Consortium of Christian Study Centers
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| Abbreviation | CCSC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2008 |
| Type | Non-profit 501(c)(3) organization |
| Headquarters | Charlottesville, VA |
Executive Director | Andrew Trotter |
| Website | studycentersonline |
The Consortium of Christian Study Centers (abbreviated CCSC) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization in Charlottesville, VA that incorporated in 2008 with the goal of promoting, encouraging, and providing resources for Christian Study Centers.[1] These Centers, located adjacent to college and university campuses, work with the students, staff, faculty, and administrators of universities.[2] They aim to foster Christian learning in all academic disciplines and to engage the culture of the university and the broader society.[3][4][5] The CCSC currently has twenty members and twenty-two partner organizations.[6]
History & Structure[edit]
Christian study centers began appearing on U.S. university campus in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their founders and staff encouraged students, faculty, and local residents to integrate the life of the university—scholarship, science, and art—with the Christian faith, rather than to see faith and learning as competing or mutually exclusive. The 1994 publication of The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, by evangelical historian Mark Noll, spurred much reflection among evangelical Christians about the anti-intellectualism of many strands of their culture.[7][8] The study center movement gained momentum in the ensuing years, with centers multiplying across the United States. As historian Molly Worthen has written in the New York Times, "The centers position themselves as forums where students can hash out the tensions between their faith and the assumptions of secular academia—the same assumptions that has assailed more traditional ministries.[6]
Prior to 2008, multiple heads of Christian study centers mer regularly to discuss the present state and future of the Study Center movement. On July 25–27, 2008, six representatives of these Study Centers formed the CCSC, wrote a mission statement and by-laws, and elected Dr. Andrew Trotter as the Executive Director.[9] Beginning in April 2009, CCSC began functioning as a freestanding, non-profit organization and received 501(c)(3) status in July of that year.[10]
The Consortium has two categories of affiliated organizations: Members and Partners. Members are Study Centers. The majority of the Members are Protestant, evangelical,[11] and Reformed, but any Christian Study Center that affirms the Apostles’ Creed can join.[12] There are currently over twenty Members.[13] In 2013, four members of the Consortium—the Christian Study Center of Gainesville at the University of Florida, Chesterton House at Cornell University, the Center for Christian Study at the University of Virginia, and Hill House Ministries at the University of Texas—received grants from the Lilly Endowment to further their work as campus ministry organizations.[14][15]
Partner Organizations of the Consortium can be organizations or businesses of any kind that support the work of the Consortium. Both Members and Partners pay annual dues. The 2010 Supreme Court case Christian Legal Society v. Martinez led many colleges and universities to require campus organizations to sign non-discrimination policies allowing any student to lead or become a part of a campus ministry organization.[16] Following Martinez, some Study Centers were established in order to allow Christian organizations to move off campus and maintain their leadership and membership requirements.[17][18][19]
The Consortium's staff includes the Executive Director, an Operations Manager, and an Administrative Assistant. It is overseen by a Board of Directors.
Resources & Services[edit]
The Consortium offers a variety of resources and services to Christian Study Centers.[3] The Executive Director consults and gives advice on ministry, management, and development; facilitates collaboration among Study Centers; and speaks at Centers and other gatherings around the country. The Consortium’s website links to articles, discussion guides on books and films, audio files of past lectures and talks, and a list of recommended speakers. The CCSC regularly distributes newsletters to an open email list made up of Members, Partners, and other supporters and interested parties. Each month a News & Events email details upcoming programs of interest or changes in Member and Partner organizations. Every other month the Executive Director composes and sends a Resources email, which contains essays on a book, film, and article of note.
The Consortium has organized symposia for staff and board members of its Member and Partner Organizations around topics such as higher education, biblical theology, spiritual formation, and church and society. These weekend symposia host an author in multiple sessions to discuss his or her work.
Each summer or fall, the Consortium holds its Annual Meeting.[12] At these multi-day gatherings leaders of Study Centers have heard lectures from experts and scholars such as James Davison Hunter, George Marsden, Richard Mouw, and Mark Bauerlein, as well as presentations on fundraising, legal issues that relate to nonprofit organizations, reading groups, and Study Center organization. Annual Meetings have been held in San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and Asheville.
See also[edit]
Other articles of the topic Christianity : Autocephaly, Orthodox-Catholic Church of America, First Council of Constantinople, Full communion, Christian Church, Association of Croatian Orthodox Believers (civic association), Think Big Ministries
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- Christian Union (students)
- Cru (Christian organization)
- InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
- Reformed University Fellowship
References[edit]
- ↑ "Christian Study Centers Help Students See the Richness of the Faith". byFaith. Presbyterian Church in America. December 8, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ "Major Achievements of American Philanthropy, 1681-Present, Religion" (Press release). The Almanac of American Philanthropy. 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Whyte, Liz Essley (Fall 2014). "Campus Crusades". Philanthropy. Philanthropy Roundtable. pp. 28–35.
- ↑ Horner, David A. Mind Your Faith: A Student's Guide to Thinking and Living Well. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press (2011), p.246.
- ↑ "Resources". The Davenant Trust. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Worthen, Molly (January 17, 2016). "Hallelujah College". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ↑ Steinfels, Peter (September 10, 1994). "Beliefs: An Evangelical Intellectual Finds a Kind of Heresy in Evangelicalism's Neglect of the Mind". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ↑ Wolfe, Alan (October 2000). "The Opening of the Evangelical Mind". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ↑ Eckel, Mark D. When the Lights Go Down. Bloomington: WestBow Press (2014), p.24.
- ↑ "A Brief History of the Consortium". Consortium of Christian Study Centers. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ Noll, Mark. Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (2013), p.157.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Howard, Thomas Albert (February 16, 2014). "Should I Send My (Christian) Child to a (Secular) State University?". The Anxious Bench. Patheos. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ Barron, Allison (October 26, 2015). "Regent Joins Consortium of Christian Study Centers". ChristianWeek.
- ↑ "Lilly Endowment gives $2.9M to Strengthen 21 Campus Ministry Organizations" (PDF) (Press release). Lilly Endowment. November 25, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ "Lilly Endowment Investing in Campus Ministries". Inside Indiana Business. November 26, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Gregory, Robert B. (June 30, 2015). "Bowdoin: One Year Later". First Things. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ Paulson, Michael (June 9, 2014). "Colleges and Evangelicals Collide on Bias Policy". The New York Times.
- ↑ Osburn, Robert (October 21, 2014). "Good News for the Naked Public University". First Things. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ↑ Robbins, Meg (October 17, 2014). "Christian fellowship moves off-campus to house on Harpswell Road". Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
Further reading[edit]
- Noll, Mark (2013). Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind. Grand Rapids. ISBN 978-0802870766. Search this book on
- Sommerville, C. John (2006). The Decline of the Secular University. Oxford. ISBN 978-0195306958. Search this book on
External links[edit]
- Centers for Christian Studies International
- Consortium of Christian Study Centers
- Consortium of Christian Study Centers - Member Study Centers
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