—or them the game. If you decrease your turnovers and increase their turnovers, you increase your chances of winning. I didn’t pick number of turnovers.

Did you pick “players in foul trouble”? You need your key players on the floor—not on the bench, due to foul trouble. You need to know if their 2 key players are in foul trouble. You need to know so you can increase your chances of winning by getting their 2 key players in foul trouble. I didn’t pick players in foul trouble.

The single most important piece of information you need to coach your team is not shooting percentage, number of rebounds, number of turnovers, or players in foul trouble.

What is?

The score.

To coach effectively, you must know the sport, what constitutes winning, and the score. Then you can implement an effective second-half game plan.

The same is true for leading a Christian organization. To lead effectively, you must know your God-given mission, what constitutes achieving your mission, and your current level of mission achievement—the score. Then you can implement a strategic improvement plan.

What’s the score?

(If you’re not sure, call “time-out.” Define what constitutes the achievement of your mission. Then determine your current level of mission achievement.)

---

Calvin Johnston, Christian Academy in Japan, headmaster
Knowing the score is essential. When I know the score, I can more effectively focus our school’s energy on the right things, things that will help us achieve our mission. When I don’t know the score, it is hard for me to say no to good ideas. We can’t do all the good ideas so knowing the score helps me make tough choices

You: God has given me a mission. Knowing my mission is important. It gives me a goal. I don’t really want to define what it takes to achieve my mission. I just want to get at it. There’s so much work to do. And yet, I’m starting to wonder, “If I don’t define mission achievement, how effectively can I work?”

Me: I’ll answer your question after you answer a question for me, OK? Here’s the scenario: You’re CAJ’s coach. The scoreboard reads: CAJ 25 • YIS 20. The clock reads: 1:00.

In this scenario, which 1 of the following 5 options is what you should say? (There is a right answer.)

1. Volleyball: We’ve got 1 minute to talk, so listen up. We won the first set. You started out strong, and they came on strong at the end. In the next set, concentrate on serve-receive. Their ace server is up. Also, vary who spikes. When too many sets went to Kim, they blocked and caught up. OK? Focus!
   
2. Golf: We’re 5 strokes behind. We’ve played 5 holes and have 13 more to go. It’s 1:00. When you finish around 3:00, our goal is to be 2 strokes behind. Then we’ll be set to catch up and beat them tomorrow. Our short game is better than theirs, so concentrate on beating them on the short holes. OK? Focus!
   
3. Cross-country: Great race. YIS has a good team. Our goal was to be within 7 points, and we were within 5. And 3 of you set personal records! Last week’s hill work paid off. We’ll continue it next week as we prepare for our race against ASIJ. Based on today’s times, we would have beaten ASIJ by 1 point. The guys’ race starts at 1:15. Be sure to cheer them on. OK? Focus!
   
4. Track: We’re ahead by 5. Long jump is the last event. And their strongest event. If we place 2nd and get 3 points, we’ll win. So, target 2nd place. Remember to count off your steps, reach for your toes, and land on your feet. Your event starts at 1:05. OK? Focus!
   
5. Basketball: The full-court press worked well. We stopped them from scoring. Great way to end the first half. Second half we need to concentrate on defensive rebounding—they scored 8 points on offensive rebounds. And we need to concentrate on making free throws—we were 1 for 5. We start the second half in 1 minute. OK? Focus!

You: This is silly. If you’d tell me what sport I’m coaching, I could pick the right answer. If you don’t tell me the sport, how do I know what to say? How can I coach effectively?

It’s not one of the options, but if you don’t tell me what sport I’m coaching, about all I can say are things like, “Focus!” “Concentrate!” “Work hard!” That helps, but not really, because it’s not specific. It doesn’t say what to focus or concentrate on. Working hard is good, but working on crucial things is better.

Get real. Tell me what sport I’m coaching, and I’ll select the most effective thing to say.

