Sixth Annual IACE conference draws record numbers

FORT WORTH (February 7, 2025) -- The International Alliance for Christian Education concluded its three-day annual conference Friday with an event-record 180 attendees, who represented about 90 institutions and organizations, along with the announcement of seven new member institutions for 2025.

Those in attendance came from every region of the United States while some traveled from international contexts to attend the gathering.

Two of the new schools are located in Germany and the Philippines. Their additions bring IACE’s membership totals to 90 academic entities and 34 like-minded supporting ministries.

Many of those partners were represented at the three days of presentations. They heard 10 addresses within seven sessions. Three pre-conference workshops focused on enrollment and advancement.

"The outstanding speakers were well prepared and helped all of us with their well-informed presentations,” IACE president David S. Dockery said. “The enriching conversations that took place throughout our time together advanced our shared commitments to unity, synergize, and strengthen Christian education at all levels."

Dockery announced two new IACE initiatives. The first is a project that will produce about 40 videos in the next three years. The videos will explore specific ways to integrate various disciplines within a Christ-centered approach to higher education. The videos each will run about 8 to 12 minutes and will be made available at no cost to institutions requesting them for faculty or staff presentations on campus.

The second new initiative will offer each member campus a customized needs assessment through ministry partner TG3. “These assessments will take a good look at where you are and where you need to be as an institution,” Dockery said.

In session one Wednesday night, Rick Langer and Scott Rae of Biola University examined “Mission Faithfulness.”

Langer asserted that a key part of Christian education’s mission is to help students form a Christo-centric view of the world. “If we don’t do that, who will? Langer asked. “It is our defining task as Christian universities.”

Rae said mission fidelity is everybody’s business at the university, and is therefore not limited to the cabinet or faculty. “Constant vigilance is required,” Rae said. “It doesn’t work on ‘automatic pilot.’ Once the drift begins, it is a herculean task to reverse it.”

Session two Thursday morning featured “The abolition of education and the opportunity of the moment” from Colorado Christian University chancellor Donald  Sweeting, and “Christian education and the global Church” from Timothy Tennent of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University.

Sweeting said the newest shift in secular education is aimed at reconstructing society. “It is not idealistic,” Sweeting said. “It is about power.” He observed that in the face of this approach, many parents are looking at alternatives, a trend that helps explain the rapid growth in private classical schools and homeschooling associations.

Tennent said theological education should be viewed increasingly as a lengthy process that invites ongoing education. “Seminary can’t be viewed as a place where you go for a few years and be done.,” Tennent said. “We are encountering things today they never imagined when I went to seminary in the 1980s.”

Tennent’s Beeson Divinity School colleague Robert Smith, Jr., the Charles T. Carter professor of preaching, presented session three to conference attendees and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students in MacGorman Chapel.

In his sermon “The Heart of Christian Education,” Smith said students must be encouraged to focus on both intellectual growth in the head and spiritual depth in the heart.

He said some of our students are ‘beheaded’ in that all they want is feeling. Other students don’t bring their hearts to class. “Head and heart have been divorced for too long,” Smith said.

Smith cautioned educators not to confuse transformation with teaching.

“Transformation is God’s work, not my work,” Smith said.  

In session four, professor Ryan Burge of Eastern Illinois University examined “cultural and demographic trends affecting Christian education.”

Burge pointed out an emerging trend in his research that shows young men are now more interested in religious belief, reversing a longstanding trend.

Another trend shows that alcohol consumption, drug use and smoking all have declined among teenagers since the mid 1970s, but he added that the Generation Z tends to value safety above all else. He said the trend, while encouraging in some respects, also underlines that Gen Z lacks in-person social interaction and connection. He added that colleges and universities may contribute to this trend when standards are lowered.

“Colleges don’t always need to do the easy thing.” Burge said. “Maybe we should make degrees a bit more challenging.”

Michael Arena of Biola University examined the challenges and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence for Christian higher education.

“AI will create more disruption in education than any other area,” Arena said.

Skills taught in school once had long shelf lives. Arena said the average shelf life of skills is now less than five years, and in some tech fields it is less than three years.

Arena left Amazon and became dean of Biola’s business school, where he has established an institute designed to look for positive AI applications. The speed at which AI developments emerge presents a significant challenge.

“I left Amazon three years ago,” Arena said. “I feel completely obsolete. That’s how fast it moves.”

Session five on Thursday evening featured Nancy Pearcey, scholar in residence at Houston Christian University. Her presentation, “Christian Worldview, Life, and Human Sexuality,” examined the reasoning behind cultural attitudes about abortion, homosexuality, and transgenderism. She said they differ significantly from a biblical worldview.

“’Blues Clues’ tells children your body gives you no clues to your gender identity,” Pearcey said. Activists “consider the term ‘biological sex’ as hate speech. It’s been used against them so much,” Pearcey said.

But Pearcey argues those with a Christian worldview on issues like abortion and transgenderism have science on their side. For example, even secular scientists believe human life begins at the point of conception.

“Taking clues from your body is factual, not hateful,” Pearcey said.

Session six began Friday morning with a presentation on philanthropy and a legal update.

Greg Baylor, senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, provided key updates on recent legal cases and executive orders connected to the new Trump administration.

Bill Stanczykiewicz updated attendees on current fundraising trends. He is director of the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.

“Christians who are deeply engaged in scripture make the top donors,” Stanczykiewicz said. Research from the Lilly School shows 94% of that group make donations. Practicing Christians, defined as people who go to church at least once a month, give at a similar rate, Stanczykiewicz said.

He added some biblical fundraising examples to his presentation. For example, he said King David anchored the “capital campaign” to build the temple, and he identified Zaccheus as a major donor after diverting half his income to the poor after encountering Jesus.

“These examples are celebrated in the Bible and we are called to do so as well,” Stanczykiewicz said.

The conference concluded with session seven -- a look at strategic planning and the top reasons these plans fail.

The needs assessment initiative Dockery announced for IACE members connects to the TG3 presentation from Ryan Dougherty and Nicholas Willis.

Willis said the chief reason many strategic plans fail is poor needs assessment. With no clarity about your problems, it is difficult to employ the proper solutions.

“It’s more fun to talk about all the cool things you’re going to do than to achieve that clarity,” Willis said.  

Twenty-one sponsors and partners made the conference possible this year.  

The Platinum Sponsor is Impact 360 Institute. The Gold Sponsors are B&H Publishing and Thomas Nelson Bibles.

Silver Sponsors are Bill and Judy Bradish, Clark Higher Ed, Crossway, Logos, and GuideStone Financial Resources.

Bronze Sponsors include The Education Group, International Mission Board, Lifeline Children’s Services, NXT-PG, Progressus, and The Timothy Group.

Ministry partners include Joni and Friends, NACCAP, Religious Freedom Institute, SageDining.com, Storehouse Wellness, TG3, and Theometrics.

Dockery announced IACE’s fifth annual Faculty Development Conference is scheduled for May 21-23, with online schedules and registration coming soon.

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Mark Kahler is IACE Director of Communication