The Lutheran Church of Australia has a variety of agencies through which it carries out its ministry and mission to the people of Australia and New Zealand. One such agency is the Lutheran school. The church, through its congregations and districts, operates kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools. It does this in order to make available to its members and to others in the community a formal education in which the gospel of Jesus Christ informs all learning and teaching, all human relationships, and all activities in the school. The following documents assist members of governing bodies to understand this relationship.
Lutheran school and service governing bodies
Greetings from the National Director
Thank you for your commitment to Lutheran education and for the gift of your service on a governing body. The work you undertake is both significant and deeply appreciated. Lutheran schools and early childhood services rely on the wisdom, diligence and goodwill of hundreds of volunteers across Australia: people who steward our communities with grace, skill and care.
Lutheran Education Australia (LEA) exists to support this work. LEA is not an authority over Lutheran learning communities. Rather, it serves the three Lutheran education regions – LEQ, LESNW and LEVNT – by progressing matters of shared national importance. Our remit is shaped by the regions, and our purpose is partnership: to collaborate where consistency, coherence and shared identity strength our collective mission.
Governance across Lutheran education takes different forms depending on region, jurisdiction, entity type and constitutional structure. For this reason, governance advice and operational support are appropriately provided to governing bodies by each region and by the relevant independent schools association. LEA’s contribution focuses on the one aspect of governance that unites all Lutheran learning communities: the Lutheran landscape – our shared history, identity, theology, mission and educational purpose.
It is in this spirit that we offer these governance resources. They are designed to support governing bodies as they attend to the cultural, spiritual and missional dimensions of governance that are unique to Lutheran education. While not exhaustive, these resources aim to strengthen your formation, clarify your role, and support the faithful stewardship of your learning community. These resources are designed to complement – not replace – the broader suite of governance resources that boards already use. They simply add a Lutheran lens, helping boards attend to the distinctives of Lutheran identity, mission and culture within their overall governance repertoire.
We warmly welcome your feedback and suggestions for improvement. Your insights help us to refine and expand these resources so they remain useful, relevant and responsive to the needs of the boards of Lutheran learning communities across Australia.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.
Colossians 1:3
Growing Deep is the leadership and formation framework of Lutheran education. It’s a foundational document that shapes how Lutheran schools and early childhood services understand leadership, culture, formation and flourishing across their communities. Growing Deep gives us a basis on which all that are involved in Lutheran early childhood, primary and secondary education can reflect deeply and confidently on this foundation and how it points us to today and tomorrow as lifelong learners. Those seeking to engage further with Growing Deep are invited to make contact with the regional and national office staff.
Growing Deep can be viewed in an interactive format, or via pdf.
A number of policies and documents apply to Lutheran learning communities nation-wide:
- The Lutheran Church of Australia and its Schools
- The Lutheran School as a Place of Mission and Ministry
- Policy for Gender Equity
- Policy Statement for Lutheran School Aged and Early Childhood Education and Care
- LEA Protocols
- Spiritual Leadership and Staffing Policy
- New Development Policy and Guidelines
Governing bodies of Lutheran schools and early childhood services hold significant responsibilities spanning legal, ethical, cultural and theological domains. Board members are entrusted not only with strategic and fiduciary oversight, but with sustaining a governance culture that reflects the mission and values of Lutheran education.
Board members are required to undergo regular training and checks, including child safety training, to assist in upholding ethical behaviours, and to maintain, protect and enhance trust and confidence in the Australian not-for-profit sector.
There are many organisations that offer expert support in school governance and/or Christian leadership. The document below contains information about some of the learning opportunities available.
Research has been undertaken in relation to the governance of independent schools. Examples of research papers, together with a brief summary of their content and why they matter, is provided for your information.