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Christian Union was founded in 2002 to develop and connect transformative Christian leaders. The mission can be unpacked in its five crucial elements. This is the third of five elements.

Leading Universities

Imagine entering a room in which are gathered the most influential leaders in the United States. You meet editors of major newspapers, presidents of universities, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, Supreme Court Justices, and current and former US Presidents. As you walk through this room, you discover that more than 60 percent of those you meet attended a small pool of US colleges and universities, no more than twenty. The schools include Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Harvard Law, Penn, Princeton, Stanford and Yale.

Just a few US schools and their alumni significantly shape American culture. That should give us pause. Over more than three centuries in the case of some of these universities, while extraordinary influence consolidated at these universities, they have become intensely secular. {tweetme}At most of these leading schools, students have little-to-no contact with Christianity; many have never even read a Bible.{/tweetme} The secularism promoted by these schools and their alumni affect us all, disproportionately shaping our economy, government, media, and education. That can change. Christian Union envisions a day when these schools bless the nation with Christian scholarship and thought leadership. God is presenting an opportunity to utterly transform the spiritual climate of these leading schools.

Major Cities

US culture is shaped by the daily decisions of industry leaders who either embrace secular values outright, or by believers who may not know how to integrate their faith and their profession, and so tacitly promote secular values. From Wall Street, to arts and entertainment, to local or national government, medicine, and other key fields, Christian Union New York is focused on helping believers to increase in spiritual maturity and fervency, connect with other Christian leaders, and gain tools to lead with excellence and in such a way as promotes godliness and genuine human flourishing.

The nation desperately needs godly leaders. Please help to develop courageous, faithful Christian leaders. 

You Can Make a Difference

1. Pray for the hearts of those poised to lead society would turn to the Lord.
2. Connect others to the ministry of Christian Union.
3. Give generously to develop more godly leaders to transform American culture.

Learn More

For Cultural Engagement >

Five Crucial Aspects

Christian Union was founded in 2002 to develop and connect transformative Christian leaders. The mission can be unpacked into five aspects; this is the fifth.

National Focus, Global Implications

The primary focus of Christian Union is the renewing of the United States of America through its leadership and cultural institutions and by encouraging all Christians nationwide. The reason for the national focus is twofold. First, the nation has experienced sharp spiritual decline that needs to be reversed. Second, the spiritual vitality of the United States has a profound impact on the rest of the globe.

God loves each man, woman and child in the United States and offers reconciliation through the Gospel. The need to promote the Gospel and to renew a declining society is pressing, and the Lord has called this ministry to work faithfully to address it in the most strategic ways that it can identify.

The focus on the US anticipates a global impact: Historically, America has blessed the world by sending thousands of missionaries, and donating billions of dollars for international evangelization, development and poverty relief. That legacy is at risk because of increasing secularization of the country through its leaders, but it can be restored. The universities and key cities where Christian Union operates are cosmopolitan. The power of the Gospel, seeking God, and reforming society will have global reach as alumni fan out across the world, as international students do likewise or return home to work, and as professionals serve in other countries.

You Can Make a Difference

1. Pray that the hearts of those poised to lead society would turn to the Lord.
2. Connect others to the ministry of Christian Union.
3. Give generously to develop more godly leaders to transform American culture.

Imagine the United States transformed by the leadership and values of Christians of wholehearted devotion to the Lord.

Vision

Christian Union seeks a spiritually vibrant nation marked by Christian values permeating every corner of society.

Mission

Christian Union develops and connects transformative Christian leaders.

Strategy

Christian Union’s two main emphases on select universities and professionals in key cities reflect our concern to reach people groups that exert disproportionate cultural influence in the United States. 

Outcome

If US society was transformed by the leadership and values of Christians of wholehearted devotion to the Lord we might expect to see some of the following implications: 

• If large numbers of business executives valued Christian ideals above all else, it would mean the spread of ethical business practices, concern that workers be treated fairly, and integrity in leadership.
• In the field of education, if large numbers of university presidents, faculty, and administrators were committed to Jesus Christ, careers, internal politics, and ideology would take a back seat to the education of our children.
• If the US government contained high numbers of developed Christian leaders, we would expect laws and the execution of laws in our country to more fully reflect a Christian worldview.
• If large numbers of top media executives reflected Christian values, we would expect more programs valuing marriage, parenthood, generosity, respect, courage, self-sacrifice, and compassion.
• There is a global impact to consider as well in the thousands of foreign students who study at these key universities. Consider the potential impact if a future president of Pakistan, China, or Russia were reached for Christ and trained to be a godly leader for their home country.

