News
Christian Colleges Face Faculty Hiring Pressure Amid Church Decline
Faith Facts
- Churches of Christ membership is declining across the United States.
- Christian universities tied to the fellowship continue to see rising enrollment in professional programs such as nursing, pharmacy, law, and engineering.
- Most of these institutions maintain policies requiring faculty and board members to share a commitment to the Church of Christ faith tradition.
Declining membership in Churches of Christ is creating new hiring challenges for universities affiliated with the fellowship. As demand for professional programs continues to grow, administrators are finding it harder to recruit faculty who are members of the Churches of Christ.
Presidents from eleven institutions spoke with The Christian Chronicle about their hiring policies. Nine of the schools require all board members to belong to the fellowship, while Lipscomb University requires seventy-five percent and Pepperdine University requires a majority.
Faculty requirements vary by campus. Freed-Hardeman University continues its longstanding policy that board members, administrators, faculty, and staff must be members of the Churches of Christ, with only hourly hospitality and housekeeping workers exempted.
“We have loosened strings on faculty,” Oklahoma Christian President Ken Jones said. “They have to be willing to agree to our covenants — who we are as a university — and deeply Jesus-centered in their faith and committed to a local congregation.
“We can’t fill our faculty ranks otherwise,” Jones added. “You don’t have to believe exactly what the Church of Christ believes, but you have to agree to live in this environment with us.”
Smaller institutions face similar realities. Crowley’s Ridge College President Richard Johnson reported that more than ninety percent of employees are members of Churches of Christ, though the school sometimes must look beyond the fellowship.
“We try to hire all employees within Churches of Christ when we can,” Johnson said, “but that doesn’t mean we’re always successful.”
At Florida College, President John Weaver explained that employment depends on spiritual and religious principles rather than denominational membership alone. York University maintains a policy for a majority of faculty to be members of the Church of Christ while remaining open to aligned candidates from other backgrounds.
Lubbock Christian University President Scott McDowell emphasized the desire for faculty who are Jesus followers passionate about faith. Members of the College of Biblical Studies must belong to Churches of Christ.
Faulkner University requires faculty in traditional programs to be members of a Church of Christ for tenure, but this rule does not apply to its law school or College of Health Sciences. Abilene Christian University seeks full-time faculty and senior administrators who belong to a local Church of Christ congregation, though the board may grant exceptions when candidates demonstrate spiritual fit.
Pepperdine University President Jim Gash said the school aims for a critical mass of faculty from Churches of Christ to preserve institutional heritage and direction.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Scripture teaches that honest scales and balances are from the Lord, and dishonest weights are an abomination to Him.
- Christian voters are called to seek leaders who uphold integrity and reject schemes that undermine fair elections.
- Proverbs 29:2 reminds believers that when the righteous thrive, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
A Texas Democrat political action committee has dismissed an organizer after undercover footage showed him describing $25 payments to citizens for attending a one-hour anti-Republican Zoom class.
The organizer referred to the payments as “a roundabout way of paying people for their votes,” raising serious questions about the legality and ethics of the practice.
Conservative watchdogs argue that such tactics erode public trust in the democratic process and violate the principle of free and fair elections that Americans hold dear.
“A roundabout way of paying people for their votes.”
Faith-based leaders in the Lone Star State are calling for full transparency and swift investigation, insisting that Christian citizens deserve elections free from financial inducements.
The incident underscores the need for vigilance among voters who value traditional principles of honesty and accountability in government.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Brad Pitt publicly acknowledged the profound spiritual and psychological toll that military service takes on service members.
- The actor emphasized sacrificial love as a sustaining force through trauma and hardship.
- Christian conservatives affirm that true strength comes from faith, family, and the willingness to lay down one’s life for others.
Brad Pitt presented his new survival drama Heart of the Beast at its red carpet premiere, describing the film as a tribute to the men and women who serve in uniform. He noted that military personnel risk more than physical harm, stating they put their “psyches” and “souls” on the line.
The actor explained that the story also explores how sacrificial love can anchor individuals through deep trauma and adversity.
“Heart of the Beast” shows the cost of military service, sacrificial love.
Christian viewers will recognize the biblical principle that greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- The bereaved mother turned to her faith in God as she faced the unthinkable loss of her son and his bride.
- She called on lawmakers to remember the biblical command to uphold justice and protect the innocent.
- The family is trusting that truth and righteousness will prevail through prayer and faithful action.
An Oregon mother stood before congressional lawmakers Tuesday to share the devastating story of losing her son and his newlywed bride in a crash caused by a commercial truck driver in the country illegally.
She described the pain of watching her children’s lives cut short by a driver who should never have been behind the wheel.
The mother pleaded for Congress to take decisive steps to close loopholes that place American families at risk.
“They’re tying our hands,” she said.
She urged representatives to remember that every lawmaker has the power to prevent future tragedies.
The grieving mother emphasized that securing the border and enforcing immigration law is not just a policy issue but a matter of protecting the sanctity of life.
She pointed to the biblical principle that government exists to punish evildoers and praise those who do good.
“They’re tying our hands,” she repeated, calling on Congress to act before more families suffer the same loss.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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