Associate Professor, Department of Biblical and Religious Studies (9-mo-TT)

Revised 03/26/2021: Revised to eliminate required ATS accreditation

Samford University’s Howard College of Arts and Sciences invites individuals interested in serving in a Christian university environment to apply for a position as Associate Professor in the Department of Biblical and Religious Studies and Director of the Preministerial Scholars Program within the Howard College of Arts and Sciences. This will be a tenure-track, 9-month, full-time faculty appointment to begin in August 2021.

Qualified candidates will hold an earned Ph.D. (from an accredited institution) in preaching, pastoral ministry, pastoral theology, or closely related field, as well as have demonstrated effective teaching experience and scholarship appropriate for appointment at the level of Associate Professor. They will also be Baptists with a minimum of 7 years of experience in pastoral ministry and they will also be active members of a Baptist church at the time of application. Required qualifications will also include at least 18 graduate credit hours in biblical studies. Preference will be given  candidates with significant experience of mentoring young people in ministry. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in multiple cultures. Candidates must be comfortable mentoring students who come from a variety of Christian denominations and traditions. Candidates must affirm the Baptist Faith and Message of 1963, including the preface and without added interpretation (see Samford Faculty Handbook section A5.1 for full information). Candidates must also be committed to promoting the study of biblical, theological, and religious studies as a central academic pursuit in the university and as valuable to the intellectual, vocational, and spiritual maturation of students. Preference will be given to candidates who show promise for helping the department strengthen its ties with churches of the Alabama Baptist State Convention as well as other churches from which the department draws its students. The successful candidate will normally teach multiple sections of the University’s required Biblical Foundations course each year, as well as lower- and upper-level courses in practical ministry. Due to the administrative roles mentioned below, the teaching load for this position is 2-2. Duties include mentoring and advising students as well as service to the department, college, and university.

The successful candidate will also take on the roles of Director of the Preministerial Scholars Program and Director of Samford Sunday. The Preministerial Scholars Program entails mentoring undergraduate students who have discerned or are discerning a call to ministry, through small groups, retreats, personal mentoring, and the supervision of internships; this role will include some summer duties. The Director of the Preministerial Scholars program supervises a half-time PreMinisterial Scholars coordinator. The Samford Sunday program provides opportunities for students to preach in Birmingham area churches through networking with regional Baptist associations. The Director of the Samford Sunday program supervises a part-time student coordinator of the Samford Sunday program.

Samford University (www.samford.edu) is the largest privately supported and fully accredited institution for higher learning in Alabama. Located in suburban Birmingham, the University was founded in 1841 and has 425 full time faculty and more than 5,700 students representing 44 states and 30 countries. Samford has been nationally recognized for academics, affordability and value by a number of prestigious publications and rankings. The Wall Street Journal ranks Samford 2nd nationally for student engagement and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks Samford 34th among private universities in the U.S. for value and affordability. The University is dedicated to the promotion of rigorous academic inquiry in a Christian setting. The University offers competitive salaries with a generous benefits package.

Applications will be accepted beginning March 18, 2021 through April 16, 2021 and will not be received after April 16, 2021.  Selected candidates will be invited to preliminary Zoom interviews in March or April.  Please submit an application letter, curriculum vitae with names and contact information of three references, description of teaching experience, description of research interests and activities, along with an application for faculty position and the faculty applicant Christian mission statement, both accessible at the links below.  Academic salary and rank are dependent upon qualifications and experience.  The successful candidate must pass a background check.  Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States, as Samford will not sponsor any employment visa for this position.  Samford University and Howard College of Arts and Sciences embrace diversity in their faculty, students, and staff and encourage applications from those who would add to the diversity of our academic community.

“Application for Faculty Position” can be found at:

(https://www.samford.edu/departments/files/Human_Resources/application-for-faculty-employment.pdf)

“Faculty Applicant Christian Mission Statement” can be found at:

  (https://www.samford.edu/departments/files/academic-affairs/Faculty-Applicant-Christian-Mission-Statement.docx)

Application materials (combined into a single PDF document) should be sent to:

FACAPP@samford.edu

Subject: Biblical and Religious Studies Search

Questions may be addressed to the chair of the search committee, Dr. Roy Ciampa (rciampa@samford.edu).

Except as specifically exempted by federal law requirements, Samford University does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, disability or age in the administration or application of its educational programs and policies, admissions policies, employment policies, scholarship and loan programs. Consistent with its Christian mission and organizations, Samford is exempt from the religious provisions of Title VII pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Sections 2000e-1(a) and 2000e-2(e).