Transcript: How Core Values and Leadership Development Strengthen Teams in Christian Schools // Dr. Jason Rachels, Calvary Christian Academy

Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast

“How Core Values and Leadership Development Strengthen Teams in Christian Schools“

October 28, 2024

Jason Rachels

Intro: Are you ready to transform your leadership to see your organization flourish like never before? Well, in today's episode we're uncovering leadership insights that focus on staying true to your values in a growing organization. We've got some incredible insights lined up from a top leader who has demonstrated Christian values and character in his leadership. Trust me, you don't want to miss this conversation with Dr. Jason Rachels. It's packed with the kind of wisdom that could transform the way you lead.

Welcome: Welcome to the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast, your home for open, honest, and insightful conversations to help develop your leadership, your team, and build a flourishing workplace culture.

Al Lopus: Hi, I'm Al Lopus, the co-founder of the Best Christian Workplaces and author of Road to Flourishing. My passion is to equip Christian leaders like you to cultivate engaged, flourishing workplaces. And this fall we’re dedicating our Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast to the most-powerful driver of flourishing cultures: that’s inspirational leadership. Join us as we dive into insightful conversations with top leaders who will provide you with the tools and inspiration to grow and excel in your leadership journey.

I'm delighted to welcome Dr. Jason Rachels to the podcast today. Jason’s the president of Calvary Christian Academy in South Florida, which is the largest Christian school in the continental U.S.

Throughout our conversation, you'll hear Jason discuss the importance of core values and leadership and the growth of Christian education overall. He emphasizes the significance of hiring individuals who align with the school's values and the role of leadership development and fostering a strong team. Jason shares insights on maintaining a vibrant spiritual life and the importance of that on his leadership, as well as challenges faced by Christian leaders in today's educational landscape. He concludes with thoughts on navigating change and empowering teams to make a lasting impact.

I think you’re going to love this interview with Jason Rachels. But before we dive in, this podcast is proudly sponsored by the Best Christian Workplaces’ Employee Engagement Survey. Don't wait. This fall is a perfect time to gather insightful insights from your employees to assess the health of your workplace culture before the holidays begin. As Dr. Rachels shares in this episode, he says BCW’s Engagement Survey helps them know what their staff are really thinking, and it has given their leadership a measurable report on the health of their culture. So, are you ready to transform your culture? Visit workplaces.org to learn how to start your journey to becoming a flourishing workplace today.

And hello to our new listeners. Thanks for joining us as we honor your investment of time.

And let me tell you just a little bit more, before we get started, about Dr. Jason Rachels. Jason has been with Calvary Christian Academy since its opening in the year 2000. He started as an assistant principal and then served as an elementary principal, high school principal, and head of school. In his current role as president, he focuses on the strategic vision for CCA, supporting its campuses and equipping leaders, both staff and students, to change the world for Jesus Christ. Jason obtained his doctoral degree in educational leadership from Liberty University.

So, here’s my conversation with Jason Rachels.

Jason, it’s great to have you back on the podcast. I’m looking forward to our conversation today.

Jason Rachels: Great to be here with you. Thanks for having me.

Al: So, Jason, I'm sure there's never a slow season for a school leader, but fall is particularly where you're in full swing with you and your team. And as you’ve launched the school year, what's energizing you and your team, and what are some of the challenges that you and your team are figuring out at this point?

Jason: Yeah. We've been energized by a great start to the year. Each of our four campuses have grown in student enrollment, and the principals from each of those campuses have told me that it feels like a smoother-than-normal start to the school year. So just really thankful that with the multiple campuses and with growth that it still is feeling smooth and even more than normal, so, hopefully, we're moving in the right direction.

Al: Wow. Yeah. Well, that’ll improve the score, our organization is well managed, which means things move smoothly because of good operations. Yeah, for sure. That’s great. And it’s great to hear continued growth. And you're involved nationally with Christian schools continuing to see growth in Christian education, aren't we?

Jason: Yeah. There have been some really good things happening. More states helping with vouchers, you know, really giving parents some of their tax dollars back to help for-Christian education. And I think through COVID and a lot of online learning, the parents got to see in their homes from public schools, they became a little bit more aware of how they might want something other than what the public schools are offering.

Al: Yeah. It’s a great trend.

