{"id":11039,"date":"2017-09-27T05:24:19","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T10:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11039"},"modified":"2017-09-26T18:33:17","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T23:33:17","slug":"book-review-great-leader-great-teacher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11039","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Great Leader Great Teacher"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/41lfanC8P0L._SX328_BO1204203200_.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-11049\" alt=\"41lfanC8P0L._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_\" src=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/41lfanC8P0L._SX328_BO1204203200_-198x300.jpg\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/41lfanC8P0L._SX328_BO1204203200_-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/41lfanC8P0L._SX328_BO1204203200_.jpg 330w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bredfeldt, Gary J. <i><a href=\"Bredfeldt, Gary J. Great Leader, Great Teacher: Recovering the biblical vision for leadership. Chicago: Moody Press, 2006.  If a person was looking to avoid following God\u2019s call to be a teacher, they might be quick to quote James 3:1 \u201cNot many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness\u201d (ESV).  The idea of teaching from our own knowledge and capability is far too overwhelming a task for anyone to consider.  Teaching is a high calling and one that should not be entered into without much prayer and wise counsel.  For those that recognize that all education must be founded upon the truth of God\u2019s word, there is a major piece of encouragement.  Teaching should never be about pointing students to what you know, but it should always be about pointing them to the one who knew all things before He even created the world.  \u201cGreat are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them\u201d Psalm 111:2 (ESV).  \tGreat Leader, Great Teacher by Dr. Gary Bredfelt is an excellent read geared to help leaders recover the biblical vision for leadership.  As we evaluate teaching based on the truth of God\u2019s word, we realize that all teaching can be boiled down to the act of pointing people to God\u2019s truth.  Anything taught apart from the truth of God\u2019s word is simply not worth knowing.  \u201cAt the most basic core of biblical leadership is one indispensable, unchanging function of the Christian leader\u2014the task of teaching God\u2019s Word with clarity, in its original context, and in a way that is relevant to those whose hearts are open to hear.  This is leadership in its simplest, most distilled form.  The biblical leader is first and foremost a Bible teacher, and the people of God are a distinctive teaching-learning community where the principles of business leadership may not always apply\u201d (15). What a relief!  If leaders will stick to teaching God\u2019s truth, there is no chance that they can fail! \tIn my role as a high school principal at a Christian school, I strive to constantly remind my teachers that we must teach and serve out of the overflow of what God is doing in our lives.  On those days when teaching is particularly stressful or frustrating, it should be obvious to us that we have missed the mark.  Those days are the ones that we try to do things in our own strength rather than by pointing our students straight to the person of Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross.  If we start with the gospel, we have a solid foundation through which to consider any other academic content area.  A solid biblical worldview swings open the door for our students to ask hard questions and develop the incredible minds that the Lord has blessed them with.  Teaching from a secular worldview is very limited because it is predicated entirely on what man knows.   \tOne of the main struggles we have faced in our Christian school is the lack of support from pastors in our area.  Many seem more concerned with upsetting the political applecart than with the fact that their own children are being educated from a secular humanistic worldview.  I am so grateful for the pastors in our community who are willing to risk a little political fallout or questioning in favor of a commitment to Christian education for their own children.  We are very blessed to live in an area where there are multiple excellent Christian schools that seek to be authentic in their quest to educate children from a Christian worldview. Recalibrate the Priority of Teaching \tIn order to best help Christian families see the need for Christian education, we have to be a part of the solution by helping our local churches recapture the priority of teaching.  Bredfelt reminds us that this has to be an intentional decision that will likely require the \u201crecalibration of our ministry priorities\u201d (38).  If you were to survey the people in your church, would they rank the teaching of God\u2019s word as a high priority for your congregation?  That might be a scary place to start, but if it seems scary, you really don\u2019t need to survey the congregation, you already have your answer.  1 Timothy 4:13 exhorts us to \u201cdevote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching\u201d (ESV).  Those who struggle in the area of teaching God\u2019s word are likely neglecting their own personal study of His truth.  By making teaching a priority, that drives a person deeper into their study of Scripture so that they might present themselves as one who has truly encountered the Lord that they are teaching about.  All other foundations for teaching will find themselves hollow and without merit. Formal v. Informal \tWe regularly encourage our teachers to consider that there are two distinct curricula that their students will follow.  