Dr. Kara Powell, Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary and Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, unpacks humble leadership in academic settings, how students can share faith without judgment, and key ideas from her new book Future Focused Church. She shares practical moves churches and professors can make to prioritize young people, build supportive communities, and love neighbors in tangible ways.
Read: Future-Focused Church:  Leading through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow   https://a.co/d/8v7RGxl
By: Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang

Christian professors, share how Jesus saved you by submitting a profile at https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/

Students & parents, find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/

Resources:

• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
•  A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
•  EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Listen on Apple Podcasts– https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-prof-with-shane-and-spence/id1733311320

You can support Shane Hartley's ministry with Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry at: ⁠https://give.cru.org/0424344⁠

In part 1 of this inspiring interview, Dr. Kara Powell, Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary and Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, shares stories from her own faith journey, her passion for reaching young people, and practical advice for professors navigating doubt, boldness, humility, and transformation in academia and in the Church. 

Main Takeaways:

• Christian professors are in full-time ministry, even on non-faith-based campuses.
• Building community is essential for courage and clarity, especially in a culture of fear around faith.
• Doubt is not toxic—silence is. Making room for students' tough questions can strengthen faith.
• Professors can prioritize young people in their churches by asking, “How does this decision affect the next generation?”
• Leading with humility includes being quick to apologize—even for the 10%.
• You don’t have to have all the answers. Ask questions instead of making statements.

Read: Future-Focused Church:  Leading through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow

By: Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang

Kara Powell, PhD, is the chief of leadership formation at Fuller
 Theological Seminary, the executive director of the Fuller Youth  Institute, and the founder of the TENx10 Collaboration. Named by  Christianity Today as one of "50 Women to Watch," Kara speaks  regularly at national parenting and leadership conferences. Kara has  authored or coauthored numerous books, including Faith Beyond Youth  Group, 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, 3 Big Questions That  Change Every Teenager, Growing With, Growing Young, The Sticky Faith
 Guide for Your Family, and the entire Sticky Faith series. Kara and her  husband, Dave, are regularly inspired by the learning and laughter that  come from their three young adult children.
 

If you're a Christian professor, submit your profile at https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/

Students & parents, find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/

Resources:

• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
•  A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
•  EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Support Shane Hartley's ministry with Faculty Commons, a Cru ministry at: https://give.cru.org/0424344

Dr. Karen Liller, Distinguished University Health Professor in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, shares how consistent, respectful openness about her Christian faith—something as simple as wearing a cross daily—has sparked student conversations, encouraged fellow faculty, and shaped her public-health advocacy and research on injury and suicide prevention. She also spotlights USF’s faculty prayer community, her Activist Lab, and the role churches can play in reaching youth.Read more about Karen Liller online: https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/karen-liller/

Christian professors, submit your profile at https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/
Students & parents, find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/

Resources:

• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
•  A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
•  EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos
Listen on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/6kizp6klascdMj1nqaj6LD  Listen on Apple Podcasts– https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-prof-with-shane-and-spence/id1733311320

Support Meet The Prof and Shane Hartley's ministry with Cru at: https://give.cru.org/0424344

Spence and I were impressed by Karen's compassion for her students. In part 1 of this interview, Dr. Karen Liller, Distinguished University Health Professor at the University of South Florida and Director of the Activist Lab, shares her journey of faith, grief, and resilience. From childhood imagination to moments of public embarrassment, to losing her sister to cancer, Karen reveals how God patiently restored her faith and gave her opportunities to love and teach with compassion. 

Read more about Karen Liller online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/karen-liller/

Main Takeaways

• Professors face embarrassing and humbling moments that become growth opportunities.
• Faith can be tested deeply through family loss and grief, but God’s patience leads us back.
• Compassion is an essential quality for caregivers, professors, and students alike.
• Personal loss can fuel greater love for others and open doors for deeper conversations about faith.

Christian professors, submit your profile at https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/
Students & parents, find 500+ Christian professors at https://meettheprof.com/

Resources:

• Faculty Commons – https://www.facultycommons.org/
• A Grander Story – https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• EveryStudent.com – https://www.everystudent.com/

Watch MTP on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos
Listen on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/6kizp6klascdMj1nqaj6LD Listen on Apple Podcasts– https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-prof-with-shane-and-spence/id1733311320

Support Shane's Faculty Commons ministry: https://give.cru.org/0424344

This episode is part 2 of our roundtable discussion with Christian professors from around the country. We explore themes of Sabbath rest and identity in Christ, and professors share personal stories and practical ways to keep Jesus at the center of academic life and our identity.

