Jesus as Servant Leader

Since servant leadership is so important to the mission of Beacon University it is worthwhile to explore that theme a bit more.

There is a great hymn to the Servant-Leader in Paul's epistle to the Philippians: "Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, / did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, / but made himself nothing, / taking the very nature of a servant" (2:5-7). Although Jesus was the Son of God, he did not view his divinity as a prize to be seized; it was not his good fortune to be God, he simply was. The Message clarifies the meaning of verse 6 by paraphrasing it, "He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status." Instead, "he humbled himself" (v. 8), or emptied himself; he poured himself out for the sake of humanity.

In our pride and arrogance, human beings look to gain and protect status and entitlement. If that isn't bad enough, status and entitlement run two ways; if there is a higher class, that means there is a lower class; entitlement to privilege and power requires that some be kept poor and powerless. While this is how fallen human beings usually respond and act, it is the opposite of servant leadership.

Servant leaders have redemptive influence by being poured out for others. Jesus' servant leadership led him to the cross. At the same time, he calls his followers to take up their own cross, to be willing to be poured out for the sake of the cross. The great truth of life coming out of death is seen not only in the life of Jesus but in the lives of his cross-bearing followers.

It still seems absurd that radical servanthood might result in anything like leadership. Yet, Paul's hymn ends with, "Therefore," because Jesus emptied himself, "God exalted him to be the highest place / and gave him the name that is above every name" (v. 9). Evidently the servant-leader nature and strategy of Jesus was a perfect reflection of the Father's own nature, an important and essential aspect of divinity itself. Jesus was acknowledged as God because he came as a servant. As a result, in the end every tongue will confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, / to the glory of God the Father" (v. 11).

But will servant-leadership work in the real world? Yes, if by the "real world" we mean the world under the Father's rule. Servant-leadership will result in real redemptive influence in and through our lives. In some cases, however, we may may, like Jesus, have to wait for the reward.

A "Servant-Leadership" Mission

At two key points the Mission Statement of Beacon University focuses on the idea of "servant leadership." The opening statement begins this way: "To equip and motivate today's servant leaders . . . ." The second line refers to the provision of degree programs "for aspiring servant leaders."

Clearly servant-leadership is central to the vision and mission of Beacon. The question is: What is servant-leadership? It seems easier to talk about than to model, let alone train others to follow that model.

I recently posed this issue to an online seminary class, and received several helpful comments:

"The servant leader says, 'Follow me and I will show you how,' yet he/she is there at the last moment to make sure the job is finished, and that those who are following are taken care of. The servant leader is to be the steward of what and who he is leading. I think being a servant leader is much harder than a leader that directs and leaves the work to the group. The responsibility is much greater."

"Servant leadership is being humble enough to be used to lead others, while using their gifts and empowering them to grow, and getting the task completed effectively."

"I would define the servant leader as one who has responded to the call of leadership for the purpose of enriching the organization."

These students all agreed that servant-leadership is first of all service, and only then leadership. The idea of servant-leadership suggests that it is possible to so serve, it will result in others being led. That then implies a unique understanding of leadership; it is not having followers, nor is it having influence. Leadership is impacting the lives of others in such a way that their lives are benefited, individually and corporately. This definition assumes that individual and corporate goals genuinely benefit all those involved. If so, then effective leadership will result in those benefits being realized.

For those to whom leadership is primarily a control (or self-esteem) issue, servant-leadership will not satisfy. It is impossible to focus simultaneously on being in control and serving in a way that benefits the organization and the people in it.

As a Christian institution, we're convinced that Jesus Christ not only taught but modeled servant-leadership. In fact, we gladly follow him because he came to serve, and ultimately to give his life. We allow ourselves to be influenced by his leadership, convinced of his love for us. In the same way, we seek to teach and model servant-leadership to our university community, and to our larger community - so much so, we have made it central to our stated mission.

Higher Education and Information Technology

The availability of information technology, and especially of internet/online technology, is changing the face of higher education. It goes far beyond the use of PowerPoint presentations or the presence of laptops in class. Online course management systems, both for live and distance courses, has added a whole new dimension to learning.

