[Auto-Generated Transcript of the Podcast Audio with Edits]
Welcome to the Faithful and Flourishing Christian School podcast. Today we’re gonna talk about origin stories. Every superhero has an origin story, a moment or a series of events that reveal where they come from, who they are, why they exist, what they’re all about, and from that, they often begin to discover what they’re called to do.
Batman’s purpose is rooted in tragedy, a vow made in the wake of losing his parents, driving him to protect others from suffering as he did. Superman’s mission emerges from his extraplanetary identity, sent from a dying planet to protect his adopted home, using his powers for the good of humanity. Or how about Spider-Man’s purpose, which was forged from loss and guilt, learning that with great power comes great responsibility?
I actually misapplied that to Superman in a conversation with someone recently, and I’m not sure they’ll ever forgive me, but regardless, Spider-Man: with great power comes great responsibility, and this comes after failing to save his uncle. Or we could go to Wonder Woman, who was raised as a warrior in a sheltered paradise, and she steps into the world of humanity to fight for justice and peace.
Each and every one of these stories offers some kind of defining moment or a series of moments that give purpose to the hero’s life and shape their future decisions. Just as origin stories reveal the core identity of their heroes, so too does the origin story of a school help clarify its mission, that foundational reason for its existence, maybe even the unique difference that it’s positioned to make in its community or even beyond.
So my question is this: Do you know your school’s origin story? Schools often draft mission statements that explore values and goals, and as I’ve found in my own research, mission statements can be very powerful and very useful, but they’re not actually essential to being a faithful and flourishing school.
Now, I’ve never seen a faithful and flourishing school without a mission, but they don’t always necessarily have a carefully crafted 15 to 20 word mission statement with an action verb at the beginning. That could be useful, but I’m just saying it’s not necessarily essential. But a mission and a reason for existence and clarity about that reason, that is important, and that’s what I’m trying to get at in this episode talking about the origin story.
I’ve mentioned this before. A mission statement, while valuable, is not the mission itself. The true mission, the foundational purpose of the school, that exists long before the first sentence of a mission statement is ever written down, and clues to that mission often reside in the story of why the school was founded, who it was meant to serve, and the challenges that it sought to address, and oftentimes the difficulties that it had to overcome to persist in pursuing that early mission. So by returning to the origin story, a school can start to reconnect with its actual mission, grounding itself in the reason that it was established in the first place.
Every school’s origin story is distinct, if not unique in many cases. There’s a mix of vision, there’s some passion involved, there’s a response to one or more specific needs. There’s the result of some kind of coalition of the willing who came together with a shared goal. Consider a Christian school that was started by a small group of families who wanted a place where their children could receive a truly Christ-centered education, one where the school honored and supplemented and built upon the legacy of faith formation that started in the church and home.
They wanted a place that would reinforce and not undermine their shared convictions, their core beliefs. Their origin story might involve the struggles and the sacrifices and the dreams, the difficulties of those families as they pooled resources, they prayed together, they worked tirelessly to make the vision a reality, and they saw it come into life and had to adapt along the way, too.
This story is not just some kind of history of your school. It’s more than that, and that’s where I think we lose sight of it, and we just stick it away in some binder to be shared maybe at an accreditation visit or for a special occasion. This is a collection of stories that together begin to reveal this compelling reason for existence, this purpose that goes way beyond the formal words in a mission statement.
You see, the problem with a mission statement is that we oftentimes have a small group of people who work on a mission statement. They are workshopping the words. They pay attention to every single word in the statement until it’s something that they think is beautiful. And the people who are in that room, they know all of the ingredients.
They know all of the hard work, the difficult debates and discussions. They know all that stuff that came into the shaping of that sentence. So when they see that statement, they think of all that was contributing to its formation. And I’m sure that’s really meaningful for the people who are part of writing that mission statement.
The problem is that’s not everyone. Not everyone was in the room. Others only got to see the end result or a partially drafted version. They gave a little feedback. It went back into a room behind closed doors, then it came back to them. But what I’m talking about here with an origin story is it’s actually not an origin story.
It’s a collection of stories that all point in the same direction, that all point to the purpose and the reason for existence. It’s a tapestry of stories, and that can be far more powerful in advancing the actual mission than just a mission statement. Again, I’m not anti-mission statement here at all.
Mission statements can be valuable. They can be wonderful and succinct and compelling statements reminding people of why they exist. But you gotta have the stories behind them. And that’s where I find a lot of value in this concept of an origin story and a tapestry of origin stories. It speaks to what we might think of as maybe more akin to a calling.
And while the Scriptures typically refer to callings or vocations for individuals, I think we can also recognize that God gathers people and calls them to do something together, to do various things together, something that often can’t be accomplished alone. And that has the promise to be a great blessing to others.
And so in this sense, I contend that it’s perfectly appropriate to think of schools as having callings similar to how individuals do. Looking at the school’s origin story provides more than just some kind of historical insight. It offers inspiration for the present and for the future.
And as schools grow, and they change, and they adapt to new needs, they sometimes start to drift from their original mission, hence the concept of mission drift. They’re pulled by the pressures of competition, the tyranny of the urgent, regulatory landscape changes, the changing educational trends, the changing demographics in their community, concerns and troubles with finances, turnover in leadership and staff with some of the stories leaving with them.
