The Leadership Gap in Christian Schools

Forming Teachers as Leaders

I remember the moment clearly.

I was sitting across from one of the strongest teachers on my staff during her annual evaluation. As I shared with her how impactful she was and how there wasn’t much room left for her to grow, I noticed her expression change. Frustration crept across her face.

So I paused and asked what was wrong.

She didn’t hesitate.

“You go to all these leadership trainings,” she said. “You grow. You get equipped. But you’ve never poured those skills into us. I’m leading a department, running professional development, stepping into initiatives—and I’ve never been trained to lead. I don’t even know how.”

I sat back, stunned. She was right.

Expectation Without Formation

In Christian education, we often say that teachers are the “living curriculum.” We believe that their lives, their words, and their presence shape students far beyond what is written in a lesson plan.

But if teachers are the living curriculum, then they are also the living mission of the school.

They disciple students.
They shape culture.
They influence community.

And yet, we rarely form them as leaders.

We hire them. We onboard them. We give them curriculum. We provide professional development focused on instruction. And then we send them into classrooms and communities, expecting them to lead—students, peers, and parents—without ever intentionally equipping them to do so.

This is not a failure of intention. It is a gap in formation.

Formation More Than Instruction

Leadership in God’s kingdom should not be centralized. It should be shared, cultivated, and multiplied. From a Christian worldview, formation matters deeply. Scripture reminds us that the body of Christ is made up of many parts, each equipped with gifts to build one another up (1 Corinthians 12).

If this stewardship of school leadership is true, then school leaders are not responsible only for managing systems or improving instruction. We are called to form people—to steward the gifts, influence, and calling of those entrusted to us.

Too often, our approach to teacher development stops at pedagogy.

We take a brand-new teacher out of college, offer a few onboarding sessions, and then allow them to exist within our schools for decades with little intentional formation beyond instructional practice. Even seasoned teachers entering Christian education for the first time are often expected to “figure it out” when it comes to discipleship, leadership, and cultural influence.

This is a missed opportunity.

If teachers are the most important asset in a Christian school (and they are), they deserve more than instructional training. They deserve to be formed as leaders.

“[S]chool leaders are not responsible only for managing systems or improving instruction. We are called to form people—to steward the gifts, influence, and calling of those entrusted to us.”

What Happens When We Equip Teachers To Lead

I’ve seen firsthand what happens when we take forming teachers as leaders seriously.

1.  Faculty Culture Strengthens.

Another teacher, a ten-year Christian education veteran, came to me frustrated by the culture in her department. As department chair, she was navigating negativity and passivity in her PLC.

Instead of solving the problem for her, I chose to invest in her leadership.

Over several weeks, we worked together to develop communication strategies. We anticipated responses, mapped out conversations, and created pathways for navigating difficult moments with clarity and purpose.

She stepped back into that role with courage. And slowly, the culture shifted.

Her PLC became one of the strongest in our school—so much so that her group began leading professional development for the entire faculty.

The change didn’t come from the principal stepping in. It came from a teacher who was formed to lead.

2. Student Discipleship Changes.

A teacher joined our school after more than 20 years in public education. Within weeks, he came to me discouraged.

“I don’t know how to disciple students,” he admitted. “I can teach content, but I don’t know how to lead them.”

He was leading an advisory group of teenage boys but struggled to connect, guide conversations, or create meaningful spiritual engagement.

So we began meeting weekly. I equipped him with a simple discipleship framework, and we partnered with a local youth pastor, who coached him in small-group leadership. Over time, this teacher learned how to relate, how to listen, and how to lead.

The transformation was remarkable. Not only did his advisory group come alive, but he eventually began writing advisory curriculum for our school and mentoring other teachers in the same work.

When we equip teachers to lead, discipleship multiplies.

3. Community Impact Expands.

One of our teachers had incredible ideas for engaging parents and building community. But she lacked confidence. She felt too timid to lead.

When she asked me to take on her ideas, I said no. Instead, I told her she was the one who needed to lead them.

She resisted at first, but we worked together. I helped her build confidence and develop public speaking and communication skills. Slowly, she stepped forward.

And when she did, she thrived. Her initiatives became some of the most impactful community-building moments in our school. All she needed was someone to invest in her beyond the classroom skills she already possessed.

Leadership Is Meant To Be Multiplied, Not Centralized

If I’m honest, there are often moments when it is easier for me to step in and lead situations myself.

That’s the temptation of school leadership. It whispers that the principal is the one who must fix everything. That control equals effectiveness. That speed matters more than formation.

But that is not the model we see in Scripture. God’s kingdom is not built on isolated leaders. It is built on a body—interdependent, empowered, and equipped.

When we hold onto leadership, we limit impact.

When we multiply leadership, we expand it.

As school leaders, we are not called to do all the work. We are called to develop people who can carry it with us.

Rethinking Teacher Formation

This is a moment for reflection.

How are we forming the teachers in our care? Are we helping them only to improve instruction?
Or are we equipping them to lead students, shape culture, and carry out the mission faithfully?

Because the truth is, teachers are already leading. The question is: are we preparing them to do it well?

Out of this conviction (and my own journey), I created the Teacher Leader Masterclass. It is a year-long, Christ-centered leadership formation experience designed to equip teachers to lead from the classroom.

Not to leave the teaching role.
But to multiply their influence within it.

This program exists to help schools move from isolated leadership to shared leadership. From assumption to intentional formation. From potential to impact. Teachers are too important not to invest in.

Teachers are not just instructors.

They are disciple-makers.
Culture-shapers.
Mission-carriers.

In many ways, teachers are the most important voice in the life of a school.

If we believe that, then we must invest in them accordingly. Not just as teachers. But as leaders.