Online learning is now dynamic and interactive. It is possible to email, instant message, blog, or engage in assigned discussion forums. Wiki technology can be used to conduct class projects. Occasional polls can be take to assess the progress of the class. In fact, if distance learning is structured and maintained properly, it can be more interactive than live classes, students connecting personally with other students and with the professor.

Beacon University has recently changed from the Blackboard CMS platform to Moodle, an open source system. With Blackboard it was "what you see is what you get"; with Moodle the sky is the limit as to what creative things we might include in a course.

Every course and every section of a course at Beacon has a Moodle site. Not only distance courses but live courses utilize various aspects of the course management system. (Obviously, distance courses are designed to take full advantage of the options available.) The result is that there is a thinner and thinner line between distance and live students. It means that all Beacon University students are required to be computer savvy and internet savvy in order to gain the full benefits of their work at Beacon.

It also means that all faculty, and not just distance faculty, face the challenge of continually growing in their digital skills. Our "Moodle Noodles" IT department do an excellent job providing assistance to both faculty and students. Our distance learning coordinator, Virginia Cornett, is always available to faculty and students to assist in the process.

We place a high priority on web-enhanced learning at Beacon and are strongly committed to growth in all areas. We also understand the need to bridge the "digital divide," making computer access to our students a priority. The future of higher education means more, not less, involvement with information technology. Our commitment is to move forward together, working hard to see everyone have a successful learning experience.

A Culture of Continuous Improvement

The culture of accreditation, and certainly the culture of the Southern Association, is a commitment to continuous improvement. We don't expect to be perfect, but we do expect to know what "good academic practices" are, to strive to implement them at every point in the institution, and to be honest about the degree to which we have achieved our goals.

The first principle of accreditation is institutional integrity. That means we are not trying to cut corners or let deficiencies slide, let alone cheat in our commitment to our mission and goals. We are committed to doing the best we can and to being honest about it.

In fact, a culture of continuous improvement admits that we are not perfect, demonstrates that we know what good academic practices are, and seeks to improve whenever and wherever possible. To do so, we are also committed to researching and assessing our outcomes to honestly determine how we are doing. After we conduct a thorough assessment, we will draw conclusions that will help us do better, and we will develop a plan to improve. Then we will agree on specific actions steps and assign specific people to be responsible for those steps. In the end, we will assess how well we did with those action steps and plan to make further improvements. Etc., etc.

This process is significantly different from my former context in Christian ministry. I certainly did my best to plan, but the process was not always that systematic. Instead of looking for ways to improve I'm afraid it was more often a matter of "spinning" the truth to look as good as possible. In fact, we would refer to this process as "evangelastically speaking." In higher education it is not about looking good, it is about finding ways to continuously improve.

Accreditation! Who Needs It?

The issue of accreditation is the great unknown to most people - parents and students alike. What is it? Why is it so important? Do we really need it?

To begin with, accreditation provides a network of educational institutions that decides to be accountable to one another. It is a "collegium" in the best sense of the word. (Some would call it an academic club.) Membership in the collegium is based on a commitment to institutional integrity and to good academic practices. The goal is to serve students as best as possible.

Instead of accrediting educational institutions, the U.S. and State governments have chosen to let private, voluntary agencies do it. The goal of accrediting agencies is to improve the quality of education at member institutions, and to assure the public that those institutions meet established standards. If an accrediting agency is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, it opens up the door to grants and other forms of financial assistance.

There are three kinds of accrediting agencies:
1. National Agencies accredit specific types of institutions no matter where they are located. Beacon University is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). Obviously the uniqueness of TRACS is that it accredits only Christian institutions.
2. Regional Agencies, who accredit institutions in certain regions. There are six regionals, including the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). SACS was founded in 1895 and serves 11 southern states, including the State of Georgia. The regional agency seeks to represent the best interests of the institutions in a certain region; membership makes available additional benefits to students who live in that region, and as a result, all the students who attend a member school.
3. Professional Agencies, who accredit professional programs within an institution. For example, the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) accredits seminary programs. There are professional agencies for counseling programs, business programs, etc. Professional accreditation adds an additional layer to the quality and accountability of professional programs, resulting in specific vocational benefits to students who graduate from those programs.