Main Takeaways

• Practicing Sabbath is vital to resisting the pressure to overwork and to reorient identity around Jesus.
• A Christian worldview informs not just professional work but all of life—relationships, attitudes, and service.
• Professors can openly identify as Christians in class while tactfully building relationships with students.
• Encouraging and mentoring students often begins with simply making faith known early in the semester.
• Avoiding work-based identity requires intentional rest, prayer, and seeing worth in how God sees us.
• New faculty outreach, such as gift bags and welcome luncheons, can be strategic entry points for ministry.

Christian professors, we invite you to:

1. Submit a Profile on MeetTheProf.com: https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/
2. Read A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors: https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV

Students and parents can find over 500 Christian professors at:
https://meettheprof.com/

Get free resources for answering questions about God at:
https://www.everystudent.com/
Watch Meet The Prof on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-prof-with-shane-and-spence/id1733311320
If you’d like to financially support our ministry, you can do so online at https://give.cru.org/0424344

In this unique roundtable format of Meet The Prof, we gather over a dozen Christian professors from campuses across the country to discuss a timely and personal question: how do we avoid getting our identity from our work instead of Christ? Inspired by a powerful clip from Sara Myers, the episode explores real struggles, vulnerable stories, and practical steps professors are taking to keep Jesus at the center.

Main Takeaways

• Professors often derive their sense of worth from their productivity or professional status, but this can lead to burnout and discouragement.

• A Christ-centered identity offers greater peace, purpose, and emotional resilience.

• Vulnerable stories from professors show how course evaluations, promotions, and academic rejection can influence mood and self-worth.

• Professors need to intentionally create boundaries and reframe their roles as part of God's story.

• Regular community and reminders help Christian professors stay grounded in their faith.

Christian professors, we invite you to:

Submit a Profile on MeetTheProf.com: https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/

Read A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors: https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV

Students and parents can find over 500 Christian professors at:
https://meettheprof.com/

Get free resources for answering questions about God at:
https://www.everystudent.com/
Watch Meet The Prof on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

If you’d like to financially support our ministry, you can do so online at https://give.cru.org/0424344

Dr. Denis LaClare, Professor of Education at Porterville College in California, shares his inspiring journey of launching both faculty and student ministries. With experience in both campus ministry and higher education, Denis opens up about his outreach to international students, creative tabling strategies, and bold witness alongside fellow professors. He provides a practical, Spirit-led model for engaging students and colleagues through friendship, prayer, and partnership with ministries like InterVarsity and Bridges International.

Read more about Denis LaClare online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/denis-laclare/

Christian professors, we invite you to:

1. Submit a Profile on MeetTheProf.com: https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/
2. Read A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors: https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV

Students and parents can find over 500 Christian professors at:
https://meettheprof.com/

Get free resources for answering questions about God at:
https://www.everystudent.com/
Watch Meet The Prof on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/6kizp6klascdMj1nqaj6LD

Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-prof-with-shane-and-spence/id1733311320
If you’d like to financially support our ministry, you can do so online at https://give.cru.org/0424344

Dr. Denis LaClare is a Professor of Education at Porterville College in California with a rare perspective: he serves both as a campus minister and as a full-time professor. In this episode, Denis shares his powerful testimony of how a sports-focused Canadian student came to Christ through brokenness, family, and a coach's profanity. He also opens up about the challenges of early evangelism, his transition from ministry to the classroom, and how professors can step into disciple-making right where they are.

Read more about Denis LaClare online: https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/denis-laclare/

Christian professors, we invite you to:

1. Submit a Profile on MeetTheProf.com: https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/
2. Read A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors:  https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV

Students and parents can find over 500 Christian professors at:
https://meettheprof.com/

Get free resources for answering questions about God at:
https://www.everystudent.com/
Watch Meet The Prof on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-prof-with-shane-and-spence/id1733311320
If you’d like to financially support our ministry, you can do so online at https://give.cru.org/0424344

In Part 2 of our interview, Dr. Sara Myers, Associate Chancellor of Research and Creative Activity and Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), shares how she has grown bolder in her faith as a professor. In response to a student’s question about faith and legal boundaries, she gives practical advice for Christian professors. Sara also tells the story of starting a thriving Christian faculty fellowship at UNO and shares tips on engaging students and new faculty.

