"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." - Romans 12:4-5
The Bible talks a lot about gifts. Educationalists talk about them a lot too. Students in Church Schools are encouraged to uncover and develop their own unique talents and reassured that although their strengths and abilities differ, they are all important and can all be used by God.
This biblical principle is often best demonstrated within our schools themselves, with the most successful schools being those whose Governors and Headteachers are able to recognise and maximise on the various skill-sets within their staff team. As such, the tone deaf but brilliant administrator is not asked to lead hymn practice, nor the maths teacher to direct the school play!
Indeed the fruit of this basic logic can be seen in our daily lives also. When we need a haircut, we book an appointment with our hairdresser and when our car needs servicing we consult a mechanic. We are prepared to recognise these specialist's expertise and experience over our own and are willing to pay accordingly for their services.
Why is it then that when it comes to recruiting our next Church School Headteacher, one of the most crucial decisions in a school's life, there is such a reluctance amongst school leadership to seek specialist help? Time and time again vast sums of school budgets disappear into the traditional "advertising only model" of placing an advert in a publication such as TES or Eteach and just expecting to see results. However this is both costly and inefficient and only addresses (in our opinion) a very small part of the recruitment process. The fact that over 50% of schools seeking to fill a Headship go on to re-advertise suggests that perhaps it is time to look at things differently.
Emmaus was founded on the belief that God has a plan for every Church School. As members of the body of Christ we want to use our talents as recruitment experts to compliment your talents as educationalists; that together our schools might become the schools that God desires them to be.