Leadership Under Pressure: The Joshua Strategy for Tough Situations

AI Generated

By Dr. Barrett Mosbacker

The Johnson Situation

Bob Smithfield felt his stomach tighten as another heated email from Mrs. Johnson appeared in his inbox. He stared at the screen, his stress building with every line. What began as a routine academic issue, Emma plagiarizing an English assignment, had escalated into a series of increasingly hostile emails attacking the teacher’s character and the motives of several staff members.

In her messages, Mrs. Johnson accused the teacher of “dishonesty,” “bullying,” and “humiliating and publicly shaming” her daughter. She claimed Emma was treated unfairly compared to other students and suggested this difference was due to “race, gender, or both.” According to her, the school had systematically targeted her daughter, leading to serious anxiety.

The facts told a different story. Emma had a documented history of academic dishonesty involving multiple incidents. She was currently under a behavioral contract that specifically addressed her pattern of lying and manipulation. The plagiarism incident was not isolated. It fit a troubling pattern in which Emma created false narratives to avoid consequences for dishonest behavior and incomplete work.

Bob now faced a familiar challenge in Christian school leadership: how to uphold truth and grace in a conflict that had grown increasingly hostile, while supporting and protecting a teacher who had acted rightly and responded to personal attacks with professionalism. Mrs. Johnson’s accusations were false, yet she remained a relentless and often hostile advocate for her daughter. The documented facts pointed instead to a student struggling with persistent dishonesty, reinforced by a parent who deflected blame and failed to address the root issues.

The situation had reached a critical point. Bob knew the time had come for a difficult conversation, one that might restore a healthy partnership or result in the family’s withdrawal. The conflict before him demanded courage to speak the truth plainly, with love and wisdom.

Although he had previously emailed Mrs. Johnson to request a meeting, she had not responded. Recognizing that the matter could no longer be left unaddressed, for the sake of the teacher, the staff, and the student, Bob composed a firm but professional message:

“Good morning, Mrs. Johnson,

Per the emails below, it is important and necessary that I meet with you to discuss the concerns you have raised regarding Emma’s teacher and other staff members.

As I stated in my previous message, the purpose of this meeting is to engage in a helpful and honest conversation about your concerns and to foster a positive, respectful, and trusting partnership with your family, consistent with the school’s expectations and other policies.

My executive assistant, Mrs. Thompson, will follow up to schedule a meeting for next week. I look forward to speaking with you.

Respectfully, Bob”

Situations like this are all too common in schools, including Christian schools. These are the moments that can sap the joy from our calling and weigh heavily on our shoulders. Bob’s experience is not unique to modern leadership. It reflects a burden that faithful leaders have always carried.

The Leadership Challenge Faced by Joshua

Throughout history, leaders have faced formidable challenges, giants that threatened to overwhelm them. Consider Joshua’s situation.

Joshua was called to succeed Moses, the man who had delivered Israel from 400 years of slavery, spoken directly with God, and received the Ten Commandments. That alone would have been intimidating. But Joshua was also tasked with leading a stubborn, ungrateful, critical, and rebellious people into a foreign land. He faced enemy kings, powerful and merciless armies, and cities fortified against invasion.

While we are not called to follow a Moses or conquer Canaanite cities, we are no strangers to giants. We face criticism, gossip, and relational conflict. We must address misbehavior among students, staff, and sometimes parents. We navigate cultural pressures antithetical to biblical truth, strained relationships, rising expectations, financial burdens, and the stress that accumulates over time. These challenges are not limited to our professional lives. Many of us also carry personal and family burdens. We may conquer one giant, only to find another waiting in the shadows.

God knew the task before Joshua and the fear it might ignite in his heart. So He gave Joshua both a charge and a promise:

“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:7–9).”

Three truths stand out in God’s commissioning of Joshua: the call to fearlessness, the call to faithfulness, and the promise of God’s presence, which leads to fruitfulness.

Faithful

“Being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left … This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.”

God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous because faithfulness to his mission would require it. Remaining obedient, not turning to the right or to the left, meant standing firm in the face of formidable opposition. Similarly, in the Great Commission, Jesus gives His disciples a comparable charge: “Make disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).

