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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Ed Morgan

Independent Board Member
bio coming soon

 

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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.

Opportunities to Develop as Christian Leaders

From conferences, to campus-specific Christian leadership development, to summer ministry opportunities, Christian Union offers students opportunities to grow year-round.

Nexus: The Christian Union Congress on Faith and Action 

Every year students from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale are invited to attend a life-changing weekend of dynamic worship and world-class speakers. Over the course of the weekend, students will be challenged to think deeply about their faith, to consider how they might put that faith into action right now on their campuses, to recognize how God can use them in the vocation they pursue to impact culture for Christ, and to grow closer in faith and devotion to Jesus Christ in fellowship with like-minded peers. Nexus website >

Year-Round Opportunities

Christian Union works with undergraduate student organizations at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale and and with graduate students at Harvard Law School.

Christian Union's high-caliber ministry fellows serve these organizations by developing and training Christian leaders to make a difference in the nation's culture and throughout the world. Learn more about the ministry at your university here.

Summer Opportunities

Christian Union is offering five unique summer opportunities to students for summer 2017. International projects offer very different types of ministry experiences in Uganda, Israel, and El Salvador. In the United States, there is a project for students interested in deepening their Christian worldview, and one for students who have secured summer internships in New York City.

Explore these opportunities at Christian Union's Summer Project site, CUthisSummer.com >

The Ivy League Christian Observer

Download past issues of the Ivy League Christian Observer below. Each of the below links will download the issue to your computer in the Adobe pdf file format. 

	Volume XII | Issue 4 | Fall 2013
	Volume XII | Issue 3 | Summer 2013
	Volume XII | Issue 2 | Spring 2013
	Volume XII | Issue 1 | Winter 2013
	Volume XI | Issue 4 | Fall 2012
	Volume XI | Issue 3 | Summer 2012
	Volume XI | Issue 2 | Spring 2012
	Volume XI | Issue 1 | Winter 2012
	Volume X | Issue 4 | Fall 2011
	Volume X | Issue 3 | Summer 2011
	Volume X | Issue 2 | Spring 2011
	Volume X | Issue 1 | Winter 2011
	Volume IX | Issue 4 | Fall 2010
	Volume IX | Issue 3 | Summer 2010
	Volume IX | Issue 2 | Spring 2010
	Volume IX | Issue 1 | Winter 2010

 at Brown University

The Adoniram Judson Ministry Center at Brown is used by campus Christian ministries for fellowship, meals, Bible studies, prayer, training, and administrative work. Learn more about Adoniram Judson in this article from Christian Union: The Magazine.

Judson Center
Address: 168 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI  02916

Christian Scholarship and Apologetics 

Tennent Media is a partnership between Christian Union and students on various campuses with the purpose of publicizing the remarkable life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Tennent Media is named after William Tennent, who led a school for itinerant evangelists during the first Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s.  He trained students in Neshaminy, Pennsylvania, and his death and the subsequent closing of his school led to the founding of Princeton University.

At different times, the students involved have created Web sites for other students, and have created and placed ads in student newspapers.

Ads for—and by—Students

Here are ten examples of ads placed in the Cornell student paper, written by Cornell University students. Similar ads, written by Yale, Harvard and Princeton students, have been run in their respective newspapers:

1. Life: God made us and gave us life to know and enjoy him
2. Life 2: A love that lasts, a purpose to life, eternity in our hearts... because God made us for a relationship in Him
3. Death: We have forsaken our relationship with God by rejecting Him, resulting in spiritual death
4. Death 2: Loneliness, war, addiction, grief, despair, racism, death... the experience of separation from God
5. New Life: God's loving initiative in his son Jesus Christ offers us new life in a renewed relationship with God
6. New Life: God became human in Jesus Christ
7. New Life: Jesus died the death we deserve to offer us forgiveness and new life
8. New Life: Reconciled, freed, healed, accepted, made whole, given new life... because Jesus took what was mine and gave me what was His
9. Life or Death: We must choose to trust in Jesus in order to receive new life from God
10. Life or Death: Two ways to respond to Jesus

A Free Online Publication

Welcome to The Magazine, Christian Union's online publication of ministry updates, feature stories, and news. Christian Union orignially launched a quarterly magazine, the Ivy League Christian Observer to report on what God was doing at the eight schools that make up the Ivy League. As the scope of Christian Union's ministry grew, the quarterly publication was re-named Christian Union: The Magazine. As Christian Union has continued to evolve and grow so has our desire to provide content to readers and ministry partners in a more current manner, leading us to the launch of our current online publication.