Well, you talk about values. I know that you've got a strong focus on values. In fact, Doug Waldo, one of our Best Christian Workplace consultants, said you have laminated cards with the school's core values, and you carry them around and share them with people as a visible reminder of your values. So why are core values so important to you? And give an example of how staying true to your core values has helped you and your team focus on what really matters.

Jason: I’d say, like, in my early days as a leader, I didn’t really understand how important core values are to an organization. I probably would have thought this is some kind of soft stuff that you could get to later if everything else is running well. But over time, I've come to see more and more how core values are really key to the health of an organization and key to getting to that place to where things are running well. Of course, you’ve probably heard “values eat strategy for breakfast,” and I just see that, and that's something that I try to share with others is, you can have all this kind of good strategy and systems and such, but if you aren't living up to what your organization's core values are, chances are that's not going to come together in any kind of a way.

Al: Yeah. So you carry around laminated cards with the values.

Jason: I found that the way that our graphics team sort of put it together in a nice visual way—one card for each core value, with values on the front, with a nice graphic with it, and on the back, sort of unpacks it some—I think has helped give people a vision for, okay, it's not rocket science, but you do need to make it clear and understandable for people.

Al: Yeah. So what the value means and how it actually applies and what the behavior is with it. Yeah, right.

So, at Calvary Christian Academy, you're flourishing. You've got a highly engaged faculty and staff, and the school is growing. And you've added now new campuses over the last few years, and you've seen growth in your student body as well as your staff. So from a practical standpoint, Jason, how do you make sure that the core values are not diluted as you grow? You've gone, again, to multiple campuses there in southern Florida. It seems like it could be challenging in the hiring process to find the right people who share your values. And especially if you have a gap and need a teacher to fill a class, what happens when a leader decides to fill a position, even if some of the questions don't match your core values or some of the person's behaviors don't match your core values. What do you encourage your staff to do?

Jason: I'm so thankful to God every year to pull it together, you know, that He brings us the people that we need, because when you think about probably only about 3% of the population is really that kind of a born-again believer who's able to share their faith with others, really believes in God's Word and living according to it, so when you're looking for that AP chemistry teacher, but you're looking for the 3% of them that actually are this way, you know, with their Christian faith, it's really amazing that it does come together. So thank God for that.

But we, obviously, guide our leaders to say, you know, “Hey, these are our core values. This is critical to us. So as you're looking at applicants and candidates, hire people that are going to be the right fit for this culture.” And so far, it's continued to work really well. You know, and of course, always with hiring, you can't tell everything through an interview or even some observations. So sometimes we find out that someone isn't quite up to par with the core values, and then we try to see if we can develop them to get there, or do we need to part ways. But I think a willingness to take it that seriously and part ways over core values is one way that you can continue to massage it and make sure that people realize, “Oh, this is really a big deal, and this is important to us.”

Al: And also, in terms of Christian character and Christian values, you've worked with the Colson Center, haven't you, in the past to kind of help train your staff or your faculty in biblical worldview at the same time, haven’t you?

Jason: They're doing some great stuff that they really offer for free of charge to the Christian schools. And so we've had them fly in and do some great training and teaching. They've also got video series that our teachers can work through as professional development over time, that just continues to help them get a richer and fuller understanding of that biblical worldview and also ways that the kids coming to them might not have it in and to see where are are some holes that you need to be ready to address and look out for. So that's been great working with them.

Al: That's so, so valuable, particularly in this day and age, where there's such questions of, what do we believe, and what's our position on these things? Yeah.

Well, in your years of school leadership, you’ve brought on a lot of new leaders and invested in leadership development, no question. So based on your experience developing leaders and building a leadership team, let's talk about the qualities and competencies that you look for in a leader, and what are some of the foundational character qualities that need to be evident in a leader, and what are some of the competencies? So we've got character and competencies. What are some of the competencies and skills that need to be evident before you decide to invest in a leader? And what competencies can be actually developed along that leadership journey?

Jason: There's probably a lot of them, but I'll try to just share a few. So some foundational character qualities I think would be, of course, integrity—someone who really is honest and true; they do what they say. Since we're a Christian school and our mission is to make disciples through Christian education, they themselves need to have a rich walk with the Lord and they’re disciples themselves and equipped to be able to make disciples of others or help lead others along the way. A heart for excellence. You know, we don't want things being done in a kind of shoddy or half-done way. Humility is a key thing for us. That solves so many problems. I think C.S. Lewis and several other thinkers have thought that pride is almost like sort of the root of so many sins, and so humility solves so many problems. Collaboration, being able to work together is a big thing for us. So those are some of the foundational character qualities.