Me: You’ve answered your own question. If you don’t know the game, you can’t coach very effectively. If you don’t know what achieving your mission means, you can’t work very effectively.

You will focus, concentrate, and work hard—but you won’t know if you are focusing on, concentrating on, working hard on crucial things.

Want to coach effectively? Know the sport you are coaching. Want to work effectively? Know your organization’s definition of mission achievement.

Still want to know which option would have been best to tell your team? It’s 1 of the 5 answers you didn’t pick, but I’m not sure which.

Let me answer your question by comparing coaching and leading.

You’re coaching a sports team. Here are 7 tips that can help you coach effectively:

1. Know your sport.
   
2. Know what constitutes winning (high score as in soccer or low score as in golf)
   
3. Before the athletic contest, tell your team the plan.
   
4. Watch the athletic contest.
   
5. Know the score.
   
6. Use your timeouts to celebrate achievement of the plan, increase focus on the plan, and encourage players to win.
   
7. Use your players’ stats to improve performance.

You’re leading a Christian school. Here are 7 tips that can help you lead effectively:

1. Know your mission.
   
2. Know what it take to achieve your mission in terms of measurable student learning.
   
3. At the start of the school year, tell your staff what the plan is for increasing measurable student learning.
   
4. Watch students learning.
   
5. Know your students’ achievement levels.
   
6. Use your staff meetings to celebrate student learning, increase focus on student learning, and encourage your staff to achieve the mission.
   
7. Use your students’ assessment results to increase learning.

Remember, the real question isn’t “How can I coach effectively?” or even “How can I lead effectively?” The real question is “What am I going to do today to achieve our God-given mission?”

What can you do? Here are 7 options:

1. Memorize your mission statement.
   
2. Define the achievement of your mission in terms of measurable student learning.
   
3. Collaborate with staff to develop annual improvement plans that target mission achievement.
   
4. Schedule 30-60 minutes each week to do walkthroughs and/or to examine student work.
   
5. Use your definition of mission achievement and your student assessment results to determine your current level of mission achievement.
   
6. At your next staff meeting, ask teachers for examples of how students have increased their understanding and use of a biblical perspective.
   
7. At the end of each year, use your students’ assessment results to identify ways to increase your students’ understanding and use of a biblical perspective.

Steward what God has given you. Use 1 option today.?

The game is achieving your God-given mission. Are you a player or a spectator?

A player plays, knowing 3 things:

1. To win, you have to play.
2. If you play, you will lose. (No one always wins).
   
3. What you learn from losing will help you win.

A spectator watches, never doing 3 things:

1. Never winning.
   
2. Never losing.
   
3. Never learning to win.

Don't be a spectator. Be a player. Play today. Achieve your mission.

Remember, the real question isn’t “Are you a player or a spectator?” The real question is “What step will you take today toward achieving your God-given mission?”

Your goal: To be a good steward of what God has given you by pursuing excellence.

Your plan: To demonstrate commitment to your God-given mission.

Your question: How?

Here are 4 options:

1. Talk about your mission.
   
2. Target mission achievement through your job.
   
3. Participate in achieving improvement plans.
   
4. Make collaborative decisions regarding increasing student learning.

Use 1 option. Today.

Achieving your God-given mission takes work. Hard work. A lot of hard work.

You know that working to achieve your mission means you’ll be busy. Busy you can deal with—but feeling hurried is something you can’t deal with. You don’t like feeling hurried, rushed, a little out of control. When you feel hurried, you don’t feel peaceful. Not good. Jesus agrees. On earth, He was busy achieving His mission, but He didn’t hurry.

So, how can you achieve your organization’s mission without feeling hurried? Let me answer that question by asking you some questions:

1. What’s your organization’s mission? (What is not your organization’s mission?)
   
2. What does it take to achieve your organization’s mission? (What is not involved in achieving your organization’s mission?)
   
