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.
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Faith Facts
- Handel’s “Messiah” was performed at Mukawir, the Jordanian hilltop fortress traditionally linked to the beheading of John the Baptist.
- The September 12 concert blended Western and Eastern musical traditions under the patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal.
- The event underscores the enduring Christian heritage preserved at biblical sites across the Middle East.
A performance of Handel’s “Messiah” blending Western and Eastern music took place Sept. 12 at Mukawir, the hilltop fortress in Jordan traditionally associated with the beheading of John the Baptist.
The concert was held under the patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal.
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Faith Facts
- The Haitian pastor was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement but granted a stay just before deportation.
- Faith communities across the United States are praying for immigrant families and pastors serving in local congregations.
- Immigration enforcement remains a central issue for Christian voters who value both compassion and the rule of law.
A Haitian pastor held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement received an eleventh-hour stay of deportation that kept him in the United States.
The reprieve came after weeks of uncertainty for the pastor and his congregation.
Christian leaders say such cases highlight the tension between enforcing immigration law and showing mercy to individuals who serve their communities.
“We are grateful for the stay and continue to pray for a permanent solution,” the pastor’s attorney stated.
Supporters gathered outside the detention facility to pray for the pastor’s release and for wisdom for immigration officials.
Church members have been fasting and holding nightly prayer vigils since the detention began.
Immigration enforcement advocates stress that border security and legal immigration processes must be upheld for the sake of national sovereignty.
At the same time, many believers emphasize the biblical call to care for the stranger while also respecting the laws of the land.
The pastor’s case is one of several involving religious workers whose deportation proceedings have drawn attention from faith-based organizations.
“We ask for prayers for all families navigating the immigration system,” a local ministry leader said.
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Faith Facts
- On 20 September 1953 Oliver and Rose Lyseight laid the foundation for a church offering Caribbean believers in Britain a dedicated place to worship and build community.
- The congregation has grown from that single church plant into a movement that has shaped leadership and discipleship across the United Kingdom for more than seven decades.
- Seventy-three years later the legacy of these early Caribbean Christians continues to strengthen the British Church through faithful service and biblical witness.
Seventy-three years ago a handful of Caribbean believers arrived in Britain carrying little more than their Bibles and a determination to worship freely. They quickly discovered that many existing congregations offered them no real welcome.
Oliver and Rose Lyseight responded by opening their home and their hearts. On 20 September 1953 they gathered a small group and began the first services of what would become a thriving church rooted in Scripture and Caribbean warmth.
Lee Brickley, chronicling their story, notes that the Lyseights did far more than secure a building. They created a spiritual family where new arrivals could find both practical help and sound doctrine.
“They didn’t just find a place in British society; they helped reshape the British Church.”
From those modest beginnings, leaders were raised, missionaries were sent, and congregations multiplied. The movement planted by seven faithful Caribbean Christians now stands as a living testimony to God’s providence and the power of the gospel across cultures.
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