Thirteen superintendents from Christian school systems across North America were invited to meet in Seattle, Washington, for Christian Schools International’s CEO Roundtable. The November 12-13 event focused on the complexities of leading Christian school systems and on knowing, benchmarking, and measuring the key differentiators in these systems.
The conversation was facilitated by James K. A. Smith, philosophy professor at Calvin College and a prolific writer on biblical worldview, including Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?; Letters to a Young Calvinist; Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation; Teaching and Christian Practices: Reshaping Faith and Learning; and Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works.
Attendee Paul Bootsma, superintendent at Lynden (Washington) Christian Schools, said, “Lynden Christian is researching Teaching for Transformation as a curriculum model, and James Smith’s discussion/teaching pushed me to lean further in that direction. The event also confirmed some of my concerns with the state of Christian education and Christianity as a whole. I appreciated the opportunity to challenge my thinking and the thoughts of others and being able to problem solve with others about what really is the core of Christian education.”
Christian Schools International hosts CEO Roundtables for established leaders in member schools as a means of supporting the complex work of leading a Christian school system. CEO Roundtables provide the opportunity for leaders to learn from a skilled facilitator as well as from each other. For those who are invited to attend these events, Paul Bootsma offers this advice: “Be an educator – ready and willing to learn and change your thinking!”