3. In your job, how do you contribute to mission achievement? (What does your job not require you to contribute?)
   
4. To contribute to mission achievement: What 1-2 measurable priorities will you target this year? (What measurable priorities will you not target this year?) What 1-2 “good things” will you stop doing? Remember, “good things” are the enemy of “best things.” What 1-2 ways will you model an unhurried work style?
   
5. How will you monitor progress on #4?
   
6. How will you get the support, encouragement, and accountability you need to move from being hurried to being unhurried?

Need a place to start? Get weekly coaching.

Increasing your mission quotient (MIQ) can help you achieve your God-given mission.

To increase your MIQ, answer the following 12 questions. Better yet, get a team together to answer the questions.

1. What is a mission statement?
   
2. What makes a good mission statement good?
   
3. How do you develop a mission statement?
   
4. What is your mission?
   
5. How important is your mission?
   
6. How well can you explain your mission statement?
   
7. What does your mission mean? What does your mission not mean?
   
8. What’s it take to achieve your mission?
   
9. How do you contribute to mission achievement?
   
10. To what extent are you mission driven?
    
11. How can you promote being mission driven?
    
12. To be increasingly mission driven, what do you need to keep doing, stop doing, and start doing?

At Christian Academy in Japan, we define mission achievement in terms of achievement of our student objectives, accreditation standards, and core values.

How has defining mission achievement helped us? Here’s what two staff members had to say:

• “As a teacher, having mission achievement stated in quantifiable terms lets me know if I am achieving the mission or how close I got to achieving the mission. It gives me a direction in my work (I know what I need to do with my students), and it gives me a way of knowing if what I'm doing is effective.” —Math Teacher
  
  
• “In the Technology Department we continually keep the school's mission in mind as we make decisions. We feel strongly that everything that we do in technology should relate back to our mission of equipping students to impact the world for Christ. Decisions such as what hardware to buy and what services to provide all should relate to that mission. We are also concerned about how we meet student objectives. We look at how computers and related technologies relate to our student objectives. How can we use technology to help students become responsible learners, discerning thinkers, productive collaborators, effective communicators, and faithful caretakers? It is exciting to us to look at our student objectives and to see ways that the technology we provide here at CAJ will help our students achieve the student objectives.” —Educational Technology Coordinator

God has given your school a mission. You are committed to it, you want to achieve it, and you believe that achieving it will impact the world for Christ.

But it’s Tuesday morning, and you have to get a sub for a teacher who is out sick, you have just been asked to attend a meeting at 9:30 regarding a student who is struggling, you have to talk with a 7th grader from a dysfunctional home who has been acting out in class, you learn that the father of your 6th grade social studies teacher has cancer, and 237 emails are sitting in your inbox.

Stop. Breathe. And remember that while Christian education is about responding to crisis and the parable of the Good Samaritan, it’s more about stewarding the mission and the parable of the talents.

Consider making one or more commitments regarding stewarding your mission. Here are 5 options:

1. Commit to focusing on the mission and to responding to crises as a function of achieving your mission.
   
2. Commit to investing 5 or more minutes during each staff meeting in discussing and celebrating progress toward mission achievement.
   
3. Commit to investing 30 or more minutes each week in assessing progress toward mission achievement and planning next steps.
   
4. Commit to getting 100% of your staff to be able to explain the answers to 4 questions: What is our mission? What is our definition of mission achievement? What is our current level of mission achievement? What strategic steps are we taking to close the gap between targeted and current levels of mission achievement?
   
5. Commit to developing an attention-getting scoreboard that measures your current level of mission achievement and your progress on strategic steps you are taking.

If you make one or more commitments, consider ways to get the support, encouragement, and accountability you need to carry out your commitment(s).

As teachers, we rally in crisis. This is good.

• A 6th grader has chicken pox. As her teachers, we work together to create a list of assignments (making modifications as necessary), send appropriate materials home, invite the student and her parents to check in—and the student keeps up and makes a reasonably smooth transition back into class.
  
