Faith-based Faculty Development Specialist

I have been a pastor and/ or university professor for 35+ years. For the last 15 years, I have come alongside 10 0 s of Christian educators as Executive Director of Faith Integration and founder of TheoMetrics. I have come to understand the challenges faced by teachers from across a myriad of disciplines and professional fields as they pursue competency in offering a distinctly faith-based learning experience for their students. Extensive R & D has gone into developing resources that lead both rookie and veteran academics into a more satisfying experience as Christ-centered teachers and scholars

Experienced Academic Coach | Consultant

My PhD in Leadership and my work in OD (organizational development) has given me eyes to see how a school’s leaders, systems, policies, etc. impact missional faithfulness. Faculty development resources support those on the front-lines. But informed leaders (at various levels) and institutional practices also make a significant impact on the school’s missional integrity and values-based alignment. From the overflow of decades of learning and experience about (and with) leaders and organizations, I offer context specific wisdom that w ill increase the likelihood of seeing promotional promises come alive in every classroom.

At Grace we have been using TheoMetrics’ AFI Foundations materials and our faculty have appreciated the depth and breadth of the content. Most of our faculty knew a little bit about Academic Faith Integration, but all of us have been stretched and supported in our professional goal to make faith connections more explicit in the curriculum. Whether novice or expert, the training provides structure for growth at any level. In addition, each discipline in the liberal arts arena benefits from the training materials, since the materials hit the philosophy of integration and then spell out practical steps to tackle faith integration as a process. We are so grateful for the expertise and gracious spirit that Dr. Kaak exhibits in the videos, which have provided a common vision for our community of professors.

Christy Hill, PhD.

Professor of Spiritual Formation

Co-facilitator Faith Integration Initiative

Grace College

My academic work in the area of faith and academics has led me to conclude, unfortunately, that much written and said on this subject has little to offer, including works written by major figures.  So when I first heard about Paul Kaak, I was skeptical.  After hearing him live, but from a distance, I said “We must bring this guy to campus.”   After his day-long seminar, I surveyed our faculty informally, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.  He was theoretically and conceptually knowledgeable (he is extremely well-read), experienced at the practical level, and fun and engaging to listen to.  In my view, Christian higher education needs to bring more of the richness and truth of the Christian faith into academics, and Paul Kaak is one of the best resources to do so.

Brian Larsen, PhD

Professor of English

Simpson University

Because many fine Christian faculty graduated with terminal degrees from institutions not involved with the integration of the Christian faith, we recognize the need to offer assistance, especially to new faculty, for understanding why and how we integrate faith into the work of the academy (teaching and research). We discovered Paul Kaak’s work in 2023 and began a consulting relationship with him in 2024, starting with Paul being with us in-person to offer a day of outstanding lectures. We are very pleased with the content of TheoMetric’s academic faith integration (AFI) courses and we appreciate Paul’s approach to facilitating our AFI Task Force. Our journey with Paul is helping faculty gain a clear understanding of AFI while also helping our University to more clearly express our AFI expectations as it relates to faculty tenure and promotion.

Jon Olhauser, PhD

Provost

Crandall University

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