Read more about Sara Myers online:
https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/sara-myers

Books Mentioned:

• A Grander Story   https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV
• The Case For Christ   https://a.co/d/hjzQmoB
• The Case For Faith   https://a.co/d/a9pioL0

Main Takeaways:

• You don’t have to hide your faith as a professor—being transparent about your life is often appreciated.
• Simple practices like offering prayer and adding a Meet The Prof profile link in your email signature can open spiritual doors.
• Faculty fellowships can start small but grow significantly with consistent, low-barrier gatherings.
• A Grander Story and Faculty Commons G3 lessons have helped their group stay focused and encouraged.
• Encouragement and visibility are key to reaching both new faculty and students.
• Little steps of faith matter—and they add up.
  

CHAPTERS

• (01:00) – Rachel’s Question: Boldness and Legality
• (01:15) – Sara’s mentors and her perspective on public faith
• (02:27) – Offering prayer in professional settings
• (02:45) – Creative visibility through Meet the Prof
• (03:47) – Her daughter’s mission trip and open professor responses
• (05:15) – How Sara introduces her faith when teaching
• (06:23) – Finding Christian community through professional associations
• (08:59) – Launching a grassroots Christian faculty group at UNO
• (11:36) – What they actually do when they gather
• (13:47) – Discussion on “A Grander Story”
• (14:37) – Transitioning to Faculty Commons G3 Lessons
• (15:42) – Locations and visibility on campus
• (16:14) – Lightning Round: Advice for professors, students, and parents
• (19:25) – Her next step: Reaching out to new faculty and students
• (20:03) – Final encouragement

Christian professors, we invite you to:

1. Submit a Profile on MeetTheProf.com: https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/
2. Read A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors:  https://a.co/d/8VoYXSV

Students and parents can find over 500 Christian professors at:
https://meettheprof.com/

Get free resources for answering questions about God at:
https://www.everystudent.com/
Watch Meet The Prof on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-prof-with-shane-and-spence/id1733311320
If you’d like to financially support our ministry, you can do so online at https://give.cru.org/0424344

In this episode of Meet the Prof, we sit down with Dr. Sara Myers, Professor of Biomechanics and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activity at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Sara shares openly about a challenging season in her marriage during grad school, and how God used that time to deepen her faith, reshape her priorities, and teach her to surrender both her career and parenting to Him.

Read more about Sara Myers online:
 https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/sara-myers

Main Takeaways

• God used Sara’s marital separation and academic stress to draw her into a deeper, daily relationship with Jesus.
  
• Surrendering identity in career opened the door to spiritual growth and greater professional success.
  
• Parenting teenagers and young adults involves discernment, surrender, and honest dialogue.
  
• Professors often struggle with over-identifying with achievement and need reminders that identity is in Christ.
  
• Professors can model faith by demonstrating transparency, humility, and prayerful dependence.
  
  

CHAPTERS
 00:01 – Student question: How can professors be bold in faith and still honor legal boundaries?
 00:50 – Introduction to Sara Myers’ roles and volleyball humor
 02:30 – Embarrassing moment: forgetting a student’s name
 04:06 – How God used marital separation to reshape her priorities and deepen her faith
 08:50 – Identity in career vs. identity in Christ
 11:23 – Trusting God with your marriage and taking faith steps
 12:50 – Surrendering kids’ decisions to God as a parent
 14:19 – Parenting teens with honesty and open dialogue
 15:56 – Prayer for discernment in parenting
 16:20 – Teaser for future episode on parenting + career

We invite Christian professors to Submit a Profile online sharing how Jesus rescued you at: https://meettheprof.com/create-profile/

and to read A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors 

Students and parents can find over 500 Christian professors at:
https://meettheprof.com/

Get free resources for answering questions about God at:
https://www.everystudent.com/
Watch Meet The Prof on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MeetTheProfOfficial/videos

Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-the-prof-with-shane-and-spence/id1733311320
If you’d like to financially support our ministry, you can do so online at https://give.cru.org/0424344