The charge to Joshua, to the disciples, and to us remains the same: remain faithful to God’s Word and teach others to do likewise, even when the surrounding culture, and at times those within our own school communities, stand in opposition. We must swim against the currents of culture, not with self-righteousness, but with humility and grace. This challenge is not new. Because it has always been present, we must, by God’s grace, remain steadfast in proclaiming the truth and in fulfilling both our personal callings and our school’s mission.

As Christian school leaders, we are called to lead our staff faithfully and with resolve in fulfilling the school’s biblical purpose: preparing young men and women to serve Christ in college, career, church, and community. Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 15:58 is fitting: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” We must not allow the giants we face to push us off mission or distract us from our calling.

Fearless

“Only be strong and very courageous … Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed.”

Notice that this passage begins and ends with the command to “be strong and courageous.” These twin exhortations serve as bookends to the central calling: faithfulness.

We are called to fearless faithfulness. Remaining true to our calling and our school’s mission requires courage because giants, both visible and hidden, rise to intimidate and wear us down. This is why a courageous and resolute spirit is essential.

We are called to confront giants, some within and others without, but never in our own strength. God commands courage because He promises His presence: “For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This same assurance appears in the Great Commission. Knowing His disciples would face persecution and even death, Jesus encouraged them with these words: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20).

Christ promises to be with us in every circumstance. Courageous obedience does not come from personality or temperament. It is rooted in a deep, steady trust in God’s presence, providence, and promises.

We never have to face our giants alone.

Fruitful

“For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

God tells Joshua that strength, courage, and unwavering obedience will lead to success. In the same way, by God’s grace, we will bear fruit when we walk in fearless faithfulness to His Word, our calling, and the mission entrusted to us.

Fruitfulness flows from fearless faithfulness.

We were not called to leadership merely to fulfill responsibilities. We were redeemed, called, and equipped to bear fruit. This includes the inward fruit of the Spirit, the outward fruit of godly influence, and the lasting impact we have on those we serve. It also includes the tangible results of faithful and effective leadership in advancing the mission of our schools.

Such fruitfulness requires the following:

• Abiding in Christ by remaining spiritually nourished through prayer, Scripture, and corporate worship (John 15:5).

• Using our God-given gifts faithfully by developing both natural and spiritual gifts with diligence (2 Timothy 1:6).

• Persevering through difficulty by laboring faithfully even when giants stand in our way, the ground is hard, the growth is slow, or the fruit is delayed (Galatians 6:9).

• Trusting God’s sovereignty by remembering that while we plant and water, it is God who gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6–7). Not all soil yields a harvest (Matthew 13:3–9). Some hearts remain hard, others are shallow or choked by worldly cares. The condition of the soil is not our responsibility. Our calling is to sow faithfully and be faithful in our obedience to God‘s word.

Application To Your Leadership

• Pursue spiritual discipline by cultivating a life anchored in prayer, worship, and consistent engagement with God’s Word. Abide in Christ daily, for apart from Him, even our best efforts will yield nothing that lasts.

• Resist cultural conformity by grounding your decisions and leadership in Scripture as your final authority, even when it stands in contrast to the spirit of the age.

• Count the cost of obedience, as Christ commands, and be prepared to pay it.

• Demonstrate faithfulness by being present, speaking truthfully, and remaining steady, even when the work is difficult or unrecognized.

• Make difficult decisions with grace. Address conflicts and confront problems directly while maintaining love and respect for all involved, just as Bob needed to do with Mrs. Johnson.

• Persevere through opposition without fear, bitterness, compromise, self-pity, self-righteousness, or resignation.

• Instill courage in others by shaping a school culture that values conviction over comfort and truth over trends.

• Lead with eternity in view, keeping Christ’s words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” as your highest reward.

Whatever giants stand in your path, lead with fearless faithfulness. Trust in God’s presence and His promise to go with you. This is the pathway to fruitfulness, fruit that endures, blesses others, and brings glory to God.

God has not called us to comfort, ease, or the approval of others. He has called us to faithful courage that produces lasting fruit. He sees every giant we face. He may not remove them, but He gives us the strength to stand firm, the wisdom to lead with conviction, and the grace to endure.

Lead with conviction. Stand your ground, and having done all, stand firm (Ephesians 6:13). Now go. Face your giants with God’s Word in hand and your heart anchored in the promise of His presence.