Following Jesus: Virtue,Character, and
Truth in the Academy
Academics in the Alps
August 25-28, 2025
Credo House, Wilderswil, Switzerland
Register Today
"When God and his glory are made our end, we shall find a silent likeness pass in upon us; the beauty of God will by degrees enter upon our souls."
Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God
A Spiritual and Intellectual Retreat
As academics who follow Jesus, we need not only good academic credentials, excellent communication skills, sound research practices, and a full-orbed Christian worldview, but we also need to follow Jesus—to be like Him in our thoughts, words, and actions, in our academic work, with our family, our church, our recreation—in all spheres of life. Our aim is to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way.” (Colossians 1:10) The goal of the Academics in the Alps 2025 Conference is to equip us to live and work in the academy in a manner that is worthy of the Lord and pleases Him in every way.
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Co-sponsored by The Leadership Anvil and
Komensky Institute of Prague
http://www.komenskyinstitute.com
At the Academics in the Alps 2025 Conference, you will be refreshed, renewed, and recharged for a life of following Jesus in the academy. You will...
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Connect with Christian academics representing a wide spectrum of disciplines from across Europe.
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Be encouraged, realizing you are not alone in the challenges you face; many others are faithfully serving Christ in higher education.
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Sharpen your Christian worldview and your ability to present and defend the faith.
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Discover resources which will aid in your research and teaching.
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Hone your skills with workshops on best practices and spiritual development.
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Be equipped to face the challenges of isolation, hostility toward Christianity, secularism, discouragement, and temptations.
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Learn how to launch an academic network in your city or nation.
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Commit to following Jesus more closely as you serve Him in the academy.
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Join us for this special time of spiritual and intellectual challenge and refreshment.
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Conference Schedule
Monday, August 25
15:00 -18:00 Registration
18:15 Dinner – Credo House Dining Room
19:15 Plenary Session: Dr. Daniel Hill, Following Jesus in the Academy
We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:31b, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Colossians 3:17 is similar: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” In light of these verses, how can we follow Christ in the academy? We will discuss how to follow Christ in our teaching, research, and administration. In each of these three areas, we will consider the motive for which we do our jobs, the manner in which we do them, the content of our jobs, and the choices we make about what, how, and why we do them.
Tuesday, August 26
8:00 Breakfast – Credo House Dining Room
9:00 Bible Study with Dr. Dirk Jongkind, Seeing Truth—How John Teaches Trust in Jesus
We will look at the teaching tools John uses in the gospel and how we are trained by both the content and the method.
10:15 Tea and Coffee break
10:30 Parallel Sessions by Academic Discipline
Devotional Time for Spouses Group—Bringing Glory to God as the Wife of an Academic
11:45 Break
12:15 Pick up a Sack Lunch and Head for the Hills!
The afternoon is Free Time to enjoy the Alps. There will be organized hiking and nature walks. Please use this time to connect with others and build relationships.
18:15 Dinner – Credo House Dining Room
19:15 Plenary Session: Dr. Michael Romanowski, Preparing the Sower to Work the Fields
Followers of Christ spend much time on the pragmatics of sharing the Gospel and less time thinking about how to prepare the fields. Based on the Parable of the Soils (Matthew 13:1–23, Mark 4:1–20, and Luke 8:4–15), this session discusses the necessary groundwork before sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ—preparing the soil—the minds and hearts of colleagues and students to receive the seed—the message of salvation. Pre-evangelism prepares the soil for the seed of the Gospel.The session will discuss the process of field preparation and give examples for attendees to apply to their context.
Wednesday, August 27
8:00 Breakfast – Dining Room
9:00 Plenary Bible Study with Dr. Dirk Jongkind, Seeing Truth—How John Teaches Trust in Jesus
We will look at the teaching tools John uses in the gospel and how we are trained by both the content and the method.
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10:15 Tea and Coffee Break
10:45 Parallel Workshops
12:15 Lunch – Credo House Dining Room
13:15 Parallel Workshops
14:15 Tea and Coffee Break
14:45 Parallel Workshops
Devotional Time for Spouses Group—Bringing Glory to God as the Wife of an Academic
16:15 Break
18:15 Dinner – Dining Room
19:15 Plenary Session: Dr. Ken Elzinga, Models of Ministry
What might it mean to be a biology or philosophy or art history or French literature teacher who wants to teach like Jesus? What does it look like when a Christian professor teaches like Jesus and is communicating the Gospel to students?
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Thursday, August 28
8:00 Breakfast- Dining Room
9:00 Plenary Bible Study, Dr. Dirk Jongkind, Seeing Truth—How John Teaches Trust in Jesus
We will look at the teaching tools John uses in the gospel and how we are trained by both the content and the method.
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10:00 Break
10:15 Plenary Session, Dr. Teri McCarthy, Following Jesus Here and Beyond
11:30 What Next? Making a Commitment to Follow Jesus with Intentionality and Passion
12:45 Lunch – Dining Room
Farewells and Departure
Requirements for participation
What are the requirements for participating in the Academics in the Alps 2025 Conference?
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Evangelical academics in Europe. This is a gathering for evangelical academics and postgraduates who are actively engaged in higher education and who reside and are working in Europe. Because of limited space, non-academics (other than those whose spouse is an academic) are discouraged from registering.
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Follower of Jesus. This is a gathering for intentional followers of Jesus who affirm that they have surrendered their lives unreservedly to Christ as their Savior and are committed to living in holy obedience to Him.
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Trustworthy Bible. This is a gathering of evangelicals who affirm that the Bible is the inspired, fully trustworthy, and authoritative Word of God.
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Responsibility. Every participant takes full responsibility for obtaining visas and other travel documents and to pay all their travel costs to and from the conference.
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English is the language for all sessions, so each participant is expected to have the ability to both speak and understand English in this academic context.
Because of the specific goals of this conference and its focus on Christian academics in Europe, we reserve the right to deny registration to anyone who does not meet these requirements.
If you meet these requirements, plan to attend the Alps 2025 Conference.
Registration will open January 13, 2025
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Due to limited space, registrations are expected to sell out quickly.
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The registration fee will include admission to all conference sessions, lodging for the nights of August 25, 26, and 27, and all meals and breaks from dinner, August 25, through lunch on August 28.
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Married couples who register before May 1 will be eligible for a special discounted rate.
Plan to come early and stay late.
Since Credo House is a superb location for a retreat or holiday, participants are welcome to arrive on Sunday morning, August 24, and stay through Saturday morning, August 30. Additional nights are only $95/night for adults (16 years and older). You can reserve these additional nights in the Add-ons section when you register. The rate for children 5-14 for additional nights is $50/night.
In August, 2023, academics from 20 nations, representing a wide range of disciplines, came together for the first Academics in the Alps Conference. Plan to join them, along with others, in 2025.