The first is the formal curriculum that states the learning objectives and offers correlations to state standards, ACT or SAT standards, and other marks of the academic world.  Those are typically good things and worth learning provided they are based on the truth of God\u2019s word.  The second curriculum is a bit more daunting as we refer to the informal curriculum.  These are all the moments where your students actually see you living your life and they join you as a neighbor in your classroom, on the field when you are coaching, in the orchestra hall as you direct your ensemble, and even more importantly as you empty the trash from your classroom or interact with your colleagues.   The informal curriculum is far less scripted and infinitely more accurate at demonstrating the true state of your relationship with Christ.  Do your talk and your walk line up?  We are reminded by author and teacher Parker Palmer that \u201cTeaching is always done at the dangerous intersection of personal and public life\u201d (47).  To accept the call to teach is to fling open the window to your own spiritual maturity and development.  Teaching is a high calling and one to be treasured! \tJesus himself was called \u201cRabbi\u201d or teacher.  When we think of what it means to lead others, we need look no farther than the example of our Lord himself.  Jesus lived his life with people from a variety of backgrounds.  He invited them to join him in what he was doing with the realization that he was showing them the glory of God here on the earth.  As we consider Jesus\u2019 relationship with his disciples, we see three distinct teaching strategies: the power of personal relationship, the act of sacrificial care, and feeding his followers (54).  Any great teacher should be defined by these three characteristics. \tTeachers that take the time to develop a personal relationship with their students will be able to see results of that investment of time and energy in the way that their students are willing to go farther than the bare minimum that is required.  It would be rare for a chemistry student to study chemical reactions just for the sake of learning how those inanimate objects interact.  It is much more likely that a student will put extra effort into their chemistry studies because they have a relationship with their teacher that has challenged their mind or captivated their heart in some way.  They may be motivated to please their teacher or receive their affirmation.  As long as that teacher\u2019s greatest desire is to help a student grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, that personal relationship between teacher and pupil can be very effective. \tThe act of sacrificial care plays out differently for different types of students.  Some students thrive when their teacher makes time to meet with them for extra help sessions or additional tutoring.  Other students may be more motivated by a teacher taking time to offer specific feedback when returning the draft of a paper that clearly demonstrates appreciation for the student\u2019s effort while pointing out something the student could do to make their paper even better.  For other students it might take donating a kidney on their behalf, but fortunately those students are few and far between.  Going the extra mile follows the example of Christ that we find in Mark 6:34, \u201cWhen Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began teaching them many things\u201d (56). \tFinally, a teacher must serve their students by feeding them.  Everyone can remember that teacher that truly challenged them to think and to grow at some point in their educational career.  Most people that grow up to be teachers do so because of the way the Lord used a teacher to feed their knowledge and curiosity.  Feeding your students means pointing them to the truth of God\u2019s word as the source of all knowledge and truth.  Anything that is worth knowing must come directly from God.  Everything else is simply information that may or may not add value. Serving Others \tTeachers who are the most effective are those that recognize their calling to serve others.  \u201cEach day I ask God to renew in me a genuine concern for those I am called to serve, to teach, and to lead, as well as for those who must serve me\u201d (125).  The only way to truly see victory in teaching is to begin by praying for those that you will be teaching and then discerning the Lord\u2019s direction as you prepare the material that you will teach.  Joe White of Kanakuk, a Christian sports camp in Branson, Missouri, explains it well with his \u201cI\u2019m Third\u201d philosophy.  \u201cGod first, others second, and I\u2019m third\u201d is a great way to approach ministry because it puts first things first and has everything else flow out of placing God first in all things.   \u201cThere have been many great leaders throughout history.  They have inspired, guided, challenged, protected, and provoked us to achievements and victories we would not have accomplished without their vision and drive.  But the greatest of these leaders have been the ones who have led by teaching.  They were not the greatest because they were the most prominent or the most powerful. They were the greatest of leaders because their efforts produced changed lives and served to shape the future\u201d (200).   We are called to love God and love people.  Teaching gives us an opportunity to do both of those items in a way that serves others and equips them for ministry and leadership in a world that is so desperately craving something to follow.\" target=\"_blank\">Great Leader, Great Teacher: Recovering the biblical vision for leadership<\/a>. <\/i>Chicago: Moody Press, 2006.