Over the weekend of May 15–17, 2026, 91łÔąĎ hosted its annual JAM weekend (Junior High Adventures in Ministry). This summer evangelism event equips teens to share the good news of Jesus and immediately gives them an opportunity to do so. This year, 310 students and leaders from 17 churches attended and shared the gospel with the 240 children who attended Kids’ Day on Saturday.

This year’s theme was “Unshakeable Hope.” In a world full of uncertainty, today’s teens are craving something real. The messages of the weekend, given by alum Eddie Jurimas ’14, centered on the reliable truth of the gospel and the hope we can have in Jesus Christ. The teens not only needed this message, they were eager to share it with others:

“Some people sell teenagers short. They may see future potential, but don’t realize how powerful their influence can be right now,” said Dr. Matt McAlack, professor of youth and family ministry and JAM director. “From the beginning moments of JAM, the teens were very engaged in the gospel training and excited to share the message with their buddy the following day. On Sunday morning, over 25 teens stood to share their testimonies and give glory to God.”

The space for youth groups is already full for 2027, but if you want your children’s ministry group to participate in next year’s JAM weekend, you can register today at .

On Thursday, March 5, 91łÔąĎ’s School of Divinity hosted its annual Church Leaders Conference. Pastors, lay leaders, and ministry workers gathered for a day of biblical teaching and encouragement. 

Dr. Jared C. Wilson, assistant professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO, served as this year’s keynote speaker, addressing the topic of “Recognizing, Resisting, and Recovering From Gospel Drift.” Wilson drew from his recent book, Lest We Drift: Five Departure Dangers from the One True Gospel, as he explored the importance of gospel centrality over three keynote sessions. 

In the first session, Dr. Wilson emphasized that the gospel is not advice or instruction but the announcement of what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ. In the second session, he identified three common obstacles that keep pastors from preaching Christ from every text of Scripture. Turning to Isaiah 40 in the final session, Dr. Wilson reflected on the heart of pastoral ministry, establishing the shepherd’s primary task is to proclaim the good news of Christ’s finished work. Together, the sessions encouraged church leaders to remain anchored in the gospel as the central message, confidence, and hope that sustains faithful ministry. Times of worship, fellowship, and a Q&A session rounded out the day’s schedule and provided refreshment for all attendees.

Dr. Keith Plummer, Dean and Professor of Theology for the School of Divinity shared, “We enjoyed a day of making new friends and reconnecting with old ones, singing heartily to our Savior, and being nourished by sound biblical teaching. A major takeaway for me from what Jared shared is how easy and perilous it is to assume that we are so well-acquainted with the gospel that we no longer need to hear it. It was refreshing to be reminded that we will never outgrow the message of salvation by grace through faith.”

Dr. Wilson’s conference sessions will be made available on Faith & Truth Media. You can watch the first session here: .

Be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s conference on March 4, 2027!

Dr. Keith Plummer, Dean of the School of Divinity, opened chapel by sharing from John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand. He highlighted John 6:23, where the apostle notes that the people returned to the place where they had eaten after the Lord had given thanks. Rather than first drawing attention to the miracle itself, John points to Christ’s thanksgiving. As Dr. Plummer reminded us, Jesus shows us what it looks like to live a life marked by gratitude and thankfulness.

Dr. Plummer then shared what he is thankful for, followed by seven other School of Divinity faculty. 

We are thankful for opportunities like this to reflect on how God continually keeps His promises. In the smallest moments, and the biggest milestones, we can always rejoice and give thanks to God! Happy Thanksgiving!

Ahead of the 2025–2026 academic year, the faculty members of 91łÔąĎ gathered to participate in the annual faculty workshop. This year, the focus of discussion was on assessment in the age of AI.

The decision to address this topic during the annual workshop follows the creation of the University Statement on AI, which was added to the 91łÔąĎ Student Handbook in 2024. With the University’s theological and pedagogical understanding of generative AI and its limits in view, the faculty directed its focus to how AI technology prompts changes in student assessment inside and outside the classroom.

