Save the Date!
The Society of Christian Scholars' First Global Conference
Dear Society Members and friends,
As we close out 2025 and look ahead with hope, we invite you to save the date for a landmark gathering in 2026: Christian Scholarship for a Flourishing World: Calling, Connection, and Community. This 1st International, Interdisciplinary Conference, co-organized by the Society of Christian Scholars and Pan-Africa Christian University, will take place 5–7 August 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. Designed to foster unity among Christian academics across disciplines and cultures, the conference will explore how faith-informed scholarship can respond to the challenges of fragmentation, inequality, and isolation by cultivating networks of collaboration, empathy, and justice. Mark your calendars now for this historic opportunity to join scholars from around the globe in shaping a more cohesive, Christ-centered vision for higher education and society.
Updates to our Terms of Service
Earlier this month, we sent out a notification about the update to our Terms of Service. Here is a reminder of the upcoming changes that will take effect on January 2, 2026. Below are the primary changes to the Terms of Service:
A formal Membership Automatic Renewal Agreement
This process has already been in place, and members received a notice on the checkout page. This will clarify what is expected and make a binding agreement upon membership purchase.
Localizing the Statement of Faith and Purpose Statement, and making it a requirement to agree to these statements when you create your account.
These Statements have not changed and were previously only required when purchasing a membership. Requiring them when setting up an account ensures that those who are interested in joining the community already know the requirements before joining and giving us their information to join.
Agreement that your account is your own and you will not be sharing access to your account with others
This is a completely new agreement.
A more detailed explanation of what the Society of Christian Scholars claims ownership of and what is curated as well as recognition that the Society of Christian Scholars does its best to uphold copyright law and intellectual property rights.
This is a completely new section that will replace our general ownership section within the terms of service.
These changes will help merge and clarify all of the agreements between you, the account holder, and us. If you no longer wish to hold an account with the Society in light of these changes, please fill out the form at https://scshub.net/account-removal/, and we will delete your account.
Thank you for being part of the Society of Christian Scholars Community.
Sincerely,
Society Administration
Upcoming Opportunities
2026 Christian Scholars Foundation Legacy Grant Closes 20 January 2026
Available only to scholars in the U.S. and Canada
Global Scholars, one of the principal partners of the Society of Christian Scholars, will again award one Christian Scholars Foundation Legacy Grant in 2026. The grant will be awarded to a junior faculty member in the U.S. or Canada. The purpose of this grant is to advance Christian scholarship, encourage Christian scholars who are seeking to integrate Christian faith with their academic endeavors, and nurture Christian faculty as they strive for wider recognition in and beyond the academy.
Applicants are required to be members of the Society of Christian Scholars and the Emerging Scholars Network. The 2026 Christian Scholars Foundation Legacy Grant will be $10,000. More details and the grant application are available at the Society of Christian Scholars member site.
Grant Timeline
Oct 20, 2025: Round 1 of 2026 grant applications opens
January 20, 2026: Round 1 of 2026 grant applications closes
March 1, 2026: Committee expects to send finalist notifications
April 20, 2026: Round 2 of applications due from finalists
June 1, 2026: Committee expects to notify 2026 grant awardee
Next Spiritual Formation Meeting
The Spiritual Formation Group, led by Dr. Nita Kotiuga, meets on the second Wednesday of every month. The next meeting, on Wednesday, 14 January 2026 at 1400 UTC, will continue to explore various forms of experiencing God together through prayer. This will be a time of listening and teaching, followed by sharing. Depending on the type of prayerful experience being explored, meetings will last 1 to 1.5 hours.
Be sure to have your Bible readily accessible as well as pen and paper, because handwriting slows us down to help us express more accurately how we feel. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Kotiuga at nita.kotiuga@bgu.edu.
Society Library
The Library Reading Group will NOT meet in January. The next meeting will be on Friday, 6 February at 1400 UTC. Led by Rolex Cailing, we will continue discussing Issue 1 of the SOPHIA Study Guide Series, particularly section 3, ‘Major Themes in the Story of Scripture.’ You can register here for this fruitful conversation! Should you have any questions, contact Dr Marlene Hines, the Society Librarian, at mhines@societyofchristianscholars.org.
This month’s Library Reading Corner feature includes an annotated bibliography of five library resources under the library categories Pursuing Vocational Excellence and Interacting with Cultures and Society.
These resources provide further reading related to the November 2025 webinar by Dr. Albertine Bayompe Kabou, ‘Perceptions and Determinants of Entrepreneurship in a Christian Environment: A Science and Faith Analysis.’
1. BAM Global Movement: Business as Missions Concepts and Stories by Gea Gort
Brief Description: The author believes the concept of Business as Missions (BAM) has its origin in Genesis 1. She shares how the view of the role of the church in society and Christian belief systems in the Central African Republic impacted a feasibility study by a small NGO in an effort to establish a microfinance program.
2. BAM Concepts in the Bible: Foundations from Original Works by Young Kook Park
Brief Description: This report investigates the biblical foundation of BAM. The research was guided by a 2024 Lausanne Occasional Paper. According to the author of this report, Genesis 1:28 “introduces” a biblical foundation for BAM.
3. Can Business be Mission? by Dennis Tongoi
Brief Description: This article is one of the resources of the organisation Root-to-Fruit, whose mission is to work with “redemptive businesses, business leaders and emerging youth leaders to transform lives through biblically-based principles of empowerment.” The author serves as executive director and master facilitator of root-to-fruit in Kenya and is involved in BAM at the higher education level, as well as in other business endeavours in Kenya.
4. When Business is the Mission: Spiritual and Social Outcomes of Faith-based Social Business in Sub-Saharan Africa by Brian Albright
Brief Description: This report derives from case studies of six faith-based organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study’s purpose was to explore the “domains of influence” of business, and the findings were categorised as spiritual and social outcomes. One recommendation is that BAM practitioners should incorporate a broader sense of spiritual outcomes into their understanding of God’s purpose for engaging in for-profit business activities.
5. Serving God Outside the Church by Danny McCain
Brief Description: The paper discusses integrating Christian missions with business or financial pursuits. Aiming to equip part-time ministry professionals, it focuses on the apostle Paul’s dual function as a missionary and a tentmaker. McCain writes, “This is the normal model of businessmen and women who mix their normal profession with some specific Christian ministry.”
Upcoming Webinar
Be sure to check the Webinars Page for third-party webinars that are often added on short notice and for updated presenters and topics that may be helpful in equipping you to bring the gospel to bear in your university context.
The Dictionary of African Christian Biography: Recovering the Stories of the Mothers and Fathers of African Christianity for the Whole Church by Michèle Sigg — Thursday, 15 January 2026 at 1400 UTC
Since 2018, Africa has been the continent with the most Christians worldwide. In the next two decades, the growth of Christianity in Africa will far outpace that of every other continent. Since its conception in 1995, the mission of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography (DACB.org) has been to recover and preserve the history of this remarkable growth by collecting the biographies of the African men and women at the center of this narrative. This webinar will track the milestones of this now 30-year-old project, the insights gained for historical research in the 21st century, emerging approaches to collaborative scholarship, and resources for theological education in Africa.
On Thursday, 15 January 2026, at 1400 UTC, Dr. Michèle Sigg, Executive Director of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography (DACB), will introduce the role of this project in documenting the stories of our fathers and mothers.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the Addenda are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Society of Christian Scholars.
