CONSISTENCY IS THE EXPECTATION

CONSISTENCY IS THE EXPECTATION

Mrs. Stalh

· I wish she was here: her words shaped me

· We have the opportunity to do that

My PhIlosophy of education

Engage the Mind

Transform hearts

Shape the future

Shape the future of our students and the future of DCS and TMA

Begins with Shape the future of DCS and TMA.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE I WANT US TO BELIEVE FOR AND WORK TO SUSTAIN AND DEVELOP?

(not saying that what I am about to say is not true of us, but in seeking to set a tone

1. LET US WORK TO BE A SCHOOL THAT HONORS THE LORD BY OPERATING WITH THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF INTEGRITY?

INTEGRITY: What you do when no one is watching

Where everything is done for the glory of the Lord: from the greeting from the security guard as you drive on campus, to the dignity of character displayed on the grid-iron: The Lord is glorified

OUR YES IS YES AND OUR NO IS NO

AS I USED TO SAY BACK IN THE DAY: WHERE OUR WORD IS OUR BOND

2. LET US WORK TO BE A SCHOOL WHERE YOU LOVE TO WORK?

a. Everyone deserves to love and enjoy the place where they work

b. The Culture of any organization, in our case DCS and TMA is based on employees loving this school! The founder of Zappos put it this way:

“…if you deliver happiness to your employees they’ll do the same for customers, whose loyalty and efforts will make the business successful”

(teaching bk on culture p. 2)

3. LET US WORK TO BE A SCHOOL THAT HIRES, TRAINS AND RETAINS THE BEST EDUCATORS, WITHOUT COMPROMISING MORALITY OR SKILL-SET.

4. LET US WORK TO BE A SCHOOL THAT PRODUCES THOUSANDS OF SAINTS, SCHOLARS AND SERVICE-MINDED STUDENTS:

a. College offers to some of the top colleges in the country

b. Some prepared to attend seminary where they can trained for ministry

c. Some, prepared to tackle the world of employment, right out of High school, but equipped to begin a profession

5. LET US WORK TO BE A SCHOOL THAT OFFERS A CULTURE THAT IS WELCOMING AT ALL POINTS OF CONTACT?

THE DREAM IS TO SO DEVELOP AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE DCS AND TMA BECOME THE CHICK FILA OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS IN DADE AND BROWARD COUNTY (WHY NOT)

I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN BE THIS AND I FEEL CALLED BY THE LORD TO BEGIN THE JOURNEY OF LEADING US TO THAT PLACE. BUT YOU - EACH OF YOU, IS VITAL TO MAKING THIS A REALITY.

HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THIS VISION? THROUGH A CULTURE OF CONSISTENCY

THE OLD SAYING IS “PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT” BUT A BETTER WAY TO SAY THAT IS THIS WAY:

PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS

CONSISTENCY IN FOUR BRIEF AREAS WILL CREATE THE CULTURE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO ACHIEVE ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR THINKING:

1. CONSISTENCY IN OUR STEWARDSHIP

When God created Adam and Eve He also created a place for them to dwell. That place was Eden. But it was not simply a place to dwell, it was the place where He put them in charge, giving then the responsibility to take care and cultivate the garden for their family and well as the animals He created.

One day, the serpent came into the garden and deceived the Eve and ultimately, caused all of humanity to plunge into the chaos we know as sin.

The serpent got into the garden because Adam failed to provide leadership in the garden. He failed to take care of the Eden God has given him charge over.

All of us here are leaders and our leadership is crucial to the fruitfulness of our schools.

Your stewardship, my stewardship, at DCS and TMA is in guarding the Eden assigned to us.

· My Eden as headmaster is the leadership over the schools. I will not be assessed based on my teaching, or in my helping Bruce hang lightbulbs/ Those things are good and important, but they are not my Eden. My Eden in leading you and supporting you to be most effective in the Eden assigned to you.

· All of us, in every department, are assigned an Eden and if we all do what we are assigned to do then DCS and TMA will flourish

· Teachers, your classroom is your Eden: you have to provide strong, servant leadership in it. One of the goals for this year is discipline: your role is to guard your Eden against chaos so that the peace that allows for growth and learning to take place regularly.

OUR STEWARDSHIP IS THREE-FOLD:

Spiritual Stewardship

Exposing the students to the clear teaching of the gospel so that their hearts, by grace, are gripped and captivated by a vision of Christ that is modled in our own lives

CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW (STUDENT AND OURSELVES)

Intellectual Stewardship

Ensuring that each student is intellectually prepared for the next level. This will look different for each student and so it will be your responsibility, and you will be supported by every administrator, to be good stewards over them, understanding how to best reach them

ACADEMIC RIGOR AND DISCIPLINE: ENSURE THAT LEARNING CAN AND IS TAKING PLACE

Cultural Stewardship

WHERE ORDER - NOT CHAOS - IS THE PATTERN AND ENVIRNMENT OF ALL AREAS OF OUR SCHOOLS

If all we produce are men and women who love Jesus, we have not fulfilled our stated obligation as a school. And if we only produce intellectuals, we have not honored the mandate as a Christian school. IF WE FAIL IN EITHER, WE FAIL THE LORD SINCE WE ARE HERE TO MAKE DISCIPLES AND EDUCATE.

