Chair of Faith and Public Job Pasadena area,Texas USA,Education / Teaching

Chair of Faith and Public Life Director, Institute of Faith and Public Life
School of Mission and Theology

Fuller Theological Seminary invites applicants for the endowed Chair of Faith and Public Life to begin July 1, 2027. This distinguished position leads the Institute of Faith and Public Life and advances public theological research in service of Christ's church and world. The successful candidate will create a dynamic academic space for scholars and students to research public theology within Fuller's global, ecumenical, and contextually engaged framework.

The Chair will demonstrate exceptional commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and the formation of students for ministry within and beyond the church. The position requires expertise in public theology with particular attention to global perspectives, especially voices from the global South and marginalized communities. The successful candidate will engage in teaching, research, mentoring, and convening activities that bring biblical and theological resources to bear on contemporary public challenges across diverse global contexts.

Position

Responsibilities

Leadership:
Serve as Director of the Institute of Faith and Public Life. Manage all finances, staff, and operations of the Institute, reporting to the Dean of the School of Mission and Theology or other designee of the President of Fuller Theological Seminary.

Teaching:
Quarter system teaching load in traditional and online modalities within the School of Mission and Theology curriculum. Use of the seminary's designated online course management system (Canvas) is required. Quarter system teaching load in traditional and online modalities within the School of Mission and Theology curriculum. Use of the seminary's designated online course management system (Canvas) is required. Faculty have a baseline of 6-course per year.

The Chair will have a teaching load with a 2-course admin reduction that's negotiable with the Dean.

Scholarship:
Maintain an active and distinguished research program in public theology that addresses contemporary public challenges through theological reflection. Foster scholarship that draws from the rich diversity of global theological traditions while remaining grounded in biblical faithfulness and theological rigor. Advance research that brings theological resources into conversation with pressing issues facing communities across cultures and continents.

Convening:
Develop and lead conferences, symposia, lectures, and dialogues that promote generative conversation across denominational, cultural, and theological differences. Create opportunities for engagement between Fuller faculty, visiting scholars, students, and broader publics on matters of faith and public life.

Service:
Active involvement in the School of Mission and Theology, broader seminary, and academic guild is expected as part of a faculty's role. Represent the Institute in appropriate academic and ecclesial contexts.

Professional Development:
Participate in professional development workshops and be actively engaged in disciplinary guilds focused on public theology and related fields.

Advise and Mentor Students:
Mentor doctoral and master's students in research related to faith and public life. Advise graduate students pursuing scholarship at the intersection of theology and public engagement. Hold regular office hours. Complete related administrative responsibilities.

Faith:
Actively participate in the life of the church. Integrate faith formation in teaching. Model faithful engagement with public life rooted in the gospel.

General Requirements

Faith and lifestyle congruent with the mission of Fuller Theological Seminary as expressed in its statements of faith and community standards. Fuller Seminary requires each faculty member to sign its Statement of Faith. Commitment to the evangelical and ecumenical heritage of Fuller Theological Seminary. See the Fuller Theological Seminary website.

Commitment to theological education in the service of the local and global church, to shaping leaders for the church's mission and ministry, to the spiritual formation of students, and to supporting women and men in pastoral and other leadership positions.

Active involvement in a local congregation.

Disposition to work collegially in a diverse - multi-ethnic, multi-denominational, multiregional - seminary community. Demonstrated ability to foster curiosity and civility toward deep religious, political, and cultural diversity.

Applicants who…