Accepting a Job Offer to Teach

When I started down this road toward the PhD some 4+ years ago, one of the first questions I received from my mentor (before I was accepted into the program) was if I had a job waiting for me at the end of the program. When I told him I did not, his next question was an inquiry into why I was doing this. It was a good question - one that has been asked of me often. There are a few answers:

1. This has been the desire of my heart since I was around 30 years of age. Family responsibilities, ministry opportunities, money, and fear were the predominant reasons for not doing this work earlier in my life.
2. Pastoral ministry is a grind. After three decades it had taken a toll. I was more than willing to continue on but I knew it would be a tough road for both me and my wife. I needed a new focus and a new set of goals.
3. I found when I entered seminary that I loved education. This was not true during my college years. I was there to experience as much as I could on the social end and to obtain the degree. Getting good grades or amassing knowledge and understanding were not my top priorities. I was fairly smart with a good memory and the ability to read and write fairly well, so I got through. When I went to seminary, everything changed. I was motivated to learn. That passion has never left me.
   
4. Most of all, I felt called of God to do this. As sure as I was about my calling to the pastorate, I felt I was called to do this. That was all I really needed.

Like everyone else, you seek confirmation of your decisions. You look to see the hand of God working in ways that make you feel certain that you are walking in the path God has chosen. There have been many along the way. At Fuller, everything I have done and all the opportunities I have had have confirmed that this is the road for me; this is what God has called me to at this point in my life.

The big hurdle to get over at the end of your PhD journey is not the dissertation (that is monumental enough) but whether or not you can get a job at the end of the process. Will anyone hire someone my age just coming out of the PhD program? It is a real question. Positions in homiletics at the seminary level are limited. Those who have been at their schools for a while have tenure and will stay there for their careers. Not many come open every year.

Back in the Fall I started applying for jobs. I got a few notices back saying, "no thank you" - some were thoughtful enough to send a letter. One school sent a form email. Another school acknowledged my application but never contacted me again. It's all part of the process. You can't get discouraged. I didn't and felt encouraged to continue. In the past two weeks I have been in contention for two jobs. By contention, I mean that I made the first cut. I interviewed for one and was prepared to send more materials for the other. This past Friday I received notice that I was being offered a job. I was thrilled. I have accepted the job. Here, at the end of the process, someone has taken a chance on me to teach homiletics and speech communication at their institution. I am humbled by their confidence in me. It has validated the sense of being led by God through this whole process.

So, beginning in July, I will be preparing for the Fall to teach Homiletics and Speech Communication at Princeton Seminary. It is a position as a Post Doctoral Teaching Fellow. My contract is for two years. For an old New Jersey boy, it is a chance to go home and have the incredible opportunity to teach at an Ivy League institution. Joanie and I are grateful for your prayers and support. It is always comforting to see the signs along the way.