What Has History Taught us?

Learning from the Past to Secure the Future

By Brandon Allen
Executive Director | Fortify Foundation

If you could go back in time, what might be some things that you would do differently?
Would you approach your education with greater intentionality?
Would you show greater appreciation to those who shaped your life?
Would you steward your finances with a little more foresight?

Now consider those same questions at an institutional level. Considering your tenure in Christian education, what lessons have emerged through the years? What decisions, if revisited today, might lead to greater strength, stability, and mission impact? 

While the past cannot be changed, it can most certainly be learned from. Fortunately for us, history offers clear guidance for building a stronger future.

One of the clearest lessons history teaches is this: long-term institutional stability is not accidental. It is the result of intentional stewardship and strategic planning, especially in the area of finances.

Learning from the Past

Faithful stewardship often requires us to pause, reflect, and understand how we arrived at our current reality. This is particularly true when it comes to finances.

For many schools, financial management can feel unpredictable. Costs rise unexpectedly, enrollment fluctuates, and external pressures, anything from economic shifts to regulatory changes, can strain even the most carefully crafted budgets. Some schools feel as though they are constantly reacting, struggling to keep pace with circumstances beyond their control. Others have achieved relative stability through careful planning yet still wrestle with discerning the most strategic next step.

In both cases, the question remains the same:
What creates lasting value and stability for a school while preserving its mission?

History points us toward a consistent answer.

A Broad Historical Perspective

The idea of securing long-term support for education and mission is not new. In the ancient world, philosophical schools associated with thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle benefited from sustained financial support that allowed scholars to teach, study, and influence society without constant financial distraction. During the reign of Marcus Aurelius in the second century, funds were designated to support centers of learning. This provides some of the earliest examples of what we would now recognize as permanently funded support.

As history progressed, medieval Europe expanded this concept. Religious institutions relied on donor-restricted gifts and permanently designated funds to support clergy, worship, festivals, and theological education. The Church recognized that long-term ministry required long-term resources.

By the nineteenth century, philanthropy took a more formal shape. Donors began leaving legacy gifts to fund universities, libraries, museums, and hospitals, many of which still operate today because of those early decisions to invest in permanence rather than immediacy.

The Advancement of Education

Nowhere is this lesson clearer than in higher education.

Charles W. Eliot, president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909, understood that excellence would not be achieved simply by raising and spending more annual donations. He argued that lasting distinction required a different financial strategy—one rooted in endowment.

Eliot believed that permanently invested funds producing reliable income would provide the autonomy, stability, and flexibility necessary for long-term success. In his 1904–1905 annual report, he wrote that endowments protect institutions from the volatility of tuition revenue, political influence, and market uncertainty. He concluded that endowment was “the only thoroughly satisfactory and permanent remedy” for future institutional challenges.

This strategy influenced the thinking of the General Education Board. By 1915, the GEB recommended that an “efficient college” should derive 40–60% of its annual income from endowment funds. Shortly thereafter, Harvard itself was funding approximately half of its operating income through endowment earnings.

These decisions laid the foundation for sustained excellence by funding faculty positions, research, financial aid, and innovation for generations.

Modern Implications for Christian Schools

Over time, endowments evolved from simple, purpose-specific funds into strategic financial assets that support nonprofit missions and provide long-term stability. Today, they are essential tools for preserving institutional identity and mission amid uncertainty.

Christian schools, particularly in the K–12 space, face unique pressures: reliance on tuition, sensitivity to enrollment changes, rising operational costs, and the constant tension between affordability and excellence. History shows that institutions most capable of weathering these challenges are those that intentionally build permanent financial resources.

Endowments provide the ability to smooth budgets, cushion against economic downturns, and reduce overdependence on tuition, annual fundraising, or external funding sources. Most importantly, they protect mission integrity which will always allow schools to make decisions based on calling and conviction rather than short-term financial necessity.

A Call to Faithful Stewardship

History has consistently revealed that stability and autonomy, both essential to Christian education, are the fruit of wise stewardship and intentional planning. While external factors will always exist beyond an institution’s control, endowments provide a faithful response: preparation rooted in foresight rather than reaction.

Most of us would welcome the benefit of an endowment producing income today. The question before us is whether we will learn from the past and act with the same intentionality for the sake of future generations.

Faithful stewardship is not merely about meeting today’s needs, it is about building a foundation that allows Christian education to flourish tomorrow.