Some readers may be disappointed that the print version has ceased to exist, but many have written expressing their desire for online content that is both more easily accessible and sustainable. An archive of past issues is available and can be found in the left column of this page.

The goals of The Magazine are unchanged: to inform Christian alumni, staff, faculty, students, parents, community members, supporters, and friends about the spiritual state of America's most influential universities from a Christian perspective, to encourage followers of Christ to seek God wholeheartedly, and to keep friends of the ministry updated about Christian Union's work to develop Christian leaders to transform culture.

The newly-reimagined The Magazine will feature new articles, features, and updates in an ongoing manner each week. Best articles will be highlighted in our bi-weekly eNewsletter and the ministry emails to subscribers.

If you do not currently subscribe to the eNewsletter, please subscribe here to receive a digest of encouraging and challenging content from a wide range of sources as well as from The Magazine. Alternatively, visit The Magazine's new front page, here.

Protection of Human Life

In virtue of being created in the image of God, human life is sacred. We furthermore affirm that human life begins at conception. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.

Opposition to Racial Discrimination

In virtue of being created in the image of God, people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and races are of equal worth. Furthermore, the diversity of human cultures, languages, experiences, and individual makeup is intended by God and showcases his creativity and diversity. Jesus has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, uniting them in himself in a glorious display of God’s love and unity. Therefore Christians have the responsibility to oppose any form of ethnic, national, or racial discrimination.

Care for the Poor

In virtue of being created in the image of God, people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and statuses are of equal worth. Furthermore, God defends the cause of the fatherless, the widow, the alien, and the poor, and Christ rescued us when we were poor and helpless. Those who have been made new in Christ and who seek to serve God will likewise defend the cause of the oppressed and show compassion to the poor. Therefore Christians have the responsibility to aid the poor and needy.

Stewardship of the Environment

In virtue of the earth being created by God and graciously given to humanity as its habitat and physical means of sustenance for the purposes of human flourishing, Christians have the responsibility to steward the environment in a way that brings glory to God and shows love to others.

Justice and Integrity in Government

In virtue of God’s governance of world affairs, his desire for justice, and the Christian’s call to pray for government leaders for the sake of peaceful and just societies, Christians have the responsibility to seek integrity among government officials and that they would promote justice in broader society.

Financial Generosity

In virtue of God’s generosity and the biblical call to love God more than money, to be generous, and to steward resources wisely, Christians have the responsibility to avoid greed, consumerism, and materialism and to give generously and sacrificially for the sake of making disciples of Jesus Christ, relieving human suffering, and blessing others.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, became poor for our sake, that through his poverty we might become rich. These riches––physical, spiritual, relational, and otherwise––Christ gives to his church in part even now and in their fullness in the life to come. When we sow these riches bountifully, using the varied abundance God has given each of us to supply the needs of others, we will also reap bountifully. God will multiply our seed for sowing and increase the harvest of our righteousness, enriching us to be generous in every way. We therefore joyfully affirm God’s principle that we reap what we sow, for our joy and good and for his glory, and we thank God for this inexpressible gift!

However, God makes his grace and gifts abound to us not so that we may serve our remaining selfishness or greed, but so that we may abound in good works and increase the harvest of our righteousness. We also recognize that the Holy Spirit distributes the varied gifts and riches of God through Christ’s merit, not our own, and sovereignly, as he wills and not necessarily as we will. Furthermore, we will nevertheless face trouble in this world until our Lord comes again to renew it. The chief and only assured blessing among these riches is restored fellowship God, now and forever. We therefore deny any teaching that offers blessings of our choosing––health, wealth, or any other––as God’s assured promises in this life.