Our current membership in TRACS has provided very important services to the institution and benefits to our students. TRACS is a partner and friend to Beacon and we highly value our membership.

Beacon University is currently in the process of applying for membership to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. SACS has the reputation of being the most rigorous of the six regional agencies, however, membership in SACS will bring BU to a whole new level of excellence.

In the process of applying for membership we will need to dialogue about key issues along the way. Membership in SACS will be a group effort and a group adventure with multiplied group benefits. Stay tuned!

A Commitment To Student Learning

As a University student in the '60's and '70's (yes, I'm dating myself) I had a very different learning experience than students have today. From the beginning of the idea of a University in the 12th century, it was very much a professor-centered system. Fortunate young scholars were given the opportunity to spend personal time with a professor/master and to glean the golden nuggets that fell from his lips. The system was designed to advance the cause of professors while allowing scholars the possibility of learning something, if they proved to be worthy.

In the last several years the focus has moved from learning at the feet of a professor to a commitment to student learning as the first principle of higher education. Universities exist to foster student achievement, to facilitate student learning, to do whatever is necessary to prepare young scholars to be successful, productive members of society. Universities exist to serve students. Any evaluation of a University must, therefore, focus on whether or not student learning has been the goal and the outcome of every aspect of the institution, every step along the way.

In fact, the most recent language used by State and the US Departments of Education, as well as accrediting agencies, refers to "student consumers." That does not mean that, "the student is always right," but it does mean that if an institution promises to deliver a certain educational "product," they must be able to demonstrate that they have succeeded in doing so. It also means that post-secondary schools are to focus on student learning outcomes that directly contribute to the success of that student's life.

This value and this goal is certainly true for Beacon University. Beacon is all about our students. Our passion is to serve students so well, they can go from here and make a signficant difference in the world. It is certainly true that our able faculty are primarily motivated by a love for Beacon students and a desire to see them thrive in all of life.

And it's not just academic affairs. The support administration and staff of Beacon are also committed to serving students, to making students a success. Faculty and staff alike are accountable to how well they serve students, and to how effectively they achieve student learning in every class, in every aspect of the institution. We do what we do for our students - and we love it!

The Integration of Faith and Learning

One of the core operative principles of a Christian liberal arts university is the integration of faith and learning.

"Liberal Arts" often refers to specific areas of study, e.g., social sciences, natural sciences, fine arts, literature, and the humanities. "Liberal Arts" also refers to a certain philosophy of education. One university describes a liberal arts education this way:
1. An institutional ethos and tradition which places a greater value on developing a set of intellectual arts, than professional or vocational skills.
2. Curricular and environmental structures that work in combination to create coherence and integrity in students' intellectual experiences.
3. An institutional ethos and tradition which places a strong value on student-student and student-faculty interactions both in and out of the classroom.

The question is: How can an institution of higher learning be consistently both Christian and liberal arts? The answer: A consistent and thorough integration of faith and learning is required at every point. This integration is required in the philosophy and content approach of both faculty and students. Every course must be seen through the grid of Scripture and a biblical worldview.

A Christian liberal arts university is not just a place where classes are opened in prayer and Scripture is occasionally quoted. Nor is it a place where Christian dogma is the primary content of every class. A Christian liberal arts university is a place where teachers and students have learned to see all of life from a biblical perspective. Because they have learned to think "Christianly," they are able to see all subject matter clearly and adequately. They are also in an excellent position to appropriate values and priorities from their study.

My favorite example of the integration of faith and learning comes from the Bible book of Daniel. The young Jewish prince Daniel was taken captive to Babylon and enrolled in their educational program. The Babylonian emperor (Nebuchadnezzar) even changed his name from Daniel (God Is Judge) to Belteshazzar (Bel Is Protector) to try to change his very identity. Instead, Daniel resisted Babylonian assimilation and maintained his identity and integrity. Did that hurt his performance at the Babylonian University? Not only did it not hinder his learning, "The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel" (1:19). In fact, "In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all" (1:20). Daniel was more excellent in every way than his fellow students.

Beacon University is committed to the development of a consistent and thorough-going integration of faith and learning in every teacher, every student, every program, and every course. As a result, we expect that our students will be more excellent than their counterparts in their chosen professional field.