Prof 101 - Faculty Commons

PROF101: First Steps in Developing a Christian Faculty Movement

1. Pray

Ask God to connect you with like-minded Christian professors, whether in your department, school, university, church, or on nearby campuses. As you find them, connect with them personally and begin to pray together.

Some places to search for other Christian professors:

Inquire at Christ-centered local churches or with friends who attend these churches.
Connect with Cru staff members (and those from other Christian groups).
Look for the faculty advisors for the various Christian groups on campus.
Ask other Christian professors if they know of other Christian professors.
Post on a faculty list-serve (if there is one).

If you don’t know of any other Christian professors, ask others in your church to pray with you that God would bring together such a group.

2: Read A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors

Discuss the questions at the end of each chapter with a couple of like-minded Christian professors. Learn and grow together.

3. Watch these two videos — one from professors at Purdue, the other from University of Florida. Share them/watch them with other Christian professors.

Discuss among yourselves the various ways a thriving movement of Christian professors on your university might bless undergrads, graduate students, professors, the university and the world. Also discuss: What are some of your thoughts/emotions as you listen to this? What are some ways we as Christ-following faculty could identify ourselves as Christ-followers?

4. Connect with local Cru staff

Connect with local Cru, Intervarsity or other Christian organizations on campus. Contact the staff of local churches who run ministries to students on your campus. Share with these key leaders about your commitment to Christ and if asked, your willingness to serve as faculty advisor and/or your willingness to share about your own spiritual journey in their weekly meeting.

See if there are ways they might help you. For instance, often Christian students will know of other Christian professors. Local churches will have Christian professors in their congregations. These other Christian groups can be allies as you form the foundation for a Christian faculty movement.

5. Connect with Faculty Commons

We can help you virtually, and we may also have staff at a nearby campus who can help you get started. We also run conferences each fall and spring that can give you good tracks to run on.

6. Invite fellow Christian faculty to sign up for Missional Moments

This short weekly email is sent to over 2400 professors each Tuesday during the academic year. Written by Christian professors for other Christian professors, it is full of practical ideas that professors have used to reach out on their own campuses. Scroll through our archive of past issues for inspiration and ideas you can use.

7. If fellow faculty are engaged in social media, encourage them to “like” us and to “follow” us.

8. Gather other Christian faculty, local Christian leaders, Cru staff and students and begin dreaming/praying for your campus by praying in a “whole campus” way.

When we pray only for ourselves or other faculty, we communicate that the campus is just about us. When we pray for dorms, for athletes, for Greeks, or international students, we communicate that the campus consists of students only.

But we are better together. Begin to pray together for the whole campus, for every student, every professor, the administration, and every academic discipline. Do a prayer walk around campus, and ask God to raise up Christian students and professors in every building and academic department on campus. Who knows what God will do when we pray?