Affirmation of the Image of God in Male and Female

In virtue of all people being created uniquely, distinctly, and equally in the image of God as male and female and being called to live holy lives with respect to sexuality, Christians have the responsibility to affirm marriage, legally and morally as exclusively between one man and one woman as the only place for legitimate expression of God’s gift of sexuality. Christian ministers are obligated to teach and defend God’s truth in these matters. They have no recourse to allow other Christians or Christian ministers to hold views different than those stated above, without refuting them. Furthermore, all Christians have the responsibility to flee all manner of sexual immorality, including fornication, pornography, adultery, and homosexuality in their personal lives and romantic relationships.

See also our Statement of Faith

An Effective Way to Meet an Urgent Need

Christian Union was founded in 2002 to develop and connect transformative Christian leaders. This video (4:00) explains the strategic importance of focusing considerable attention and effort on spiritual renewal at some of the nation's most influential universities. 


Christian Union focuses its energy on developing Christian leaders at the leading universities in America and select cities because of their extraordinary influence on our culture and society. For instance, out of the 3,039 four-year colleges and universities in the country, 68 percent of the most influential leaders in our nation come from the top one percent of schools. Graduates from these schools also have an extraordinary influence on the international scene.

Although some leading universities were founded on Christian conviction, they have become intensely secular. {tweetme}While students are academically bright, they know little about Jesus Christ. Fewer than 10 percent will experience any Christian ministry regularly during their student years.{/tweetme} Even with the help of local churches and national campus ministries, the proportion of Christian involvement and impact on these campuses has not changed in 50 years. 

New approaches and energy are urgently needed.

A Strategic Approach

Christian Union takes a unique approach, employing highly qualified ministry faculty and producing an exceptional curriculum to develop Christian leaders. The ministry helps students and professionals discover the intellectual validity of Christian faith, the profound joy of seeking God wholeheartedly, and the practical skills to become significantly more impactful in their spheres of influence. Currently, Christian Union works with students at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard College, Harvard Law School, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.

The second part of Christian Union's strategy, beyond working at these key universities, is to develop networks of Christian leaders—alumni from Christian Union ministries and graduate students and professionals—in key cities, including New York City. The pages of history reveal that even small groups of committed, passionate Christian leaders have impacted their respective cultures in different eras.

If you are interested in strengthening Christian influence in the United States, please consider becoming a financial partner, praying, or connecting like-minded friends and colleagues to the ministry.

Learn More

Christian Union is: 
Developing Leaders >
With Spiritual Depth >
In Strategic Places >
For Cultural Engagement > 

To Change the World >  

Developing Christian Leaders. Sharing the Vision.

Please select from the following teams to learn about those who lead Christian Union for organizational excellence; those who develop Christian leaders; and those who share the vision for culture change with supporters.

• • Board of Trustees
  • Executive Leadership
  • Christian Union Cities
    
  • Christian Union Universities
  • Christian Union America
  • Communications
  • Development  
  • Operations

Email any member of the Christian Union team by using the following convention: Firstname.Lastname@ChristianUnion.org.

Christian Union: The Magazine

Read past issues of Christian Union: The Magazine (formerly the Ivy League Christian Observer).

Information to help you through the process.

Thank you for considering a gift of real estate to Christian Union.

Christian Union welcomes gifts of real estate, including land or buildings. These gifts may provide significant benefits for the donor as well as for the ministry. Depending on the type of gift, a donor may enjoy tax savings, lifetime payments and freedom from carrying costs, once the real estate is sold. Real estate gifts require more planning than gifts of cash or marketable securities. The ministry will need some time to gather necessary information and to evaluate legal and financial issues before making a decision with respect to accepting a gift of real estate. If the ministry does decide to accept a gift of real estate, donors should be aware that the sale of donated property requires patience and realistic pricing. Please review the following information with your tax and legal advisors.

Talk to a member of Christian Union's development team

We will need to know the type of property you are thinking of donating as well as the method of making the gift.

For example:

• An outright gift of your real estate.
• A gift of real estate into a trust that provides payments to you or beneficiaries you designate. This is called a charitable remainder trust.
• A gift of real estate wherein you retain certain interests, such as the right to live in your home for the duration of your life, and give the remainder to the ministry.

The Office of Gift Planning can give you further information about the tax and financial benefits of these and other gift methods.

