We are blessed to have many volunteers serving in the Society of Christian Scholars. Last academic year, more than 200 volunteers helped equip Christian scholars around the world. I’d like to introduce you to Loraine, a Society of Christian Scholars volunteer from the United States. Her doctorate in education focused on research design and metacognition. In February, Loraine began mentoring three academics—two in Nigeria and one in Nepal. She is finding her volunteer involvement both intellectually rich and spiritually meaningful.
Loraine approaches mentoring as a shared Christian journey. She comes alongside her mentees as a fellow believer who understands academia. In her conversations with mentees, she helps them clarify their writing, think through research design, and reflect on how their faith informs their approach to scholarship. Meetings often begin or end in prayer.
This faith-filled encouragement is especially vital because, as Loraine notes, academia can be deeply isolating. “Academia doesn’t offer much encouragement,” she says. “It’s fantastic that the Society is there to support professors.” She loves how the Society helps scholars live out their Christian faith in the university.
Her mentees face challenging obstacles. In Nepal, her mentee Nalesh is navigating significant professional and social consequences for his Christian faith. In Nigeria, political instability and unreliable infrastructure make academic progress unpredictable. Loraine’s thoughtful questions and willingness to listen help them persevere with hope. The academic benefits are real, but she believes the spiritual companionship matters just as much. “Having another person who shares your mindset and wants to honor Christ through excellent work is incredibly motivating,” she says. “It keeps them from feeling like they’re sending their work out into the void.”
Loraine’s role offers a glimpse of what the Society of Christian Scholars makes possible: Christian academics around the world encouraging one another in their scholarship and their faith as they find fellowship in places where it is often otherwise absent.
For Christ and the university,
Stan
The italicized name has been changed to protect privacy.
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