In terms of leadership competencies, I say, one, that they can inspire confidence in me and others that they can lead well. And that's just a general way of saying it that I think sort of catches many things. Do they inspire your confidence? Said, “Okay, yeah. I think this person's got game, and they can lead well.” Can they communicate well? Communication is just so critical. In everything you do, if you can't do that, it leads to a whole lot of challenges with students or parents or staff. And things that they can grow in later, you know, that they might not come to us with already is maybe an ability to delegate well. I think that’s something that people can be trained in is how to learn to give things over to others. Also, understanding what they need to run particular departments. We can work with you on that. And also, we can also help take your communication to a higher level as well.

Al: Wow. That's great. Yeah. Character, competence, and development. Those are great thoughts. Thanks, Jason.

And, you know, as I talk with leaders who are committed to growing in their leadership and to shepherding their organization well, I'm interested in learning how they've grown through their season of leadership. Share a few reflections on what's influenced you and your growth as a leader, and what are some of the catalysts that you've experienced that spur you on to growth as a leader in your role?

Jason: I think I'm a little bit of a sponge. I really just do enjoy taking in podcasts, books, connecting with other leaders and just learning from them. I think we can all learn something from whoever we're spending time with. Whether it be a leader or a parent or even a student, there's a humility you can bring to it and see what might God teach you through their insight on the world. My own overseers, through the years. I've had some pretty incredible overseers and lead pastors and executive pastors I've been able to work with and learn from. You’re probably familiar with Schools United, where we bring together, really try to help everybody within the Christian school, have a profession-specific peer network. So heads of schools getting with heads of schools, finance directors with finance directors, right on down the line to teachers and food service and everybody. So getting together with those other heads of schools has been really valuable.

And one thing that I've actually started within the past six months that's been very interesting and I didn't see coming but somebody invited me to be a part of it, and that was a peer advisory group to where you get together for one full day a month with other strong business leaders or ministry leaders and learn together and do some executive coaching. And so I recommend for everybody to join a peer advisory group, because I've just seen how useful that is for me. And for anybody doesn't understand what that is, they can reach out to me, and I'd be happy to help them understand more about what that is. But yeah, those are some of the things.

Al: So, Jason, I've got to ask you about this peer advisory group. You said that you take a day out a month with other leaders. So you're leading one of the largest, maybe the largest, school here in the continental U.S., thousands of students. How can you take a day off a month to be with other leaders? What's the benefit there?

Jason: Of course, the key way to get there to be able to do it is by really developing the team around you so that you can trust them to run with so many things so that you can step away for a bit. But then just realizing that, you know, again, have the humility to say, “I'm not fully developed as a leader. And so I need to take time to invest in myself so that I can better serve the students, the parents, the whole organization.” And so with that, I think when you make a commitment to a group like this, then it's just like, okay, I can take one day a month to sharpen the ax, you know, and sort of step away and actually become more effective, really, rather than never sharpening the ax and you’re just hacking on the tree, but nothing's happening. So getting together with these, it's usually about 10 or 15 other men or women who are presidents, business owners themselves, and so you're in this room with some super-sharp people who know what it's like to be the top leader and the challenges of that. And oftentimes, that's something that you don't really get to—you really don't have at your school; you are the only one where the buck stops here. So to be in a room with people who understand that and you can share different opportunities that your organization has and these guys can speak into it; or different challenges you have, these guys can speak into it; it really can lead to some great personal growth as well as even problem solving for your organization.

Al: That's thoughtful, and it's good to be able to work on the business in addition to working in, well, in your case, the school.

So let's go a step further here. As Christian leaders, we have the responsibility to shepherd the flock that God has entrusted to us, whether it's our staff or the people or your students, in your case, perhaps the parents. And at the same time, we must maintain our own personal spiritual foundation to lead effectively, especially in a Christian education, really in any Christian role. So personally, what habits and practices do you use to keep your spiritual life vibrant? How do you encourage your faculty and staff as well to keep growing spiritually even as they're modeling faith for their students to help them become disciples themselves?

