KEYNOTE: Adaptive Leadership in Complex Times: Transforming Education

In leading a Christian school today, the only constant would seem to be change. While we worship the unchanging person, serving Christ’s unshakable kingdom, everything else – from finances and student numbers, through governance models and curriculum design, to pedagogical best practice and codes of conduct – is in flux, shifting beneath our feet. These sessions, then, make space for facilitated reflection to form and tell a better story than fearmongers and reactionaries would have us buy into. Using the Cynefin framework, we will process our chaotic educational context through self-generated case studies exploring how what was once predictable became increasingly pluralistic and confusingly complex. Through a fusion of Scriptural engagement, the spiritual practice of lament, and dialogue, we will discern wisdom for adaptive leadership that transforms Christian education, moving forward in a faithful and fruitful way.

ABOUT:

Dr. Dave Benson is Culture and Discipleship Director at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (licc.org.uk). He is a leading thinker and researcher on the role of faith in 21st-Century western culture. Formerly a high school teacher, then lecturer at Malyon Theological College in Brisbane, Australia, he now heads up the LICC’s work for Culture & Discipleship. In part, this role includes consultation with theological education institutions toward forming whole-life disciplemakers (licc.org.uk/about/theological-education). His mission is to cultivate disciples with wisdom for the way of Christ in a post-Christendom culture. His 2016 Ph.D project entitled ‘Schools, Scripture and Secularisation’ considers the telos of competing curricular visions and the place of sacred texts in secular education. Dave is the lead editor of Transforming Vocation: Connecting Theology, Church, and the Workplace for a Flourishing World (Wipf & Stock 2021).

KEYNOTE DAY 1: Disruption as Invitation to FAITH

KEYNOTE DAY 2: We’ve got the Power – Accessing Kingdom Power for Kingdom Purposes

ABOUT: 

Danielle Strickland is currently based in Toronto, Canada, having previously served the Salvation Army in Los Angeles as the western territorial social justice secretary. Her books include The Ultimate Exodus, Just Imagine, The Liberating Truth, Boundless, and A Beautiful Mess. Danielle has spent over twenty years serving the marginalized in countries all over the world where she has embraced, learned, cared, evangelized, taught, and exhorted individuals and crowds to surrender to the boundless love of Jesus. She is an ambassador for Stop the Traffik (a global anti-human trafficking campaign) and Compassion International, and she is the cofounder of Infinitum, Amplify Peace, and The Brave Campaign. She is married and is the mother of three boys.

Session: A Battered Story?: How The Gospel Both Resists and Rescues From Old Secularism and New Spirituality

About: Stephen and (most of) his family have recently moved to Sydney from Perth, where he had been pastoring and planting churches over the past three decades. With a background in journalism, seven years experience on Christian school boards, and a writing career dealing with the interface of theology, church and the secular culture, Stephen is well placed to help Christian schools move forward during a period of societal upheaval and spiritual hunger in the West. His latest book, Futureproof: How to live for Jesus in a culture that keeps on changing, explores how Christian communities can out-purpose, out-relate and outlast the cultural churn.

Session: Identity in Christ – Anchoring the Next Generation in God’s Story

As Christians, we may need to recognize anew the need to communicate the big picture from God’s perspective for the next generation. I could well imagine developing the aspect of “identity IN CHRIST” in this context. If we pass on the great story of God, then, in my view, the anchoring in the person of Jesus Christ and the renewal associated with it is central to the concrete way we deal with a wide range of social challenges. I am convinced that it is our task to live and speak in an inviting way: inviting people to enter into conscious dependence on Christ, thereby attaining a new status (with all the struggles with the old nature, but it is the OLD nature) and being able to already have the “hope of glory” in the here and now!

About:

Christian Baldauf, born in 1982, is married to Jennifer and father of four children aged 9 to 20 years. He lives with his family in Meinerzhagen in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the middle of Germany.

He believes in Jesus Christ as his savior and Lord and is a member of the local church “FeG Ihne” (www.feg-ihne.de).

