Biblical Integration Assignment
Problem Introduction
The Mountain Top School District is located in the Northeast region of the United States
and has three schools that serve five rural communities. Like many other rural communities,
there has been a trend of decreasing enrollments, which has substantial budget implications for a
community with high levels of low socio-economic status. Just before the Covid pandemic, the
school board charged the district leadership team with crafting a proposal to transition all middle
school students to the high school facility. The proposal was immediately met with heavy
resistance from the parents and community members and entirely went by the wayside as schools
nationwide scrambled to implement remote learning.
This year, the conversation about transitioning middle school students to high school has
come back up as the district faces financial struggles. The school board was more strategic in its
charge by creating a sub-committee composed of administrators, teachers, parents, and
community members. Furthermore, the sub-committee went to further reaches to obtain
stakeholder feedback by having listening sessions, surveying various units, and having a final
forum for additional feedback. In its final report to the school board, the sub-committee will
summarize stakeholder feedback, present research on the impact of moving middle school
students, provide several transition scenarios, and give an update on how it will affect the
operating budget.
Biblical Integration
Organizational change is a challenging but rewarding undertaking that leaders can engage
in. By keeping an open mind and heart to the Lord, leaders can rely on His teachings to assist in
their change journey and provide comfort that allows a leader to transverse challenging times. In
the case of the problem presented by the Mountain Top School District, there are biblical
Biblical Integration Assignment
perspectives that would help those involved to accept change through God’s wisdom, to apply
the thoughts of others in the process, and to trust in God.
Change and God’s Wisdom
Change is hard for most people to accept, especially when it affects many families in an
educational setting. Anyone affected by the change can find comfort in the Lord’s words about
discernment:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; in all your
ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, New
American Bible, p. 730)
This passage suggests that we should seek God’s guidance and wisdom when preparing to make
decisions rather than relying solely on our own opinions or the opinions of others. To begin the
change process, we must acknowledge that God is the ultimate source of wisdom, and it is
important to trust Him completely in all aspects of life. This trust in God’s wisdom is also
echoed in James 1:5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all
generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it.”
Many individuals faced the problem of transitioning middle school students with
preconceived opinions. School district leaders were also guilty of coming to the process with a
closed mind and were reluctant to see the problem through the eyes of others. Those involved in
both attempts to move middle schoolers would have benefited from praying carefully and
intentionally for God’s wisdom in guiding them through the process. Change is hard for many
people; however, putting faith in God and His understanding can help guide people to be open to
the thoughts and opinions of others.
Stakeholder Involvement
Biblical Integration Assignment
While analyzing the four frames for reframing organizations, the common idea was that
stakeholders need to be involved and feel valued (Bolman & Deal, 2021). There needed to be
more stakeholder involvement the first time the Mountain Top District tried to pass the middle
school proposal. Constituents of the district became very upset early in the process, and this
could have been avoided. James 1:19 says, “Know this, my dear brothers; everyone should be
quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” The meaning of this passage is the emphasize the
importance of listening carefully to others while avoiding quick judgments and anger.
In the Book of Romans, there is a precious lesson that organizations can take when
considering the use of stakeholder input:
For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function,
so we, through many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.
(Romans 12:4-5, New American Bible, p. 237)
This verse prompts the interconnectedness of individuals and the importance of considering the
needs and voices of all stakeholders. In a change proposal as significant as moving middle school
students to a high school, school district leaders need to recognize the diversity of the families in
the district and work with them to build a solid and inclusive body of believers in the change
process.
Trust in God
Ultimately, everyone has to trust that God is in control and working all things together for
good; as Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.” Even when facing challenging circumstances, people
must believe God is with them and will guide them through the difficulties. Those involved in
the proposed change need to have faith that there is a divine plan for the lives of those affected
Biblical Integration Assignment
by the change and that they will be guided toward their purpose if they surrender to that plan.
Those not religious could practice this “trust in god” if they are willing to let go of worry and
anxiety and trust that things will work out in the end.
Regardless of religious beliefs, to understand difficult change, one must “trust in the lord
with all you heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; in all ways be mindful of him, and he
will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Putting trust in the process, even when people
are skeptical, can easily be done when those trust in a bigger plan than themselves.