Jason: That is a key thing, because you can imagine people who start potentially just going through the motions and they really don't even have their own vibrant walk with God. And I think the enemy would always love to get us caught up in busy-ness where we're not doing that. So actually, one of our seven core values is soul keeping. So that's one way we really try to continue to put it in front of our staff is to say, “Hey, this is who we are. We are people who are going to do soul keeping, and we want to make sure that you're putting God first, family second, and ministry third. And with that, you’re still going to be able to accomplish the best for the ministry rather than if you were a workaholic for CCA.” So encouraging them in that way and giving guidance on it, and as we do even annual reviews, ask how that's going and checking with them as well as other times of the year, but definitely formally built into the annual review.

For me personally, really, just Dallas Willard and others would refer to them as the spiritual disciplines: so prayer; Scripture reading, memorization, meditation on the Word; worship; fellowship; silence; reading. There's so many different spiritual disciplines which are not a righteousness in themselves, but rather they're things that we can practice that help us to connect to God, and then that connection to God just makes great things happen, where He changes us from the inside out.

Al: Well, that's quite a list that you've mentioned there, Jason. No question. But yeah. And I love the soul-keeping core value that you've got as an organization. And for our listeners, that's something to consider as well. And can you tell us offhand—so there’s two sides to that card of soul keeping. Give us some examples of how that’s communicated.

Jason: Yeah. One, we actually have given out the book by John Ortberg called Soul Keeping. And a key part there is really recognizing that you are the keeper of your soul. God is fully ready to do His part, but He's not going to drag you along. And so we're obviously totally dependent on God, but He's looking for us to take that step towards Him. If you draw near to God, He'll draw near to you.

So, yeah. The back side would talk about things like prayer, being in the Word, fellowship, worship, those same kind of spiritual disciplines and things that help you to be connecting to God and getting centered in Him.

Al: So, in addition to your leadership at Calvary Christian Academy, you connect with and encourage other leaders. And I know that you're involved with many activities in this regard. As you interact with Christian leaders in education and other sectors, what are some of the key challenges that Christian leaders face today? Can you point to a few issues that are keeping leaders from being the kind of inspirational leaders that we need in our culture today and into the future?

Jason: I think that in so many ways, the key challenges are nothing new. There's different flavors of wrong doctrine or thought that comes our way. But if we will stand firm in our faith and on the truths of His Word, regardless of what the world is doing around us; and we seek first His Kingdom instead of seeking to build our own kingdom; and will we follow His command to make disciples, leading them into relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit, teaching them to obey all that He's commanded; if we're ready to be focused on what He laid out as the first things, then when various odd wrong versions of DEI come our way or other different things that can throw us off track or have us doing things that don't really line up with the truth, I think that it will just become clear with the wisdom of the Word as to how to walk it out.

In terms of things that are keeping leaders from being inspirational leaders, I think that when leaders fail to walk wisely as an organization leader—so failing to build a solid team, failing to empower others, failing to have wise systems in place—then they find themselves buried in the tyranny of the urgent, and that can keep them from being the leader who can help their school or church or organization to move forward by God’s grace.

Also, of course, personal sin or failure to be seeking after God with all your heart can keep you from being that person. I was just sitting with a group of dads earlier this week studying God's Word together, and we're looking at 2 Peter, and it tells us to make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; to goodness, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control, goes on down through this list. And then it says, he says this, “If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So it’s like if we’ll continue to be adding those things in, the Word promises that’ll keep us from being ineffective. So I think that's sort of a solution.

Al: That's great. Thanks so much. Yeah. Wow.

So, we've talked about your school is growing and how you're intentional about keeping your foundation of core values as you grow. And we've talked about other areas of change in Christian education’s culture and how as a leader you inspire and equip your team to navigate change. But over the years of leadership, there have been different trends in education and also changes in which families expect from a Christian school. How do you help your team navigate change, and how do you and your school discern what changes will be helpful moving forward and what trends might be a distraction? You've kind of talked about that a little bit so far, but expound on that for me.

