Major personnel shakeup at Briarwood, superintendent and principal are out
A newly formed transition team for Briarwood Christian School confirmed today that the contract of upper school principal Dr. Shawn Brower will not be renewed.
Brower has been the principal at BCS since 2015 and is also the men’s varsity soccer coach.
On the afternoon of Jan. 29, the church board held a meeting and afterward, Jim Alexander, pastor of the church’s board directed ministries, sent an email to parents announcing the formation of the transition team that will be charged with providing needed leadership during this transition. The team consists of pastors and elders of Briarwood Presbyterian Church and includes Elders Dr. Jon Adcock, Billy Ball, Christopher Frost, David Harris and Dave Proctor along with pastor Jim Alexander and executive pastor Bruce Stallings.
The board also announced that Dr. Niel Nielson, a professional consultant and former president of Covenant College, will provide assistance throughout the process.
BCS is different from other schools across the country and operates as a ministry of Briarwood Presbyterian Church. The responsibility for the governance of the school rests ultimately with the church itself.
The email’s stated intent was to “provide some clarifying and encouraging information in light of our having recently received the unexpected letter of resignation from our Superintendent Steiner.”
The email said that Brower had not been fired, nor had he been placed under any gag order.
“Dr. Brower was informed at the earliest stage possible he would not be offered a contract for the 2022-23 academic year,” the letter said. “Within academic circles, there is a distinction of importance here and educators appreciate and understand that distinction. Someone who is dismissed would be removed immediately from their responsibilities. However, someone who is not renewed is provided the opportunity to fulfill their duties, work out the rest of the contract, and have time to prayerfully consider where God is calling them next. Early notice of his non-renewal was given with the full intent to honor and help Dr. Brower.”
The Briarwood board said the decision was “not made harshly or in a vacuum” and that their staff charged with these responsibilities “have prayerfully sought wise counsel and engagement from our board chairmen and others over an extended period of time and it was made with full knowledge that Dr. Brower had not returned his form indicating he intended to return to Briarwood for the next academic year.”
The letter emphasized that “the decision was extremely difficult in light of the many positive things Dr. Brower has done at our school over the past seven years. “
“We commend Dr. Brower as a man of great leadership, gifting, tireless diligence and relentless pursuit of the School’s mission as Principal of our Upper School," it read. "We are all very thankful to the Lord for Dr. Brower’s ministry and emphasize that his heart has touched and encouraged countless lives. These tremendous contributions to BCS were fully considered in this decision and we have nothing but commendation for Dr. Brower in these areas.”
A petition to bring Brower back was created at change.org and has garnered more than 2,000 signatures.
The petition, created by the “Briarwood student body” states “it is time to stand up for someone who has stood up for us so many times. Dr. Brower has revitalized Briarwood and made it a place of joy, faith, and adventure. He has implemented real, meaningful change. He is arguably the biggest factor in the success of Briarwood Christian School. He is able to empathize with the student body and nurture them to become better Christians and humans. Dr. Brower genuinely cares about his students, which is something that cannot be taken for granted. As a student body, we need to show our love and support for all the ways he has positively impacted our lives. By signing this petition you are endorsing Dr. Brower as your principal and acknowledging his positive influence on you or your child.”
The letter from the transition team ended with a look to the future.
"Though the timing of God’s redirecting of leadership within the School has caused some to question where we are headed, we want to assure you the current leadership of Briarwood and those overseeing the ministry of Briarwood Christian School are as committed as our founding fathers were to prayerfully pursuing leaders who can implement the Briarwood Christian School mission and vision under the oversight of the Session of Briarwood Presbyterian Church.”
A rally has been organized in support of Brower at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30 at Veterans Park on Valleydale Road. 280 Living received a copy of the agenda, which includes a testimonial time, a call to action and corporate prayer.
We will continue to follow this story and share updated information as it becomes available.
280 Living requested comment from multiple representatives of Briarwood Presbyterian Church and at the school, but we received no comment prior to publication.