<\/p>\n<p>If a person was looking to avoid following God\u2019s call to be a teacher, they might be quick to quote James 3:1 \u201cNot many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness\u201d (ESV). \u00a0The idea of teaching from our own knowledge and capability is far too overwhelming a task for anyone to consider. \u00a0Teaching is a high calling and one that should not be entered into without much prayer and wise counsel. \u00a0For those that recognize that all education must be founded upon the truth of God\u2019s word, there is a major piece of encouragement. \u00a0Teaching should never be about pointing students to what you know, but it should always be about pointing them to the one who knew all things before He even created the world. \u00a0\u201cGreat are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them\u201d Psalm 111:2 (ESV).<\/p>\n<p><i>Great Leader, Great Teacher<\/i> by Dr. Gary Bredfelt is an excellent read geared to help leaders recover the biblical vision for leadership. \u00a0As we evaluate teaching based on the truth of God\u2019s word, we realize that all teaching can be boiled down to the act of pointing people to God\u2019s truth. \u00a0Anything taught apart from the truth of God\u2019s word is simply not worth knowing. \u00a0\u201cAt the most basic core of biblical leadership is one indispensable, unchanging function of the Christian leader\u2014the task of teaching God\u2019s Word with clarity, in its original context, and in a way that is relevant to those whose hearts are open to hear. \u00a0This is leadership in its simplest, most distilled form. \u00a0The biblical leader is first and foremost a Bible teacher, and the people of God are a distinctive teaching-learning community where the principles of business leadership may not always apply\u201d (15). What a relief! \u00a0If leaders will stick to teaching God\u2019s truth, there is no chance that they can fail!<\/p>\n<p>In my role as a high school principal at a Christian school, I strive to constantly remind my teachers that we must teach and serve out of the overflow of what God is doing in our lives. \u00a0On those days when teaching is particularly stressful or frustrating, it should be obvious to us that we have missed the mark. \u00a0Those days are the ones that we try to do things in our own strength rather than by pointing our students straight to the person of Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross. \u00a0If we start with the gospel, we have a solid foundation through which to consider any other academic content area. \u00a0A solid biblical worldview swings open the door for our students to ask hard questions and develop the incredible minds that the Lord has blessed them with. \u00a0Teaching from a secular worldview is very limited because it is predicated entirely on what man knows.<\/p>\n<p>One of the main struggles we have faced in our Christian school is the lack of support from pastors in our area. \u00a0Many seem more concerned with upsetting the political applecart than with the fact that their own children are being educated from a secular humanistic worldview. \u00a0I am so grateful for the pastors in our community who are willing to risk a little political fallout or questioning in favor of a commitment to Christian education for their own children. \u00a0We are very blessed to live in an area where there are multiple excellent Christian schools that seek to be authentic in their quest to educate children from a Christian worldview.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b>Recalibrate the Priority of Teaching<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In order to best help Christian families see the need for Christian education, we have to be a part of the solution by helping our local churches recapture the priority of teaching. \u00a0Bredfelt reminds us that this has to be an intentional decision that will likely require the \u201crecalibration of our ministry priorities\u201d (38). \u00a0If you were to survey the people in your church, would they rank the teaching of God\u2019s word as a high priority for your congregation? \u00a0That might be a scary place to start, but if it seems scary, you really don\u2019t need to survey the congregation, you already have your answer. \u00a01 Timothy 4:13 exhorts us to \u201cdevote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching\u201d (ESV). \u00a0Those who struggle in the area of teaching God\u2019s word are likely neglecting their own personal study of His truth. \u00a0By making teaching a priority, that drives a person deeper into their study of Scripture so that they might present themselves as one who has truly encountered the Lord that they are teaching about. \u00a0All other foundations for teaching will find themselves hollow and without merit.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b>Formal v. Informal<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We regularly encourage our teachers to consider that there are two distinct curricula that their students will follow. \u00a0The first is the formal curriculum that states the learning objectives and offers correlations to state standards, ACT or SAT standards, and other marks of the academic world. \u00a0Those are typically good things and worth learning provided they are based on the truth of God\u2019s word. \u00a0The second curriculum is a bit more daunting as we refer to the informal curriculum. \u00a0These are all the moments where your students actually see you living your life and they join you as a neighbor in your classroom, on the field when you are coaching, in the orchestra hall as you direct your ensemble, and even more importantly as you empty the trash from your classroom or interact with your colleagues.