Tim White, Interim Deputy Principal
The life of a Christian school is shaped by the conviction that God calls each member of the community to serve one another in love. At Kuyper Christian School, we live as neighbours together—working side by side, committing ourselves to one another, and submitting to the authority of God. We are more than employers and employees, staff and parents, teachers and students. We are partners, bound by our shared community and by the Spirit of Christ.
The task of education involves many people, each with distinct responsibilities: parents, board members, association members, students, teachers, and non-teaching staff. Recently, we also formed the Kuyper Community Group to provide practical support for our educational mission. What a wonderfully diverse group we are at Kuyper! Yet in this diversity, we stand united in our common faith and by our shared commitment to serving the Lord through education. Together, under the authority of God’s Word, we each carry out our tasks for God’s glory and the benefit of our school community. But if our priorities shift away from serving God, true partnership and community cannot exist. Instead of complementing one another, we risk division. Unless we are ‘full-on’ for God, we may pull in different directions.
Each of us is accountable to the Lord for our particular task, and, as members of one body, accountable to one another. School leaders are not ‘bosses’ but servants who use their gifts to build up the team and community. The board and staff lead with authority by serving—not to meet their own needs, but to guide the whole school in faithful obedience to God. While individuals should not expect undue interference in their responsibilities, we must remain mindful of our shared accountability as co-workers with and under Jesus. We must listen carefully to the collective wisdom of the body as our school community prayerfully seeks to glorify God and His place in His world.
Above all, we are responsible to live out our calling in education together for the Lord. Partnership is not only about completing tasks, but also about cultivating and strengthening relationships. It is all too easy to slip into confrontation or blame, to live as the world does. Yet Christ calls us to more. As Jesus’ representatives, we are to be known by our love. Genuine partnership, therefore, is something we must always nurture.
It is encouraging, when speaking with fellow Christians about difficult matters, to encounter a spirit of humility and inquiry. Rather than blustering or accusation, a simple reliance on God to guide us through challenges. The nature of a partnership is revealed in conversations.
We are a community committed to achieving great things for God. However, we must remain attentive not only to the tasks before us, but also to maintaining, encouraging, and affirming our partnership as we serve Him together.