• A 9th grader is struggling. As his teachers, we review assessment data and talk together, talk to the student and his parents, and collaborate to develop a support plan that includes tutoring sessions before school—and his performance improves.
  
• Exams are 5 days away, and a senior has to attend her grandmother’s funeral in another country. The senior was close to her grandmother, is disturbed by her death, and is concerned about finishing the year. We as her teachers, in collaboration with the principal and counselor, develop an effective plan that provides time for grieving and for taking exams—the student attends the funeral, completes the exams, and heads off to summer vacation knowing we care for her.

In crisis, we rally, we focus, and we collaborate at a high level towards a common goal. And while we don’t live in constant crisis and wouldn’t want to, we do want to collaborate at a high level towards a common goal—on a regular basis.

What can we do? Define a rallying point. Ask for God’s help in identifying what He would have our school do (mission), define mission achievement, and work collaboratively to achieve the mission—daily.

God wants our best, both in and out of crisis. Our students need our best, both in and out of crisis. Most of life is not a crisis, and collaboratively focusing on achieving our mission is an effective way to rally, to achieve great things for God, and to serve students at a high level.

You’re coaching a game. You're not sure of the score (because there’s no scoreboard). You don’t have game stats. And you don’t have a handle on how well your players should be performing, given the team you’re playing. Meanwhile, you’re pleased that the crowd is cheering.

You call for a time out. You have 60 seconds to talk with your players.

• What will you tell them?
  
• What will you tell them to do to reach success? Remember, you don’t know the score, the stats, or how well your team should be doing.
  
• Well, what are you going to tell them? Your players are waiting.

Not a good situation. And one that may play out in life more often than we think. For example, to what extent is it similar to what happens in Christian schools?

You’re leading a Christian school. You’re not sure how well you’re doing because you have not defined the achievement of your God-given mission or measured the current level of mission achievement. You don’t have disaggregated student assessment data. Meanwhile, you’re pleased that the parents are happy with the education their children receive.

You schedule a staff meeting. You have 60 minutes to talk with your staff.

• What will you tell them?
  
• What you will you tell them to do to achieve the mission? Remember, you have not defined mission achievement or the current level of mission achievement.
  
• Well, what are you going to tell them?

Your staff is waiting.

Christian schools work hard to achieve their God-given missions. Four key questions to consider regarding the mission are:

1. What’s your mission?
   
2. What’s your definition of mission achievement?
   
3. To what extent is your school achieving its mission?
   
4. How will you close the gap between current and desired achievement?

Answers to these 4 questions are powerful tools in helping your school achieve its God-given mission.

Just imagine the impact of having 100% of your school’s staff understand the:

1. Mission: To equip students to impact the world for Christ.
   
2. Definition of mission achievement: 90% of students at or above standard on all schoolwide learning outcomes.
   
3. Current level of achievement on all schoolwide learning outcomes—for example, 69% of students at/above standard on applying a biblical perspective of course content.
   
4. Strategic steps they need to take to close the gap between current and targeted achievement levels—for example, giving students 6 assessments per year that require them to connect course content, life experience, and a biblical perspective.

Need a place to start? Start by defining mission achievement in terms of measurable schoolwide learning outcomes.

What would happen if...?

• Your school defined its God-given mission in terms of measurable student learning by developing student objectives (also known as expected student outcomes, school-wide goals, and expected student learning results)?
  
• Your board members asked your administrators to report for 15 minutes at each board meeting on student objective achievement?
  
• Your administrators used 15 minutes at each faculty meeting to analyze student objective achievement?
  
• Your teachers assessed student achievement of the student objectives?
  
• Your students assessed their learning in terms of the student objectives and used their assessment results to develop SMART goals?
  
• Your parents helped their children achieve their SMART goals?
  
• All your stakeholders focused on a SMART goal related to increasing student objective achievement?

If some or all of this happened, would you be closer to proving the value of Christian education? Would you be closing the gap between the rhetoric of the mission and reality of classroom?