At Stanford University, our graduate student ministry is a strategic part of our mission. Each year graduates go into prestigious roles with bright promise in industry, academia, and government. If we hope to influence the culture for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, it’s hard to imagine a finer opportunity!
Graduate school at a premier research institution like Stanford is demanding. Many Christians struggle in the transition from undergraduate to graduate life. At the same time, graduate students are a part of Stanford’s academic community. Their departments seek to shape them into contributing members of the guild of their discipline. Thus we help our students with the transition to graduate school and help them grasp their calling as Christian citizens of their disciplines, industries and churches, giving them opportunities to stretch their wings in mission, and exercises to integrate their faith and work on campus.
At Stanford, “IV Grad,” [ivgrad.stanford.edu] as students call it, is a lively community of about 70 mostly PhD-track students aged 22-32. 40% of our students are non-US coming from 6 countries. Currently 16 students are in designated leader roles. How they see themselves is encapsulated in their website http://ivgrad.stanford.edu/. Their Instagram page expresses their missional heart -
IV Grad meets all four quarters of the year, with 2 to 3-week breaks between each quarter. The summer session is more casual and gives the best opportunity to build friendships and for leader preparation. We meet regularly as a large group and in a variety of weekly small groups and Bible studies. We are also committed to regular prayer, at least one evangelistic Bible study a year, special days focusing on faith in academia, and engaging with various community service projects.
We’re in connection, and sometimes close partnership, with InterVarsity’s undergraduate ministry and other campus fellowships in the undergraduate, law, business, and medical programs. We’re also in touch with several Christian faculty who assist in ministry from time to time.
Consider this opportunity to serve the graduate student and faculty population at Stanford University, engaging in issues of faith and academic integration.
The Campus Staff Minister will:
- Develop InterVarsity ministries for graduate students and faculty at Stanford
- Network with and mentor graduate students
- Advise graduate student leaders on community and missional strategy
- Meet with faculty to help nurture a vision for being and creating world changers
- Provide spiritual support to Christian faculty as they maneuver a demanding vocation and conduct research
- Partner with InterVarsity undergraduate ministries
- Participate in the team of InterVarsity Graduate & Faculty Ministries campus staff across the Pacific Area
InterVarsity is looking for candidates who demonstrate prior Christian leadership, personal initiative, and interpersonal skills. Theological education and/or advanced degrees are considered an asset. The ideal candidate has prior work experience in ministry or the marketplace as well as an advanced degree. Candidates need to have people skills for networking, leadership, and evangelism. Cross-cultural skills are a must. All campus staff with InterVarsity are responsible for their own ministry partner development and will receive training and supervision in this area.
This position is funded through personal fundraising. Accordingly, compensation will vary based on the ability of the individual to secure a donor team to fund the cost of his/her salary. The anticipated salary range for this position on a full-time basis (40 hours/week) is dependent on a variety of factors, including location and cost of living. The actual salary received is subject to the individual’s ability to raise funds necessary to cover the full amount of the salary range noted in the job posting.
