The parable of the Good Shepherd exemplifies our six Bishop Justus Christian virtues.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11, NIV).  God sending His Son Jesus to earth to die for us is the greatest act of love. Through love we aim to support our community in times of both challenge and joy.  We have high expectations of every member of our community regarding how we work together.  Living out our pillar of equality, diversity and inclusion, we believe there are no outsiders in our community; everyone has value and brings their individual uniqueness.  Therefore, we respect each other as loved children of God and understand all are equal before God.

Kindness: ‘… there shall be one flock and one shepherd’ (John 10:16). The pastoral care of the good shepherd inspires our sense of community (flock); all working together and looking out for each other, putting others first and celebrating successes. Through kindness we put others first in our thoughts, words and our actions. When at times we disagree, we will disagree well, learning to accept and live with different points of view.  We actively extend kindness to our wider community through our faith in action work, taking responsibility not just for our own wellbeing, but also that of others.

Faith: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14).  We have faith in Jesus the good shepherd, following Jesus’ example of caring and respectful leadership.  Knowing Jesus, knowing each other and knowing ourselves, means we can trust each other and have faith in our community and faith in ourselves.

Hope: ‘… he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.’ (John 10:4). The good shepherd works in the present, whilst looking with hope to the future.  The coming of Jesus is what gives us hope, irrespective of challenges we may face.  Hope is not portrayed in our worship and learning conversations as a vague wish, rather it is seen as having a positive attitude towards the future.  We promote a message of hope, that through their time at Bishop Justus our students can learn what it means to live life ‘to the full’.

Courage: ‘The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him’ (John 10:2-3, NIV).  Jesus is the gate which leads to salvation. Through courage we strive to show others how to work in our community so we may follow the right way, even if that way is difficult.  We show others the standards we expect. Our student-led equality, diversity and inclusion work means that both students and staff have the courage to challenge themselves as well as others in the pursuit of justice; an example being that we are an actively anti-racist community.

Wisdom: “This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:18).  Sheep hear the voice of the shepherd, do not follow strangers and move in the correct direction. Through wisdom we not only learn, but also understand that positive behaviour leads to the best outcomes for all; a life lived ‘to the full.’  The Bible is passionate about both wisdom-seeking and the importance of teaching and learning. Wisdom has at its base knowledge, but also moves above analysis and evaluation and beyond what examinations can assess.