The unusual comparison of a retailer and an educational institution may seem to be a bit strange.

However, they have a lot in common and there are some clear corollaries which can be instructive considering the challenges and changes facing both sectors.  Mission, Culture, and Leadership will be discussed in this article with a free article available at the end.

STRENGTH OF MISSION

“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” is the mission statement that guided J.C. Penney and his company when he was actively involved. Changing consumer behaviors, challenging employee hiring, Wall Street profit pressures, and a dramatic increase in competition from e-commerce challenged the commitment to that mission and to profits. People are shopping elsewhere—many online.

Many of these same factors are creating tremendous pressure on Christian schools who were founded to provide a Christ centered, biblically-directed education. Parents have ever increasing choices. The NCES says conservative Christian School enrollment has decreased 29% in the last 10 years. Charter schools, for profit schools, online schools, home schools, and classical Christian schools have experienced significant growth at the expense of the traditional Christian school ...