But by revisiting the origin story, a school can start to evaluate whether it’s still aligned with its foundational purpose or whether adjustments are needed, too. I’m not saying that in telling the origin story, we have to do everything possible to mimic the exact appearance and activities of the first generation version of the school.
The reality is that missions do develop, and they expand. Missions are these kinds of wild things, and if we follow them where they lead, they’re gonna lead us to new and sometimes uncomfortable opportunities. So a school might have started with a goal of serving a specific target audience, and maybe over time, it adapted to serve a different audience but still with that same level of Christ-centered excellence that was part of the original origin story.
So I’m not arguing that we’re tying ourselves to something that doesn’t change at all, but reminding ourselves of the things we were committed to never changing, the things that are non-negotiables for us. And, you know, we can ask, are the programs, are the initiatives, the policies today, are they consistent with the spirit of what the founders really intended?
Or has the school started to drift into some kind of generic path or just a generic private school, losing sight of what once made it distinct and vital, maybe even unique sometimes, and valuable in the community? This doesn’t mean that a school has to remain stuck in a narrow view of the past, ignoring new possibilities or opportunities, as I just said.
You can consider, for example, how the writers of the U.S. Constitution included an inspiring vision for a nation. Yet even the writers failed to achieve all that they wrote, and they didn’t even understand perhaps the implications of everything they wrote at the time, with moments in our history where we fell incredibly short of these ideals, demonizing and dehumanizing others rather than embracing the vision and the virtues articulated in the founding document.
In that way, an origin story does not limit, but it does inspire, and it inspires us toward continuous growth and discovery and striving to become the best version of that original reason for existence in light of the challenges and the opportunities of a given age. Understanding a school’s mission through the lens of its origin story, it also shapes its values.
Rather than imposing abstract values on top of a mission, the values often emerge naturally from the stories themselves. For instance, a school founded by families with limited resources but a deep commitment to the Christian faith may naturally value family, deep and meaningful relationships. Maybe even a place where every person is loved and valued and seen as a sinner in need of a Savior and as a unique child of God full of potential.
And a shared commitment to maybe some sort of counter-cultural approach to education that tests everything with the Word of God. These are qualities that were essential to its founding, and they have life for the present moment, too. By recognizing and honoring these kinds of values and surfacing them and talking about them and telling their stories, the school not only stays true to its mission, but also creates a really authentic and deeply connected Christian culture and ethos in the school.
This approach can be incredibly transformative. It breathes new life into the institution’s mission and purpose. And we can see this all over the place. For example, teachers, staff, and students, they can benefit from knowing the school’s origin story, maybe even creating rituals and days when the origin is retold and celebrated.
And when they understand the challenges and the vision that sparked the school’s creation, they may just feel a greater sense of belonging and pride in what they’re a part of, a sense of this quest that they’re on together. And with it, a sense of responsibility to build upon what came before them. It’s no longer just an organization where they work or learn.
It becomes a place with a legacy, a legacy they belong to and a purpose that they can help advance, a mission they can help advance. This connection to a shared story strengthens the school community. It creates unity around that common mission. I think it also fosters a culture where people want to live out the mission.
There’s an excitement, an energy, a joy, even a passion about it. Additionally, sharing a school’s origin story with families and alumni and supporters can absolutely strengthen relationships and inspire deeper support and engagement. When people know that their contributions support a living mission tied to a rich history, they are far more likely to invest their time and their resources and their energy and their prayers in keeping that mission alive.
The origin story provides context. It provides meaning. It makes the mission feel real and relevant today. So the mission of a school is not just about what it does, though. It’s about why it does it, why it exists. By rediscovering and honoring the origin story, a school starts to connect with its true purpose, and it helps it avoid chasing after shiny objects that might mislead and unintentionally lead away from that core purpose.
It helps them align their actions with that foundational calling. Like the best superhero stories, this origin story and collection of origin stories does not just define the past. It shapes the present, and it helps give clarity about where to go in the future, offering a sort of guiding light that keeps the school, I don’t know, let’s say faithful and flourishing and focused on its founding reason for being there.
So if you’re part of a school community, I’d like to challenge you today to take some time to rediscover your school’s origin story. Talk to people who are a part of it. Reach out to them. Maybe if they’re retired and they’re still living in the area, or they’re far away, reach out and learn and listen.
Hear what’s in the substance of those stories. Dig into the history. Talk to those who were there at the beginning or their children or their grandchildren, or read the accounts if they’ve been written down, the ones that tell the stories of the founding vision. Practice sharing these stories with others in your community, with teachers and students and parents and alumni and supporters, donors, and let it come alive in your conversations.
And then play the role of adding new aligned stories to it, like adding a new layer to a beautiful piece of music, a new instrumental layer. Consider creating special moments or rituals today to celebrate and remember the stories of the past, keeping it present in the school’s culture. And as you revisit the origin, consider reflecting on how it can guide the school’s current practices and again inspire future directions.
Because by actively connecting with and celebrating your school’s origin story, you keep its mission dynamic. You help ensure that it stays powerful and a living influence that shapes and sustains a faithful and flourishing community. So that’s my challenge for you today. Learn and deepen your understanding of your school’s origin story and then add to it and take on the joyful responsibility of building upon that legacy for the next generation.