<\/p>\n<p>The informal curriculum is far less scripted and infinitely more accurate at demonstrating the true state of your relationship with Christ. \u00a0Do your talk and your walk line up? \u00a0We are reminded by author and teacher Parker Palmer that \u201cTeaching is always done at the dangerous intersection of personal and public life\u201d (47). \u00a0To accept the call to teach is to fling open the window to your own spiritual maturity and development. \u00a0Teaching is a high calling and one to be treasured!<\/p>\n<p>Jesus himself was called \u201cRabbi\u201d or teacher. \u00a0When we think of what it means to lead others, we need look no farther than the example of our Lord himself. \u00a0Jesus lived his life with people from a variety of backgrounds. \u00a0He invited them to join him in what he was doing with the realization that he was showing them the glory of God here on the earth. \u00a0As we consider Jesus\u2019 relationship with his disciples, we see three distinct teaching strategies: the power of personal relationship, the act of sacrificial care, and feeding his followers (54). \u00a0Any great teacher should be defined by these three characteristics.<\/p>\n<p>Teachers that take the time to develop a personal relationship with their students will be able to see results of that investment of time and energy in the way that their students are willing to go farther than the bare minimum that is required. \u00a0It would be rare for a chemistry student to study chemical reactions just for the sake of learning how those inanimate objects interact. \u00a0It is much more likely that a student will put extra effort into their chemistry studies because they have a relationship with their teacher that has challenged their mind or captivated their heart in some way. \u00a0They may be motivated to please their teacher or receive their affirmation. \u00a0As long as that teacher\u2019s greatest desire is to help a student grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, that personal relationship between teacher and pupil can be very effective.<\/p>\n<p>The act of sacrificial care plays out differently for different types of students. \u00a0Some students thrive when their teacher makes time to meet with them for extra help sessions or additional tutoring. \u00a0Other students may be more motivated by a teacher taking time to offer specific feedback when returning the draft of a paper that clearly demonstrates appreciation for the student\u2019s effort while pointing out something the student could do to make their paper even better. \u00a0For other students it might take donating a kidney on their behalf, but fortunately those students are few and far between. \u00a0Going the extra mile follows the example of Christ that we find in Mark 6:34, \u201cWhen Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. \u00a0So he began teaching them many things\u201d (56).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, a teacher must serve their students by feeding them. \u00a0Everyone can remember that teacher that truly challenged them to think and to grow at some point in their educational career. \u00a0Most people that grow up to be teachers do so because of the way the Lord used a teacher to feed their knowledge and curiosity. \u00a0Feeding your students means pointing them to the truth of God\u2019s word as the source of all knowledge and truth. \u00a0Anything that is worth knowing must come directly from God. \u00a0Everything else is simply information that may or may not add value.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b>Serving Others<\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Teachers who are the most effective are those that recognize their calling to serve others. \u00a0\u201cEach day I ask God to renew in me a genuine concern for those I am called to serve, to teach, and to lead, as well as for those who must serve me\u201d (125). \u00a0The only way to truly see victory in teaching is to begin by praying for those that you will be teaching and then discerning the Lord\u2019s direction as you prepare the material that you will teach. \u00a0Joe White of Kanakuk, a Christian sports camp in Branson, Missouri, explains it well with his \u201cI\u2019m Third\u201d philosophy. \u00a0\u201cGod first, others second, and I\u2019m third\u201d is a great way to approach ministry because it puts first things first and has everything else flow out of placing God first in all things.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere have been many great leaders throughout history. \u00a0They have inspired, guided, challenged, protected, and provoked us to achievements and victories we would not have accomplished without their vision and drive. \u00a0But the greatest of these leaders have been the ones who have led by teaching. \u00a0They were not the greatest because they were the most prominent or the most powerful. They were the greatest of leaders because their efforts produced changed lives and served to shape the future\u201d (200).<\/p>\n<p>We are called to love God and love people. \u00a0Teaching gives us an opportunity to do both of those items in a way that serves others and equips them for ministry and leadership in a world that is so desperately craving something to follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bredfeldt, Gary J. Great Leader, Great Teacher: Recovering the biblical vision for leadership. Chicago: Moody Press, 2006. If a person was looking to avoid following God\u2019s call to be a teacher, they might be quick to quote James 3:1 \u201cNot many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,14,25,16,28,17,18,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-book-review","category-education","category-family","category-integrity","category-leadership","category-north-cobb-christian","category-seminary"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11039\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}