Spiritual Formation and Faculty Development

NATHAN A. FINN

The types of colleges and universities that affiliate with IACE normally have some sort of faculty development program. Such programs tend to focus on teaching, scholarship, and service, which are the traditional expectations that are evaluated for tenure and promotion. I’m a big believer in these priorities, but I’d also contend that faculty development strategies need to also be intentional about promoting the spiritual growth of professors and academic support staff. In this post, I want to spend some time thinking about faculty development initiatives that are strategically focused on spiritual formation.

Before I move forward, I want to be clear that I don’t discount the value of organic opportunities where two or more faculty members are finding ways to spur each other on to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24). I think that is healthy, and I trust it is common in most Christian schools. However, I do think leaders need to be intentional about creating opportunities and carving out space for faculty spiritual formation to complement how the Holy Spirit may already be working organically in the lives of various faculty members.

First, schools need to provide opportunities for faculty to pray together. It is common at Christian colleges for classes and meetings to begin or end with prayer, which is great, but that isn’t really what I have in mind. Administrators should find ways to encourage faculty to pray with their colleagues for each other, their students, their institutions, and whatever else the Lord might lay upon their hearts.

One approach could be a specific time set apart each week for faculty to gather together voluntarily for prayer. Another idea could be carving out 10-12 minutes in faculty meetings or departmental meetings for professors to break up into smaller groups and pray together. Again, I’m fairly confident that Christian schools are filled with faculty who are already praying organically, but what can institutions do to carve out some intentional opportunities for corporate prayer?

In addition to prayer, gathered worship is another way our institutions can promote the spiritual formation of faculty. Naturally, chapel services or similar gatherings provide one strategic opportunity for corporate worship at most institutions. Faculty ought to attend chapel as often as they are able, even if most services are “geared” more for students. But schools might also consider setting apart time for a monthly worship gathering that is just for faculty and staff.

At North Greenville University, our President began a monthly faculty-staff chapel when he arrived eight years ago. Chapel attendance is voluntary but encouraged, the services are simple (normally just a couple of songs, some corporate prayer, and a devotion), and the time commitment is minimal (the chapels typically last about 35-40 minutes). Normally the President gives the devotion, though either the Provost or Campus Minister fill in once or twice a year when the President is away. This is just one model, but I think it could be easily replicated at other schools.

Another initiative that could be beneficial for faculty spiritual formation is offering periodic seminars on topics like Bible study resources or spiritual disciplines. These seminars could be modeled after professional development workshops and could be incorporated into a faculty workshop, made part of a new faculty development program, or simply offered once or twice a year for those who might be interested. My university has periodically offered a session for new faculty on “The Spiritual Life of a Faculty Member.”

A closely related initiative could be faculty reading groups that are built around books related to spiritual growth. Many colleges already offer reading groups as part of their faculty development programs. My recommendation is for at least one book a year to not be about teaching or scholarship or some hot cultural topic, but rather dedicated to cultivating a closer walk with Christ. Administrators can recruit group leaders who have a heart for spiritual formation and would be excited to help their colleagues think about how to grow in their faith.

Yet another idea for cultivating faculty spiritual formation is incorporating discipleship elements into mentoring programs for new faculty. Many institutions already have a mentoring program of some sort, and often they focus on helping new faculty understand teaching, scholarship, and service. (As well as practical matters like where to find the campus post office and how to order office supplies.) It ought not be a stretch to have faculty mentors also discuss some basic spiritual formation topics with new faculty. To be clear, I don’t think this requires that faculty mentors be pastors or chaplains or spiritual directors, though in some cases mentors might have that sort of background and interest. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable for a seasoned faculty member to talk with a newer colleague about matters like the importance of a strong devotional life, the value of meaningful church membership, and why it’s a good practice to pray regularly for the students in your courses.

These recommendations aren’t exhaustive or groundbreaking, and I definitely don’t claim that my institution has this all figured out or that other institutions should do things exactly like we do. But I do think it’s important for academic leaders to collaborate with other institutional leaders to develop strategies to intentionally cultivate the spiritual growth of faculty and academic staff. Whatever our disciplines, expertise, and experience, all of us who serve at Christian colleges and universities should seek to not only be effective teachers and competent scholars, but also godly role models. We need not be giants of the faith, but we ought to be maturing Christians who are able to say with the Apostle Paul, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1, NIV).

Nathan A. Finn is professor of Faith and Culture and executive director of the Institute for Transformational Leadership at North Greenville University.