Jason: I think when we have confidence that a change should be made, it’s like then we can step out boldly and wisely. And regardless of the pushback we may get, if we have confidence that this is the right thing to do, and we're ready to do it and not going to be swayed by even some pushback because change is hard for a lot of people. But we also try to communicate well, be willing to be patient, purposeful, and faze change in so that we don't freak people out more than necessary. Oftentimes, I say people try to do too much in one year and not enough in five. So it's like, “Hey, we don't have to change everything tomorrow. We know where we want to go. What's the wisest way to get everybody there?” And sometimes you can do things pretty quick; sometimes you might want to take some more time.

In terms of how to discern which changes will be helpful, one of my favorite verses, and I just pray, “God, help us to be these people,” as 1 Chronicles 12:32, where it says, “…the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do...” So I hope that we're like that and we're men and women who understand the times and know what Calvary Christian Academy should do. And I think that if we want to be that and we're really trying to do it right before God, that He promises to teach and lead us.

You know, we're always looking to see how can we best lead and care for the kids, lead and care for our faculty and staff, further the mission of the school, further God's Kingdom, and I believe that when we're discerning correctly, all those things line up. You know, it's really the same thing. What's best for the kids is what's best for the teachers and is what's best for the Kingdom of God. Doesn't mean it's the easiest thing. Sometimes what's best for the kids might be a lot of work for the teachers. But it's still the best and where they're going to find the greatest fulfillment as they're doing the best thing to lead kids along academically and, even more importantly, as disciples.

Al: And you've created a flourishing workplace culture, where people, your faculty and staff do. They're focused on serving the students that you have, the kids, and to develop them into disciples for a long time Kingdom impact. I know, that's for sure. Yeah.

Well, Jason, we've learned so much from the conversation. I really appreciate as we just think back about your focus on core values, for example, and how you've been able to continue your growth as an organization by keeping those core values at the forefront. And how even though you might have a hard time hiring that AP chemistry teacher, that you're going to focus on somebody that really matches your core values. I appreciate your focus on leadership, how you’ve described key character elements that are important in the hiring process and the development process, and as well as your development and how you help others develop in the faith and how you have grown, your personal approach to growth. “I'm a sponge,” you said, and I'm wondering how many of us would say, “Yeah, we're a sponge.” That you've had mentors along the way, that you're involved in peer networks. That's great. Keeping the spiritual disciplines to keep your faith alive and be an example for others. And then, your trends, what you're seeing and how you're leading the school to continue its effective ministry.

So based on this conversation so far, which has been so rich, you know, is there anything that you'd like to add that we've talked about?

Jason: I appreciate that encouragement. I really appreciate you having me as well. And I love the—I'll just say I just really appreciate the work that you guys are doing at Best Christian Workplace as it's helped us as we use the Surveys every year to see what our staff are really thinking about all these different areas. And it's really helped us to have a better feel and to be able to make sure how are we doing at culture, how are we doing at helping our staff to be engaging? It’s been a really good thing.

And the only other thing I think to add is just to encourage Christian leaders to be willing to take risks. Think about, “Hey, how can we further God's Kingdom?” And probably, it's by furthering their mission. They probably have great missions. So how can you take some risk and go after that? Not crazy, of course, but prayerful and thoughtful. And also, just the number one key to me is getting a great team around you and empowering them to let them run and see what God will do through them versus trying to control it all yourself.

Al: And as you said, delegation. This is a key issue. I think we can all think about, how can we delegate to great leaders around us? Yeah.

So, well, Jason, thanks so much for your contribution. I really appreciate your commitment to raising up the next generation of students to follow Jesus through their lives, to be disciples, not only in school but for the rest of their lives. So thanks for taking your time out today and speaking into the lives of so many listeners.

Jason: Yeah. And I appreciate you having me. It was a great time.

Al: Thank you so much for listening to my conversation with Dr. Jason Rachels. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

You can find ways to connect with him and links to everything we discussed in the show notes and transcript at workplaces.org/podcast.

And if you have any questions for me about our podcast and have any questions on flourishing-culture workplaces, please email me, al@workplaces.org.

And next week keep on listening to our weekly podcast as we continue to learn from leaders who are proven inspirational leaders exhibiting Christian character and excellence in their leadership.

Next week we have the privilege of talking with Becca Spradlin, who is the president of On Mission, discussing designing your organization to stay on mission.

Outro: The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Best Christian Workplaces. If you need support building a flourishing workplace culture, please visit workplaces.org for more information.

We'll see you again next week for more valuable content to help you develop strong leaders and build a flourishing workplace culture.