IACE’s 2026 Faculty Development Conference Focuses on Faith/Learning Integration

FORT WORTH - Representatives from 50 campuses in domestic and international locations took part in three days of plenary sessions and panel discussions focused on the integration of faith and learning at the International Alliance For Christian Education’s 2026 Faculty Development Conference.

Christian leaders visiting the Riley Conference Center on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary presented five plenary sessions between Wednesday, May 20 and Friday, May 22. The 150 registered attendees also took part in six discipline-specific breakout sessions, three thematic breakouts, and two panel discussions.

IACE president David S. Dockery said the format for this year’s conference was altered slightly to allow for more educators to hear from multiple voices rather than just a few selected speakers.

“It is great to have some speakers and session leaders who have been with us before,” Dockery said. “We are also grateful for several new participants.”

Faculty development is sometimes neglected at colleges and universities. It has been a priority with IACE since the early talks that preceded forming the organization in 2019.

Commenting on the importance of the work of this IACE conference, Dockery said "faculty development has become our distinctive.”

Nathan Finn, executive director of the leadership center at North Greenville University, presented an address during the first plenary session titled “Faith and Learning Revisited.”

“If you’re teaching your classes just like you would teach them at a secular school, and perhaps adding a brief prayer or devotion, you are not fully engaged in faith integration with learning,” Finn said.

Faith integration goes much deeper, Finn said, to biblical perspectives as a part of classroom instruction.

“Integration unearths, demonstrates, and defends the coherence of the faith in every academic discipline,” Finn said.

His comments set the stage for the remainder of the conference, which included discussions about worldview formation, research and scholarship, teaching effectiveness, student life, spiritual formation, and higher education as a calling.

Dockery said this is the second year IACE has worked to include connections to student life and campus ministry.

A lively panel discussion on the topic of “Family, Student Life and Campus: Ministry Toward a Faithful Christ-Centered Learning Community” featured Bryan Carrier, vice president for student life at Union University, Katy Saynes, provost at Bryan College, Scott Bertrand, assistant provost at Houston Christian University, and Jay Harley, vice president for student affairs at Dallas Baptist University.

The panel agreed that faculty life and student life must work together, rather than in competition.

“We need to invite faculty members to join our programs, even if it’s just for a meal,” Harley said. 

But faculty can be reluctant to cross the line into student programming

“I want a connection with students outside of class. How do I do it?” Saynes asked. She found student life people on her campus were happy to make suggestions, and she now leads a Bible study group for women on campus.  

Saynes added: “If we can learn to trust each other’s hearts, that is powerful. it can open up communication and break silos.”

Another panel discussion focused on teaching effectiveness and expectations for faculty. Joining that discussion: Leah Zuidema, provost at Dordt College, Christ Matthews, vice president for academic affairs at Crown College, Jeff Green, vice president for academic affairs at Arizona Christian University, and Melinda Stephens, provost at Geneva College.

“Think first about the learners. It’s not about you,” Zuidema advised when asked about advice for new instructors. “How do you know them? How can you help them more? That’s what teachers do.”

I never took a class on how to teach, Stephens said. “We learn that as we are on the job. Sit in on master teachers to learn from them. Teaching well starts with simple things like the design of your syllabus.”

Chris Morgan, dean of the school of Christian ministries at California Baptist University, said in Plenary Session Two that worldview formation should not be focused solely on areas of study.

“A lot of us in this room are specialists,” Morgan said. “We have our goggles on, and our peripheral vision is limited. We want the Christian worldview to give us a broader vantage point.”

Thomas Kidd, research professor of Church history at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, led a discussion of teaching, research, writing, and scholarship. He recommended focusing on big projects like authoring books, but warned self-discipline and shrewd time management are crucial.

“If you’re working on a book, you will have to say ‘no’ to a lot of opportunities.” Kidd said. “Get comfortable with saying ‘no.’ Raise it to an art-form.

“If you want to add, you must subtract.”

Jacob Shatzer, provost at Union University, and Donny Mathis, professor of Christian studies at North Greenville University, presented ideas from their recent book Faithful Faculty.

They said effective faculties consider membership and maintenance.

“People who arrive on our campuses come with different backgrounds and experiences,” Mathis said of the membership phase. “But they need to grow into the people God has called them to be in this particular setting.”

“Extend your maintenance metaphor to a budget term: deferred maintenance,” Shatzer said. “We can’t ignore mission drift. It is far more costly than other forms of deferred maintenance.”

Plenary session four included six discipline-specific breakout sessions, intended to lead faculty to a practical discussion of faith integration within their fields of study.

The second breakout session involved thematic topics: reading groups for faculty and administrators, the call to faithful writing, and updates on Artificial Intelligence (AI) conversations.

Evangelical Christians are sometimes slow to adopt new technologies like AI, according to Adam Dodd, vice president for campus technology at Southwestern Seminary.

“We cannot sit passively just because we have serious concerns,” Dodd said. “The chances are that your ‘I don’t use AI because’ argument will be obsolete in weeks or months. You’ll have to find another ‘because.’”

Dodd urged faculty members to have solid AI policies in place that students clearly can understand. He gave a similar address last year, but urged those present at that time to understand how AI is progressing.

“The difference between now and last year is not really the what, it’s the how,” Dodd said. “We’re much better at doing things now that were kind of clunky a year ago.”

Dockery told a luncheon audience Thursday that the IACE Video Project has now released 15 videos, each 8-10 minutes in length. The videos examine key issues in Christian education from faculty perspectives and are free for campuses to use.

IACE also is doing a book series, with five volumes either produced or due to be released soon. Mission faithfulness, faithful faculty, and Christian writing are among the topics covered.

Many of the attendees are embracing faculty development for the first time.

“I honestly had no expectations,” says Preshous Benjamin, an assistant professor and clinical director at Arizona Christian University. “It has just been amazing.” 

Benjamin is in her first year of service at Arizona Christian.

“I’ve been hearing so many things I’ve been thinking about as far as research and scholarship, and also faith integration,” she said.

Emmanuel Ametepey traveled from Ghana to attend the conference. He is the founder and headmaster of the Ambassador for Christ Christian School, where students, including many orphans, receive a Christ-centered education.

“This conference provides me with the leadership skills that I need, and a community to learn from,” Ametepey said. “I can make connections, and take back home many lessons.”

The evening sessions on Thursday examined future career opportunities for two groups: those with fewer than five years experience, and more experienced faculty who might someday want to enter academic leadership positions.

The conference concluded Friday with a look at spiritual formation and viewing faculty service as a calling.

“I have a strong conviction that Christian higher education is one of the most robust disciple-making points in our society,” said Christy Hill, professor of spiritual formation at Grace College and Seminary. “What other arena allows Christians to have mentors that model maturity?”

Hill said it is important for educators to help students who are failing to realize they have great value despite their struggles.

“One of the primary driving values for people in this room should be to see lives transformed,” Hill said.

Shelette Stewart, president of Stewart Consulting, said 79% of the workforce is regularly disengaged from their roles as employees. She urged faculty to “maximize your personal fulfillment and professional success.” 

She cited personal experiences where she left good jobs because she didn’t feel she was fulfilling her calling as a Christian leader.

“When you stay true to your calling, your baseline experience will be positive.”

The Platinum Sponsor for the conference is Impact 360 Institute; Silver Sponsor is B&H Publishing; Bronze Sponsors are the Ethics and Religioius Liberty Commission, Stand for Life, and NXT-PG.com.

IACE’s next event is the 2027 Annual Conference, which is set for February 3-5 in the Riley Conference Center. Schedule and registration information for that event will be available later this year at IACE.Education.

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