This is an efficient 90 minute journey to becoming an expert Trustee for your school. It is designed for the individual Trustee learning in their own home. Taking it will allow you to come to your first meeting:

• With hope and expectation since you know ‘what it’s about’
• With knowledge about the key issues Trustees must deal with
• With the right questions about the right subjects
• Knowing what you should and shouldn’t be concerned with
• Knowing how to support your Principal as a servant leader
• Knowing what will impact your Christian school for future generations of children

Psalm 22: 30-31 is the Trustee’s Scriptural lodestone. It says:

Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it.

You hold the school in trust to Jesus, you are holding children’s futures in your hands, your job is to ensure the school is a blessing to the next generation, the children yet unborn. CSM Christian Trustee Online Training gives you principles to follow, practical actions to take, and a deeper understanding of your purpose and importance in being a Christian School Trustee.

Level One Certification: Strategic Leader

These six modules provide the essential learning for you to carry out your role. They are:

Module 1: Christian Trusteeship and Authority

Module 2: The Strategic Plan and Strategic Financial Management

Module 3: The Christian Trustee as Parent

Module 4: Governance and Due Diligence

Module 5: The Board’s Mission

Module 6: The Trustee’s Commitment to Growth

Each module includes scenarios, information, exercises, and a test all in an interactive format. The entire set will take about 90 minutes to complete. You can stop and start at any time. You can do it from any location with an internet connection. You will receive a Strategic Leader Certification. Please give a copy of this to your Board President.

What is the most common reason for Christian schools to fail?

Lack of alignment between the Principal/Head of School and the Board. When each side doesn’t know where their responsibilities begin, end, and overlap, schools decline. Trustee training is an indispensable part of ensuring healthy and proactive communications.

Why can’t the Board do what it wants? Doesn’t it have the power to?

The Board can do what it wants. It has the power. But that is not the Christian way. Jesus said in Matthew 28: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The Board is there to serve the Principal / Head of School and to ensure their success.

Why do we have Boards? Can’t the Principal run everything?

That would make it simple wouldn’t it? But the Principal’s main job is to ensure that the mission is delivered every day at a standard of excellence to every one of the school’s current students. The Board’s job is to ensure that the mission will be delivered to the next generation of students. There is overlap for sure, but the tasks are clearly differentiated.

Is my business knowledge or life knowledge valuable on the Board?

It is important that you bring your skills and experiences to the Board table. It is equally important that you know when it is and is not applicable to your school. For example, budgets are the same all over – they have to balance. Your knowhow in that area is immediately transferable. Pricing in a school is different from pricing for a supermarket or car lot. Your knowhow in the area of pricing has to be set aside because the paradigm is completely different.

Will this online training tell me everything there is to know?

It is a great beginning for a new Trustee or even a current Trustee who wants to get deeper. Learning is a ongoing process though and we hope that you and your Board will continue to learn and grow year in and year out. We’ve published A Call to Authentic Christian School Trusteeship – A Christian School Trustee Handbook to help with that.

Why does CSM think it knows the answers?

It’s difficult to answer that without sounding arrogant. Let’s give it a try:

• Our Executive Director and CSM Consultants have unparalleled knowledge in the Christian school industry
• CSM opened in 2017 and already has the largest body of integrated teaching in the Christian school world including books, hundreds of articles, and many other resources
• All of CSM’s advice is based on the latest research, hundreds of years of experience in the field, and deep Scriptural thinking
• Our thinking is constantly sharpened by practice in the field – teaching is one thing; doing is another. We have a stellar track record in helping Christian schools reverse enrollment declines, improve their fiscal balance sheets, develop healthy relationships in and out of the school. We practice what we preach and it works. 

If you have a question that is not answered here, please write it here

The cost of this individual course is $80.00

For Trustees from CSM Member schools, the cost is $40.00. Contact your school or email to receive your coupon code.

ACSI Trustees: Please get your coupon code for significant savings for your school. Email Us!