Who will be a Principal?

By Dr Bryan Cowling

Posted on 10 February 2010

At the beginning of this new school year, 25% of Anglican schools in the Diocese have a different principal to what they had twelve months ago. Selecting a new principal is not an easy task. Though the processes vary from school to school, research and anecdotal data gathered throughout Australia shows that fewer people are applying these days to fill vacant principal positions. This is equally true for Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and government secondary schools. The reasons are many and varied. The situation is quite concerning.

In our Diocese, we expect our school principals to be outstanding educational leaders and smart financial managers. We expect them to have well-developed inter-personal skills and to be politically savvy. Perhaps more explicitly than others, our Diocese "expects school councils to appoint as heads only practising Christians who have signed the statement of personal faith and support for the Christian ethos and charter of the school." (Diocesan Policy Statement on Education, 2007, page 5)

Indeed we expect a great deal of the men and women appointed to run our schools. We acknowledge the enormity and the complexity of leading between a hundred and three hundred staff, of being a credible Christian role model to between 500 and 2000 students and connecting meaningfully with thousands of parents associated with the school through their children. On top of this we expect them to be spiritual leaders, recruiters of Christians who are committed to quality teaching and learning to serve as teachers and administrators. We expect them to establish and sustain an environment in which students receive exemplary care, explicit biblical teaching and are exposed each day to examples of faithful moral living.

The Anglican school principal's sphere of influence, dare I say it, exceeds that of most Anglican clergy. The opportunities which the principal has to lead and provide for authentic gospel teaching and communication to children and young people (the majority of whom are unchurched) let alone their friends and families, are vast beyond measure. This potential is not generally recognised.

No principal no matter how committed he/she is can fulfil this task on their own. Principals need to appoint and nurture lots of other staff, who in due course, can become mature Christian educational leaders. The preparation of the next generation of Christian educational leaders requires far more than the completion of academic and business courses (though these are very important). It requires giving the next generation of potential leaders opportunities to observe and learn from wise mentors, opportunities to lead and make mistakes and above all opportunities to encourage other staff what it means to do education Christianly now. It also requires equipping of these leaders to think biblically and to live as whole-life disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Over seventy men and women who aspire to become Christian educational leaders have joined the Next Generation Leaders Network set up by the Anglican Education Commission. Others are most welcome to join. Hopefully, it will be from this pool of growing leaders that many of the future vacancies for principals of Anglican, Christian and government schools will be filled.

In the meantime I urge you to pray for the 35 men and women who currently lead our Anglican schools. Pray that God will empower and enthuse them to be faithful and fruitful, influencing thousands of people to live for and honour the Lord Jesus Christ.