The two-day workshop began with a devotional by Dr. Bryan Murawski, associate professor in the School of Divinity. This devotional was followed by two sessions, the first of which was theological considerations of new technologies hosted by Dr. Keith Plummer, dean of the School of Divinity. He presented data showing that the current generation is increasingly relying on generative AI for growing number of tasks, even as a form of companionship. 

The second session was led by Professor Charlotte Gleason, who is the chair of the humanities department in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She titled her presentation, “Thinking Differently: Practical Pedagogy in the Age of AI.” She presented better methods for student assessment, including multi-step project submissions, feedback loops from peers and the professor, and student self-reflection on the learning process—all of which deepen student learning in ways that are less tempting and more difficult to use AI for shortcuts. This presentation was followed by a seminar, which gave faculty the opportunity to workshop an assessment to deepen student learning and become more AI-resistant. 

On the second day of the workshop, Provost Adam Porcella discussed the difference between transactional and transformative learning in his presentation, titled “Discipleship in the Era of AI.” As a fitting conclusion to the workshop, the faculty joined the staff for the Fall 2025 Prayer Service—an intentional employee gathering of Scripture reading, prayer, and singing that has been held before the start of each semester since 2005. 

“As emerging AI technologies continue to reshape the world of education, we are intentional in how we engage them,” said Dr. Adam J. Porcella, senior vice president and provost. “We will leverage their benefits where appropriate, but never at the expense of the relational, formational, and distinctly human dimensions of teaching and learning. Our priority is to ensure that technology serves the mission of Christian higher education, not the other way around. 91łÔąĎ is committed to being a place where humans teach humans.”

Affordable Degree Guide provides tuition comparisons, financial aid insights, and curated degree rankings to help students find cost-effective, credible educational pathways. 91łÔąĎ’s top ranking in the state of PA is a testament to our commitment to affordability. 

“91łÔąĎ has a mission to educate students to serve Christ in the church, society, and the world, and making that education affordable is one of our chief commitments as an institution,” said Tom Sherf, vice president of marketing and enrollment. “To know that we are a top-ranking school as well as leading the charge of affordable Christian online education in Pennsylvania is very encouraging. We will continue to pursue new ways to make our distinctly biblical education affordable without sacrificing the quality of our academics or compromising on our mission.”

To learn more about 91łÔąĎ’s affordable and biblical online education, visit cairn.edu/online. You can also . 

On Thursday, March 6, 91łÔąĎ’s School of Divinity hosted the annual Church Leaders Conference, welcoming pastors, laypeople, and ministry leaders for a day of encouragement and learning. Keynote speaker Dr. Joshua Chatraw, the Billy Graham Chair for Evangelism and Cultural Engagement at Beeson Divinity School, spoke on “Helping the Doubting, Disillusioned, and Deconstructing,” drawing from his co-authored book, Surprised by Doubt: How Disillusionment Can Invite Us into a Deeper Faith.

In three sessions, Dr. Chatraw explored the personal nature of apologetics, using the metaphor of a house to illustrate the progression of faith to deconstruction.

 In his first session, he examined the current cultural moment, particularly how social influences shape the faith of younger generations. He emphasized that those struggling with doubt often wrestle with past interpretations of Christianity that feel inadequate in addressing justice and suffering. Rather than solely needing a path forward, they also need to make sense of their Christian past.

Dr. Chatraw then identified four truths that inevitably shape one’s journey of faith or deconstruction:

1. The big questions of life can’t be strictly proven or disproven.
2. Our background and history shape our interpretation of faith.
3. Everyone must choose where they will “live” in terms of belief.
4. This choice is influenced by intellectual, social, emotional, and existential factors.

In his second session, Dr. Chatraw outlined four common destinations for those who feel unsupported in their doubts:

• New atheism (outright rejection of faith),
• Optimistic skepticism (uncertainty but openness),
• Open spirituality (embracing alternative spiritualities), and
• Mythic truth (viewing faith as metaphor rather than reality).

