“I want to do the academic thing, don’t get me wrong. But when I step into that classroom, I’m there for the students. I’m there to serve them,” Clayton Carver said.
Carver is the newest addition to the Biblical Studies, Christian Ministries, Intercultural Studies and Philosophy department at Taylor. He was hired on an 18-month contract, filling in for both Koert Verhagen and Kevin Diller as they go on their respective sabbaticals.
Carver spent the last 10 years working in church ministry. He received his bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University and his master’s Degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He completed his doctoral studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky.
Born and raised in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Carver was taught by his Christian parents to follow Christ.
“I grew to realize that my life really was a blessing,” he said. “What a privilege it was to grow up in a house where I was raised to know and love the Lord.”
Even though he was baptized at 9 years old, he didn’t take his faith to be his own until later. Halfway through his undergraduate studies, he changed his major to general education and headed to seminary, where he began working in ministry.
Carver brings an important aspect to his department: his love and attention for students. When teaching a class like Contemporary Christian Belief, it is important for the professor to acknowledge that humans are more than just their brains, Bradley Seeman, associate professor and program director of philosophy, said.
“We are shaped by our desires. We’re shaped by the things that we value, the things that we find attractive,” Seeman said.
While interviewing the applicants, this frame of seeing human beings and what motivates them was apparent in Dr. Carver.
The department’s ethos is of bringing philosophy and theology into deep conversations. This was something they were looking for in the many candidates who applied for the position, and Carver met this standard, Seeman said.
“I was in seminary, and so that’s where I thought my life was going,” Carver said. “But after I got into the doctorate program, I realized that I felt like my real fit was in a classroom and academic work.”
He said the classroom is a place where ministry could be had. Carver’s work in the church had been fulfilling and God-focused, but he saw a need to reach students in the classrooms that were shaping and preparing them for their futures.
Despite his motivation to teach, Carver recognized that some aspects would be difficult. Although he has experience as an adjunct professor in higher education, he has never held a full-time position as a professor before his time at Taylor.
“There is going to be a lot of growth for me,” he said. “On the personal end, this has been a bit of a leap of faith. I feel like the Lord has led me into academia; this is a door that He has opened for me. But it’s a door that has swung open and will close.”
Carver said this season requires a lot of faith on his end. While he is teaching college seniors to take next steps in their lives with faith and open hands, he has been given the opportunity to do the same in his own life.
Carver’s strategy going into this year has been to keep his mindset simple; “I’m here for them,” he said. Taylor is about student leaders, Carver said, and he wants to embody that.
As Carver walks into this new chapter, he intends to continue his pursuit of academic endeavors. He wants to write for different journals and finish the book he is working on.
“I think he’ll (Carver) be a real asset to the philosophy program,” Seeman said. “I think it’ll be fun to pull in the same direction together, and we are excited to have him.”
