5 Minutes with Stan Wallace

Mon, 19/09/2016 - 10:54 -- Claire

 

Dr Stan Wallace is the President and CEO of Global Scholars, based in Kansas USA. Global Scholars equips Christian academics in universities around the world in order to ‘bring glory to God and impact the world by developing godly leaders for every sector of society through global higher education.’

 

The vision of Global Scholars is one that is surely close to all our hearts: ‘One day every university student in the world will have at least one professor who articulates and demonstrates the love and lordship of Jesus Christ.’ Check out this short video in which Stan explains the context of Global Scholars’ mission.

 

Stan will visit Australia later this year and will share his experience and wisdom with us as a guest speaker at the Cite Conference (3rd-7th December). We asked Stan some questions about his life and work to help us get to know him a bit before he arrives.

 

Tell us a little bit about your background (e.g. family, what you studied).

From Cincinnati, OH. Married 32 years, with 4 children aged 27 down to 14. Undergrad in Secondary Education, Masters and Doctoral work in Philosophy. Studied under J.P. Moreland at Biola University in Southern California.

 

If you were to enter a talent contest, what would your talent be?

Juggling and riding a unicycle. I learned to ride in elementary school and was a member of the unicycle club in my hometown. I learned to juggle in college as a pledge in my fraternity, part of a requirement to ‘go active’.

 

How did you end up as CEO of Global Scholars?

My passion has always been twofold:

1.  Being involved in taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth

2.  Being involved in bringing Christ into the halls of academia

 

I had been directing InterVarsity’s faculty ministry in the US, which was wonderful, but it was still just the US. I became more and more captivated by Global Scholars’ mission and vision. When the ministry’s president had a sense that the Lord was leading him to step down and move on to something else, I was asked to come on board and take the baton from him.

 

What do you find most exciting about your role and about Global Scholars as an organization?

My role:  the opportunity to help others exercise their unique gifts and callings together in a way that creates synergy and momentum towards fulfilling the vision of Global Scholars.

Global Scholars:  We have a chance to work in global higher education, the most influential force of change to bring shalom to the nations through the influence of Christian professors.

 

What do you find most challenging about your role?

Working in so many nations with so many different bureaucracies and ways the enemy tries to block the good that can be done through Christian professors.

 

What has been the biggest change in the university sector in your experience? What effect has this had on campus ministry?

There has been a shift from the valuing of the humanities to a focus on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. The effect has been that those in the humanities have a hard time being hired in an overseas post, staying there, or having an adequate salary. But also it emaciates the academic conversation more generally - the humanities bring discussion of the “big issues” to the table that, if you are strictly in the STEM fields, are discussed much less often.

 

How do you keep your relationship with the Lord fresh?

  • Regular time in the word and prayer
  • Regular time in fellowship with other believers, especially those who encourage and challenge me; Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

 

How can we pray for you?

  • Pray that we would develop deeper and deeper partnerships with IFES as we work together in global higher education
  • Pray that we would be able to serve better the missional Christian academics that God brings into the Global Scholars community.
  • Pray for wisdom for me personally in my role in the organization, to honor the Lord and be faithful to what He has called us to do.