At present, the nation's most influential universities export spiritual darkness into our culture through secularized leadership.

It will take prayer, effort and financial resources to reach these future leaders for Christ. Please prayerfully consider how you might partner with Christian Union to make a difference.

The Christian Union Difference

Four distinctives differentiate Christian Union. Each is a theme that runs through Christian Union's work in key cities and on strategic  university campuses:

 
 
 

 01  ||  A Lifestyle Marked by Seeking God

Christian Union promotes biblical Christianity's emphasis on frequent, fervent prayer; massive intake of Scripture; repentance; humility through fasting; perseverance; promptly obeying the Spirit; and extended times of gathering with believers.
Learn more > 

 02  ||  Networked & Engaged Christian Leaders

Christian leaders must engage culture in order to transform it, and Christians of influence must be well networked in order to maximize their godly impact on society. 
Learn more >

 03  ||  High-Caliber Faculty & Intellectual Rigor

This strategic focus requires curriculum and faculty suitable for men and women of exceptional intellectual caliber; proprietary Bible course and leadership training curriculum are combined with effective mentoring by ministry faculty of mature faith and advanced theological training. 
Learn more >

 04  ||  Disciplined Approach & Organizational Excellence

Christian Union seeks to honor the Lord, expand the ministry, and serve donors' intentions by maintaining a disciplined ministry model and a culture of strict accountability evidenced by detailed metrics, extensive evaluations, and continuous improvements to maximize ministry impact. 
Learn more >

A Process of Drawing Close to God 

Seeking the face of God is the process of drawing close to God, and therefore attracting His presence to your life and community. It is hard work to seek God's face, which takes time and effort like anything else worthy of pursuit in this life. Becoming a Christian is only the first step, and without diligently applying yourself, you will never draw close to the Lord or experience His presence and power in your life. 

To live what we call a Seeking God Lifestyle is to truly invest yourself in seeking digilently to discover what He loves and values, and connecting with Him in order to have those same values permeate your own heart. It's about knowing the heart of God, identifying with Him and carrying out His purposes. As you seek Him, He responds to you and comes upon your life in power so that you may fulfill your destiny and you and your community will be blessed.

You should know that it is costly to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. Not only does it take a lot of time and effort, but it means making His plans and purposes the focus of your life. It's disruptive, almost always entails some degree of suffering, and puts Him as Lord of your life instead of yourself.

Seven principles are found to characterize the lives of biblical believers, early Christians, and Christians today of many other nations. Seeking God with the energy that God expects of you will result in periodic fillings of the Holy Spirit in your life which you need for joy, revelation and victory over sin.

1. Humility

The Christian should humble himself/herself profoundly, taking advantage of the help that fasting provides. He should fast regularly (the first-century Christians fasted twice a week), and should fast for longer periods of time for special occasions (examples in the Bible include periods as long as three days, ten days, 40 days, 70 days, and 120 days).

2. Fervent and Frequent Prayer

Including Bible reading and memorization, a Christian should spend two or three set times per day in prayer, totaling 1.5 to three hours, either alone or with others. This is in addition to time spent lifting up prayers throughout the day or before meals.

3. Massive Intake of Scripture

The amount of time a Christian should take in the Bible each day is explained in #2 above. Taking in the Scriptures includes reading the Bible, memorizing it, reciting it, meditating on it, listening to it, studying it, and listening to good sermons explaining it.

4. Personal and Corporate Repentence of Sins

Christ must be LORD of everything in your life including your sex life, your recreational life (it can't be so time-consuming that it crowds out your prayer and Bible reading), and your finances.

5. Obedience to God, Day by Day, Moment by Moment

Living a consistent righteous life over time draws God's presence.

6. Perseverance in Seeking After God Day After Day, Month After Month.

There's no way you can seek God wholeheartedly for a whole year and not see significant changes, but seeking God is not something to be pursued just for a year, but as a way of life for the rest of your life.

