God loves the campus and every person on it! Sadly, too often those on campus don’t hear that message. They hear that God hates them, judges them, wars with them, or perhaps worst of all, is indifferent to them and all they do.
Because God first loved us and invites us to love in response, we invite faculty/administrators/staff to:
Love God & Love One Another
As Jesus says, the first and second commandment are the same, to love God and to love one another—the foundation from which flows everything else. Too often professors live in fear, anxiety or isolation. Throughout Scripture God says, “Do not fear, have faith” because faith in Jesus is the antidote to fear. Over and over Jesus encourages “Don’t be anxious about anything,” promising peace that passes all understanding, promising that the God of peace will dwell with us. Therefore, we invite faculty into a journey of spiritual formation--of knowing Jesus and being transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, Jesus promises where two or three are gathered in His name, that He’s present, He will answer their prayers, and that others will know He’s alive through their love for one another. We invite faculty to gather on their campuses to pray together, to love one another, and together to serve as Christ’s ambassadors on campus.
Love Your Campus
God invites us to love all the people we meet on campus—students, colleagues, administrators, staff. Faculty who do not yet know Jesus may only hear or see the good news through the love and lives of fellow faculty. We also believe God invites us to love the campus through the work we do—our teaching, research and service.
Love Your Academic Discipline
The university produces two products: students & ideas. Back in 1987 when InterVarsity first began Graduate and Faculty ministry (GFM), we asked professors what their faith had to do with their field and either heard, “Nothing,” or “I don’t know.” Knowing that our Creator God has something to say to every academic discipline, we set out to develop faculty who could answer that question. God invites scholars to love their field through seeking truth, discovering the wonder of creation, and promoting God’s shalom in every academic discipline.
Love Our World
Most everything that breaks the heart of God shows up on campus, and out of the university come ideas that change the world—for both good and bad. How might God invite faculty to be part bringing Kingdom shalom to campus and human flourishing in the world?
Go deeper with the Four Faculty Loves. Take a look at these resources.