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ABOUT THE CENTER

We exist to cultivate Christian thought and life at Rice University.

An independent intellectual community rooted in Christian faith, serving Rice students & faculty

alongside local churches and campus ministries.

OUR VISION

The Rice Christian Study Center envisions a community where the life of the mind and the life of the Spirit meet—where students and faculty are welcomed into the love of Christ, formed in wisdom and wonder, and sent forth as lifelong disciples whose faith is deep enough to endure, broad enough to bless, and strong enough to shape the church, the university, and the world.

OUR MISSION

The Rice Christian Study Center equips students & faculty to integrate faith with academic, vocational, and artistic pursuits through WELCOME (creating spaces of belonging and community), WISDOM (being transformed by the renewing of our minds), & WONDER (finding our places in God' story).

OUR STORY

We are just getting started.

MARCH - NOV 2025

Began conversations with Rice University faculty & local churches pastors, Advisory Committee formed

SPRING 2026

Daily Office - RMC Chapel; hosted Dr. Elizabeth Rains & held first public lectures with Dr. Ben Witherington, III

MAY 2026

Became a registered student group at Rice University - finallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinally

JUNE 2026

Prospective Member - Consortium of Christian Study Centers, attended annual meeting in Madison, WI

FALL 2026

Beta-Launch Semester, lectures by Dr. Robert George and Dr. Warren Kinghorn, hosted Faculty-Student Lunch

OUR ECOSYSTEM

Better together.

The Rice Christian Study Center will not stand alone. We envision a robust theological center that serves as a connector and catalyst for the work of Christ on the Rice campus, strengthening and complementing the efforts of local churches, campus ministries, and Christian leaders.

What we believe: The Rice Christian Study Center stands within the historic, orthodox Christian faith. We joyfully affirm the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds as faithful summaries of Holy Scripture and the shared confession of the church across the ages. Our gatherings are open to all, whether Christian, seeking, or skeptical.

Read our full statement of faith

OUR PEOPLE

Students, faculty, and church leaders, together.

Executive Director

Rev. Dr. Creighton Alexander

Creighton serves with a growing team of students, faculty, and local church leaders to launch the Center. He brings nearly three decades of experience in higher education as a campus pastor, fellow, and professor, with a commitment to biblical, purposeful, and transformative ministry and leadership development.

He is a John Wesley Fellows Scholar-in-Residence at the School of Christian Thought at Houston Christian University. He holds a B.A., Texas Tech University; an M.Div., Asbury Theological Seminary; and a Ph.D., University of Kansas.

OUR MOVEMENT

Part of a fifty-year tradition.

University-based Christian study centers, influenced by L’Abri and the lay theological education movement led by Regent College, first emerged in North America in the 1970s and 1980s. The earliest include the Center for Christian Study at UVA (1975), New College Berkeley (1977), and the MacLaurin Institute at Minnesota, now called Anselm House (1982).

Today there are 37 Christian study centers across the United States and the United Kingdom, including centers at Yale, Michigan, UNC, Georgetown, Texas, and MIT.