7. Gathering with Others

For your two or three set times per day praying and reading the Bible, join with other Christians as much as you can. Of the 14-21 times per week, try to join with others for many of those sessions. Additionally, set aside time for two week-long Christian conferences per year so that you stay strong in your devotion to Christ. Lastly, encourage and plead with others to join you in seeking the LORD.

Does a Christian really need to do all of the activities mentioned above? That depends on your perspective in two ways.

Christian Union

Matt Bennett

Founder and President, Christian Union
Cornell BS '88, Cornell MBA '89
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School MDiv '10

Matt Bennett is founder and president of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization with the mission to bring sweeping spiritual and cultural transformation to our nation and the world by developing and networking Christian leaders to make an impact for Christ. Christian Union focuses its activity on America's most selective and influential universities and on professionals in the nation's key cities.

A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned BS and MBA degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He worked for Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) at Princeton University for 12 years, and developed the ministry into one of the largest in the history of the Ivy League. In 2002, he founded Christian Union. The ministry has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, NPR, Christianity Today, and World Magazine. Matt currently resides in New York City.

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Ken Fish

Independent Board Member
Graduate of Princeton University
Masters of Divinity, Fuller Seminary
MBA, UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management

Ken Fish has more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive with Fortune 500 corporations specializing in corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, financial management and organizational transformation.

Throughout his life, Ken has worked with parachurch ministries, and in the 1980s he worked full-time for John Wimber for several years at Vineyard Ministries International (VMI). Among his duties at VMI, he worked on various aspects of the conferences that were a hallmark of the early Vineyard movement, including researching and ghost-writing for John Wimber. He has traveled extensively as a conference speaker, teaching on wide variety of topics ranging from leadership and spiritual formation, church growth and revival, biblical authority and exposition, to prophecy and healing and deliverance.

 

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Dian Naman

Independent Board Member
Alumna, Columbia University

Dian Naman is a wonderful woman of God and is a tremendous addition to the Board. She and her husband Vince first became acquainted with Christian Union through their children’s involvement. It started with Luke, a 2015 graduate of Dartmouth and an active participant in Christian Union activities, and then their youngest daughter Brianna, a 2017 graduate of Brown, who was also involved with Christian Union.

The Naman’s eldest daughters also attended Ivy League Schools but before Christian Union was fully formed and/or present at their respective universities. Natalia, the oldest, went to Princeton earning a BA in English, theater, and African-American Studies (2008). She also earned an MFA, Dramatic Writing from NYU in 2010. Julia attended Yale and graduated in 2012. Christian Union featured the all-Ivy family in CU: The Magazine in 2016.

While Vince is a proud Princetonian and is now a plastic surgeon, Dian attended Columbia University for nursing school and runs their medical clinic and spa, Chattahoochee Plastic Surgery. Dian and Vince have been generous advocates and financial supporters of CU over the years. They love the mission of Christian Union and enjoy the prayer and fasting initiatives from Day & Night. They have also hosted or been a key connector to CU events in Columbus, GA where they are pillars in their community.

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Winston Wu

Join the Movement to Change Culture

Give

When you give to Christian Union, you help evangelize an unreached people group - the relatively small number of men and women whose leadership choices affect the daily lives of millions and who help to shape culture, from the economy, to entertainment, to the legal system.

Help develop men and women of wholehearted devotion to God, and help them to build relational and professional networks that will increase Christian cultural influence .

Donate >

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Advocate

Refer Others

For culture to be transformed by the Gospel, thousands of believers must learn about and come alongside to support Christian Union’s strategic approach. Christian Union's primary way of communicating is through the free quarterly Christian Union Magazine and monthly prayer e-mails (recipients select which of the Christian Union university ministries they wish to hear from).

Those you refer do not need to be affliated with the eight universities where Christian Union operates. Your friend with a heart burdened to see culture change may be an exciting match for the mission of this ministry.

Send the address and/or e-mail address of those you think may be interested to receive these communications. Please include a first and last name. 

