ESN Vision Statement

ESN Vision Statement

The Vision of the Emerging Scholars Network is that the next generation of Christian scholars have a redeeming influence within higher education as they:

• Love God with heart, mind, soul, and strength as they follow God's call in discipleship and spiritual formation;
• Exhibit excellence in research, teaching, and service;
• Influence the university, the church, and the world by practicing their disciplines from a profoundly Christian viewpoint;
• Embody the gender, ethnic, and social diversity of the church within the academy.

ESN in the Academy, Church, and the World

The Emerging Scholars Network hopes that, within the next thirty years, our prayers, labor, and resources will have contributed to the fulfillment of the following nine aspects of our vision:

The Academy

1 · ESN members have a significant presence in each and every academic discipline.

2 · ESN members have a redemptive influence on the prominent ideas of the academy. Everyone in the academy (including students, faculty, and researchers) regularly engages a Christian world view in the context of their academic work. To this end, the Emerging Scholars Network encourages, challenges, and supports its members as they:

· Engage and shape the important intellectual issues within their disciplines and beyond;

· Bring forth scholarship (for example, publish academic books and articles, sponsor journals, or host conferences) which becomes essential to their colleagues, students, and experts in the field.

3 · ESN members have a redemptive influence among the people of the academy. To this end, the Emerging Scholars Network:

· Is active and creative in promoting the intrinsic value of loving God with our minds;

· Contributes to an attitude of harmony among all academics and affirms scholars’ diverse callings and fields of service;

· Reaches out to and supports the academic development of those traditionally under-represented within the academy;

· Fosters a culture of affirmation for the calling, craft, and scholarship of teaching.

4 · ESN members have a redemptive influence upon the structures of the academy, including institutional and disciplinary structures. To this end, the Emerging Scholars Network:

· Encourages the responsible stewardship of human, financial, and intellectual resources for the healthy development and flourishing of the academy;

· Fosters the wisdom and courage to challenge institutional injustice and folly;

· Nurtures inter-disciplinary dialogue and discovery.

The Church

5 · The Emerging Scholars Network identifies churches and other Christian organizations who share our mission and works with them to maximize our joint efforts.

6 · ESN members serve the church as Christian intellectuals and, in humility and wisdom, use their academic experience to address and engage the important issues of the day.

7 · The Emerging Scholars Network promotes the cultivation of an intellectual life that complements a deepening spiritual life, particularly among the clergy and leadership of university churches.

The World

8 · The Emerging Scholars Network supports the fulfillment of the ESN mission throughout the world.

9 · ESN members serve as Christian intellectuals within our wider societies, seeking to have a redemptive influence on the ideas, people, and institutions of the United States and the world. To this end, the Emerging Scholars Network encourages, challenges, and supports members as, both locally and globally, they:

· Create, advocate, and nurture healthy culture;

· Learn from and promote an appreciation for diverse cultures;

· Participate in wider, non-academic public discourse to address pressing social and cultural concerns.

Note

The Mission and Vision Statements are also available for download as an Acrobat document (29K).