Since 2020, he has been working as the head of the VEBS-Academy (Association of Christian Schools and Daycare Centers, Germany): www.VEBS.de.

Christian Baldauf grew up as a missionary kid in Peru, South America. He spent his childhood there (a total of eight years), and then returned to Germany with his family as a teenager.

After graduating from school he initially studied law at the University of Cologne for two semesters before changing his course of studies and studying “Primary Education” at the University of Siegen.

After completing his preparatory service, he worked for several years at a state primary school and as a trainer at the Center for Practical Teacher Training in Lüdenscheid. From 2017 to 2019, he headed a regional seminar for primary school teaching.

Session: Leading Through Stories – The Power of Narrative in Educational Leadership

Storytelling is one of the most powerful leadership tools available to educators. This session will unpack the neuroscience behind storytelling, revealing how stories can shape school culture, build trust, and inspire collective action. We will examine how great communicators—from authors and screenwriters to educators and leaders—use universal story structures to engage their audiences. Most importantly, we will discuss ethical storytelling in a Christian educational context, ensuring that the narratives we craft reinforce truth, integrity, and mission-driven leadership.

About:

Dr. Nathan Mellor is an educator, executive coach, and leadership consultant dedicated to equipping leaders with the skills and character needed to create lasting impact. As CEO of Strata Leadership, he has helped organizations foster cultures of integrity and excellence, providing coaching and leadership development to senior executives representing organizations with a combined annual revenue exceeding $40 billion.

Passionate about education and leadership, Nathan has served in faculty and administrative roles at institutions such as Harding University, Pepperdine University, and Oklahoma Christian University. He co-founded Harding University’s Center for Leadership and Development and the launch of its Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership. His commitment to Christian education extends to his work with Christian schools and universities, providing board and staff development. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Redlands College in Brisbane.

Nathan’s dedication to leadership development is evident in his role as co-founder of the Presidential Leadership Institute, a program designed to inspire and equip high school students in partnership with York University and the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.

With a global perspective shaped by study and teaching experiences in Australia, Belize, China, England, Guyana, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Russia, and Rwanda, Nathan brings a broad understanding of leadership across cultures. His academic background includes a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University, where he was a Colleagues Grant recipient, of Master of Dispute Resolution from the Caruso Law School at Pepperdine and Master of Science in Education and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Harding University.

A two-time TEDx speaker, Nathan is the author of Sleeping Giants: Authentic Stories and Insights for Building a Life That Matters and hosts The Strata Leadership Show podcast. He and his wife, Christie, have two adult children and reside in Edmond, Oklahoma, USA.

Session: Unleashing Women’s Leadership Potential

What does it take to raise women up to lead and why is it so important?

After a lifetime spend leading in very diverse contexts, Melissa Lipsett will share the foundational biblical basis and the critical need for the elevation of diverse voices, particularly those of women, in our world. She will also share practical tips for successfully raising up women to lead both regarding what organisations can do, and what women themselves can do to ensure their contributions are both valued and valuable.

About: 

Rev. Melissa Lipsett is the Chief Executive Officer of Baptist World Aid Australia, where she leads with a global vision and a passionate commitment to justice, development, and Christian mission. With a diverse background spanning pastoral ministry, nonprofit leadership, and military service, Melissa is known for her integrity, cross-cultural insight, and deep commitment to the world’s most vulnerable.

Melissa previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO of Bible Society Australia, and was Executive Pastor at Newlife Church in Queensland for nearly two decades. Her leadership journey began in the Royal Australian Navy at age 17, and a few years later, she came to faith through the influence of a Navy Chaplain.

Her global ministry has taken her across Asia, Eastern Europe, the Americas, and Africa. At Baptist World Aid, she champions holistic responses to poverty through child sponsorship, community development, advocacy, and disaster relief—partnering with 38 local Christian organisations in 18 countries.

Melissa believes in practical faith: living out Jesus’ call to serve ‘the least of these’ (Matthew 25:40). With over 40 years of marriage, two adult children, and a heart for empowering others, Melissa brings a lived wisdom, a voice of compassion, and a leadership grounded in purpose and hope.