The very clear goals laid out by Pastor Cruz earlier: Christian Worldview, Academic Rigor and Discipline are not possible without each of us being good stewards

2. CONSISTENCY IN OUR SERVANT - LEADERSHIP

PRESIDENT ILLUSTRATION

The first day of school I am asking us to begin campaigning for the next year by seeking to accomplish two things:

To REACH all of our students where they are so that we can RETAIN each for the next school year

Servant Leadership, as modeled by Jesus, is to lead in such a way that we do not lose one

SOME MAY BE LOST BECAUSE OF THEIR ACTIONS

BUT WE MUST BE CERTAIN THAT NONE ARE LOST BECAUSE OF OUR ACTION OR INACTION

I WANT YOU TO SEE TEACHING AND SERVING AT DCS AND TMA AS A JOYFUL-BURDEN”

o You are here because you find it joyful

o BUT I WANT YOU TO SEE IT AS A BURDEN BECAUSE ON TOUGH DAYS I DON’T WANT YOU TO BE DISMAYED OR DISCOURAGED.

3. CONSISTENCY IN OUR FOLLOWER-SHIP

When I was a younger man I felt like I understood how the church should be run. I was young and nieve. One day, at lunch he told me something that has forever shaped me, specifically in how I lead and how I have trained leaders over the years. He said to me:

SON, NEVER FOR GET THIS:

BEFORE YOU CAN BE A GOOD LEADER YOU MUST BE A GREAT FOLLOWER

This has shaped me because it has helped me to see that above all, the mark of a good leader a HUMILITY because he or she has learned to follow well.

I am calling on faculty and staff to model this principle in how we WORK WITH TOWARDS OUR VISION.

In each of your folders is an organizational chart that, IN MEASURE, shows a pattern of followership. It seeks to convey systems of operation that will, as best we can, ensure consistency in everything we that we do.

THIS SPEAKS TO ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE PROPER CHAIN OF COMMUNICATION

AS WE FOLLOW THIS WE KEEP THE SHIP MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND ELIMINATE THE RISING OF CURRENTS THAT MAY CAUSE SEA SICKNESS - OR IN OUR CASE VISION IMPAIRMENT

WHAT YOU WILL SEE IS THAT ALL OF US HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES AND ALL OF US ARE “FOLLOWERS”

THEREFORE, IT IS MY EXPECTATION THAT ALL DCS - TMA STAFF AND FACULTY STRIVE TO BE GREAT FOLLOWERS - UNDERSTANDING THAT FOLLOWER-SHIP IS CRUCIAL TO ACHIEVING OUR GOALS:

- JESUS FOLLOWED THE FATHER

- THE HOLY SPIRIT FOLLOWED THE SON

- AND YET THEY WERE ALL ONE!

THIS IS THE MINDSET THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE IF WE ARE TO SERVE OUR GOD GIVEN PURPOSE HERE AND SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND PARENTS WELL.

4. CONSISTENCY IN OUR FELLOWSHIP:

We are to behave, relate and execute IN Christ-like WAYS TO: ONE ANOTHER, STUDENTS, PARENTS AND GUESTS

Koinonia: but not simply fellowship that relates to gathering together: but fellowship that relates to gathering together for a common purpose

We must guard our koinonia so that we can guard our unity

This does not mean we cannot disagree, nor does it mean that there will not be frustrations. But Paul calls us to settle these matters in this way:

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

CONCLUSION

ONE MAN ONCE SAID:

“CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR BREAKFAST”

CULTURE IS EVERYTHING! CONSISTENCY CREATES CULTURE AND THIS IS WHY CONSISTENCY IS THE EXPECTATION

MY CALLING – MY STEWARDSHIP, LEADERSHIP, FOLLOWER-SHIP AND FELLOWSHIP – IS TO SO LEAD IN A WAY THAT THE CULTURE I JUST SPOKE OF BECOMES THE ESSENCE OF WHO WE ARE – WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT.

I WANT THIS CULTURE TO SO PERMEATE ALL THAT WE DO THAT WHEN STUDENTS, EMPLOYEES, AND PARENTS SPEND TIME IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, THEY ARE IMPACTED AND TRANSFORMED INTO THE PERSON THE LORD HAS DESTINED THEM TO BE IN CHRIST.

ILLUSTRATION: CHICK FILA CULTURE: YOUNG MAN WITH GOLD TEETH

TO BE WHAT THE LORD IS CALLING US TO BE WE HAVE TO DO THINGS HIS WAY, TO HIS GLORY AND HONOR. PAUL SAID IT BEST IN THIS SHORT PHRASE, WHICH WE WOULD ALL DO WELL TO HEED

Colossians 3:22–24 ESV

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.