As he focused on the second point, optimistic skepticism, a key theme prevailed: how Christians respond to those questioning or experiencing suffering—a major driver of doubt. He cautioned against overconfidence in explaining suffering, which can alienate those in pain. Instead, he urged believers to embrace and share the Bible’s complex, nuanced approach to suffering, recognizing that its different perspectives are complementary rather than contradictory.

In his final session, Dr. Chatraw encouraged a renewed vision of faith through the metaphor of “Main Floor Christianity.” This aimed to help those struggling with doubt move beyond intellectual arguments to experiencing faith as a lived reality. He distinguished between looking at Christianity (analyzing it) and looking along it (experiencing its light). He stressed that faith must not be reduced to institutional structures but should be centered on Jesus Himself.

Ultimately, Dr. Chatraw concluded that doubt, rather than being feared, can be used for good. It allows God to deepen faith, strengthen understanding, and ultimately bring believers into a more mature and resilient faith and, in turn, that way of thinking can be shared with others struggling with doubt.

On Thursday, February 29, the University hosted the annual Church Leaders Conference. The conference welcomed over 140 leaders from various churches in the area. This year’s theme tackled a difficult subject: “Recognizing and Resisting Spiritual Abuse in the Church.” Through three sessions led by speaker Dr. Michel J. Kruger, the attendees were able to find encouragement, wisdom, and lessons from his book Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church.

In the first session, Dr. Kruger laid the foundation for identifying spiritually abusive leaders. He reminded his audience that in training up the next generation of church leaders, the church needs to remember how the current leaders set an example for those who follow in their footsteps. “The issue,” Dr. Kruger clarified about leaders found guilty of spiritual abuse, “isn’t whether they are aware that they’re doing this. The issue is the way they justify that it’s worth doing.” Convinced of an elevated purpose, these leaders who are supposed to be representatives of God, are instead abusing their power for their own gain, setting a poor example for their congregation and for the next generation. Dr. Kruger pinpointed places in Scripture where, though the term “spiritual abuse” is not explicitly stated, there are clear signs and warnings against the possibility. In particular, Dr. Kruger expounded on 1 Samuel 8 and 1 Peter 5 as support for his argument, drawing parallels to show is audience that, both in these Scripture passages and in the modern world, the problem is, “Often, the very kind of leaders people want are the very kind of leaders they end up getting.” Building on this, Dr. Kruger shared characteristics and actions that were or would lead to spiritual abuse that church leaders should be aware of in their church and in their own lives.

In the second session, Dr. Kruger took the opportunity to further clarify what is and is not spiritual abuse. He outlined the two common extremes and subsequent problems with churches attempting to identify spiritual abuse; namely he called out the “nothing to see here” and a “everything is abuse” mentality. Both sides are driven by the current social culture. In particular, proponents of “cancel culture” who work under the assumption of a secular form of justice presume a harmful “guilty until proven innocent” verdict. As a way to counteract these extremes, Dr. Kruger posited six specific clarifications important for recognizing and addressing spiritual abuse, including a need to express spiritual abuse out of love for a church, the recognition that spiritual abuse be inflicted from the flock to their pastor, and other helpful distinctions.Ěý

Dr. Kruger then pivoted in the third and final session from being diagnostic in nature to being proactive. He identified ways that an individual, for the sake of themselves and for the ministry he or she runs, can take tangible steps to avoid becoming spiritually abusive. He recognized that most leaders who end up spiritually abusive do not start out that way. Dr. Kruger shared five principles that should mark one’s ministry and therefore build trust and a solid defense against the potential of becoming accused of such a problem. Some of the characteristics he shared included ensuring that churches avoid idolatrously elevating a leader to a “celebrity” status, to value teamwork over hierarchy, and to value openness over reactive defensiveness. Following the third session, participants closed out the day with a Q&A session that allowed for anonymous queries to be shared and addressed by Dr. Kruger.

This year’s topic, while a difficult one to discuss, equipped church leaders with biblical knowledge and tools to graciously yet firmly confront this issue that churches often struggle to recognize and resolve. 

Mark your calendars for the 2025 Church Leaders Conference on Thursday, March 6, 2025 as 91łÔąĎ seeks to support church leaders in their respective ministries.