Referrals could include:

• • Friends
  • Alumni
  • Staff & Faculty
  • Parents
  • Churches
  • Foundations

 
Send your referral >

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Connect Students to Ministry

Let Christian Union know about incoming and current students at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Penn or Yale that would benefit from Christian leadership development. Christian Union faculty and student leaders are warmly welcoming of interested and curious students, inviting them to participate in the ministry in a variety of meaningful ways. 

Send student name >

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Engage with Your Alma Mater

If you are an alumni of Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Penn or Yale, you can have extraordinary influence with your alma mater. By being involved with your universities, you can have a powerful witness for Jesus Christ.

Some suggested ways to engage:

• Participate in alumni boards and activities
• Attend reunions
• Write respectfully to the administration or alumni magazine when Christian values need to be defended 

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Magazine Story Ideas

Christian Union seeks to inform readers about the spiritual activity at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Penn and Yale through Christian Union: The Magazine. Let the ministry know of opportunities and challenges for the Gospel at these universities. Share encouraging stories of alumni who are Christian leaders in their respective fields.

Send stories >

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Share Your Story

If you would like to share about your experience as a student, parent, donor or friend of Christian Union, please send in your story. The ministry may ask for permission to share it as an encouragement to others who are learning about Christian Union.

Send stories >

Seeking God matters.

Thank you for your interest in seeking God with Christian Union and joining us in praying for Christian Union's various ministries. Prayer and fasting are at the core of everything that Christian Union does. We are excited to share the Three Spiritualities, annual fasts and times of prayer, fasting resources, and a wealth of devotional materials. Please pray that God is glorified and that His name is lifted in all the ministry does.

The Three Spiritualites provide rich theological and biblical content to ground seeking God practices in the Word of God and spiritual exemplars like Paul or Daniel. The Three Spiritualities aim to cultivate a deep hunger for God, a commitment to spiritual disciplines, joyful obedience and repentance, and more. 

Fasting, in particular, is a powerful way of cultivating humility before God. Please consider joining fasts or beginning your own to seek God for this nation. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

For more resources on prayer and fasting, as well as information on Christian Union's upcoming fasts and events, visit cuamerica.org 



There are many ways we'd invite you to consider praying: 

• • To pray at a high level for Christian Union, please subscribe to our eNewsletter. It will arrive in your email box every other week, and include prayer requests for Christian Union's various ministries.
  • If you'd like more detailed prayer emails from specific Christian Union ministries, there are two ways to get them. If you send an email to prayer@christianunion.org with your email address and a list of which ministry prayer updates you'd like to receive, you will be subscribed. You can also scroll down and click on the cities or universities link to see the most recent prayer requests. You will also be able to subscribe to those pages.
  • Please join with other believers across America by signing up to pray for our nation at Christian Union America website.

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Christian Union Cities

Please pray that God would be glorified and move powerfully in and through the lives of each person involved in the ministry. Pray for those seeking to bring about cultural change in the city through their spheres of influence, that they would seek God with all their hearts. As Jesus reminded us, pray for laborers because the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Specific requests for Christian Union New York > 

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Christian Union Universities

Pray for Christian students, their non-Christian peers, Christian Union Bible courses, the various student organizations that Christian Union serves, and for God to move powerfully on these campuses in the hearts and minds of tomorrow's future leaders. 
 

Specific prayer requests >

Join Us in Asking God to Intervene

Psalm 127:1 reminds us that "unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." We are profoundly aware how reliant we are on God as we seek to make a difference for Him. Any lasting fruit will be the result of His work in the lives of those to whom we minister.



We count it a privilege to be involved in the lives of others. Would you please join us in praying for our various ministries?

CHRISTIAN UNION'S UNIVERSITY MINISTRIES

Brown University	Prayer Requests
Columbia University	Prayer Requests
Cornell University	Prayer Requests
Dartmouth College	Prayer Requests
Harvard College	Prayer Requests
Harvard Law	Prayer Requests
Princeton University	Prayer Requests
Stanford University	Prayer Requests
University of Pennsylvania	Prayer Requests
Yale University	Prayer Requests

Help Transform Lives and Culture for the Glory of God

The Mission

The mission of Christian Union is to transform our nation and the world by developing and connecting bold Christian leaders.

The Need

Christian Union is growing and seeks talented and motivated individuals to join the ministry in a variety of capacities.

Currently open positions are listed on pages in the menu in the left column of this page.