Provide Information and Documents to Christian Union

Because legal restrictions may limit the ability of the ministry to own or sell a parcel of real estate, the ministry must review all relevant information before deciding whether to accept a gift of real estate.

Information and documents required for review include:

1. Copy of the deed to the property.
2. Copy of any condominium agreements, restrictive covenants, leases and/or management agreements.
3. Copy of a current real estate appraisal by a qualified real estate appraiser. (See below)
4. Copy of any property tax statements and insurance policies.
5. A completed questionnaire (which we will provide to the donor) regarding environmental issues.
6. Estimated or actual carrying costs for the real estate. These costs include property taxes, insurance and maintenance, and depending on the type of property, this may include utilities, grounds care, snow removal, caretaker fees and condominium fees. In addition, the ministry will conduct a title search at the ministry's expense.

Obtain a "Qualified Appraisal"

The donor will need to obtain a "qualified appraisal," as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and provide a copy to Christian Union for its review. The qualified appraisal is required by the IRS for the donor to substantiate the value of the gift and receive a charitable tax deduction. For IRS filing requirements the qualified appraisal must be dated not more than sixty days before the date of a gift. If more than sixty days elapse between the date of appraisal and the date of gift, the donor will need to have the qualified appraisal updated for tax filing purposes. The cost of the qualified appraisal is borne by the donor. In some cases this cost can be deducted.

Give Christian Union Time to Review and Accept the Gift

Once the ministry has all the necessary information, the ministry's Committee for Gifts of Real Estate will conduct a due diligence review in order to decide whether to accept the gift. Typically, we will keep the donor informed about the timing and the process by phone and follow up with a confirmatory letter.

Make Arrangements to Transfer The Property to the Ministry

Once the proposed gift has been approved, the ministry will coordinate with the donor and the donor's legal advisors to arrange the closing and transfer of title. The donor's legal advisors will prepare and record the deed and any related documents because of their knowledge of local law and procedures. The ministry will assist by providing draft language for the documents, particularly language with respect to retained life estates and charitable remainder trusts. The date of gift is usually the date on which title to the property is transferred to the ministry (except that in certain states the date of gift is the date the transfer is recorded).

Consider Carrying Costs and Transfer Taxes

Just as the donor is responsible for carrying costs prior to the gift, carrying costs (see previous page) will generally continue to be the donor's responsibility until the property is sold by the ministry If the donor retains a life estate in the property, the donor will be responsible for carrying costs as long as the donor lives or until the donor releases the life estate. If a gift is to a charitable remainder trust, the donor will be responsible for making additional contributions to the trust to cover the carrying costs until the trust sells the property. Realty transfer taxes, assessed in many states and some local jurisdictions on the transfer of title, will be the donor's responsibility as well. If a gift is to a charitable remainder trust, realty transfer taxes may be payable on the initial gift and again on the sale of real estate by the trust. In such a case, the donor will be responsible for both realty transfer taxes. Note that the donor's gift to a charitable remainder trust to cover carrying costs and realty transfer taxes is considered an additional charitable contribution, a portion of which is generally deductible for tax purposes.

Understand IRS Reporting Requirements

The ministry cannot provide tax advice but can assist the donor's tax advisors with the calculation of the donor's charitable tax deduction. Please bear in mind that gifts of remainder interests will limit the donor's deduction to a portion of the appraised value of the real estate. The donor is responsible for substantiating his/her charitable tax deduction for the gift of real estate by obtaining a qualified appraisal (described above). The appraisal is used to prepare IRS Form 8283, which the ministry will sign and the donor is required to file with his/her tax return for the year in which the deduction is claimed. The IRS may disallow a deduction if Form 8283 is not filed. If the ministry sells donated property within three years of the gift date, the ministry must disclose the sale price by filing IRS Form 8282. In such an event, the ministry would send a copy of the completed Form 8282 to the donor.

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For Assistance

If you need assistance with any of these giving opportunities, call a donor representative at: 1-609-688-1700 Option 2 or email giving@christianunion.org.

The following videos are not directly about Christian Union's work, but rather provide context and historical background for those interested.

Part 1

An informative lecture on Christianity in the Ivy League, the first of two videos (6:24). 

Part 2

The conclusion of the lecture on Christianity in the Ivy League (7:26).