How can we help?
Our Vision:
Collegiate Abbey seeks to raise up and empower shepherds on the campus of the University of Tennessee. These shepherds initiate relationships with spiritual seekers who find a person of faith willing to pray and respond with wisdom and understanding to his or her questions about how to live spiritually in a world of ambiguity and distraction.
Our strategy is to connect, shepherd, and sustain university leadership and shepherds through individual relationships as well as weekly and monthly gatherings, resources, and training.
“Collegiate Abbey is serving a niche in our university system that has been deeply needed for quite some time. The importance of resourcing and cultivating healthy leaders cannot be overestimated.”
-Joan Cronan Women’s Athletic Director Emeritus
“Collegiate Abbey helps me connect my faith with my work. Their ministry assures me that I am not alone. This community helps me to live out my faith to my co-workers."
-UT Ag Econ Professor
Collegiate Abbey is an organization that helps us to dream big, and do great things that I truly believe make our world a better place. I am grateful for the example and support that they provide for our faculty, staff, and students at The University of Tennessee.
-Former Director of the Jones Center for Leadership and Service
I very much appreciate what Collegiate Abbey stands for as well as the action I see under its core values of “grow, shepherd and serve”. I truly feel that Collegiate Abbey is open to people regardless of where they are on their faith journey and it is reassuring to see an entity that cares about our entire campus of students, faculty, and staff.
-Former Assistant Director of the Center for Leadership and Service.
"Collegiate Abbey aims to foster spiritual health for every person at our university, not just those who are in a particular age range or belong to specific departments or organizations. They recognize service to and dialogue with everyone at the university helps foster a better university.”
-Former Director of Development
"The bridges Collegiate Abbey is building with this influential but mostly unserved population is helping to pave the way in really unique and unprecedented ways for the rest of us campus ministries and the gospel of Jesus."
-Campus Minister
Why Shepherds?
We don’t talk a lot about shepherds in our western culture. However, shepherding is one of the oldest professions and is the oldest symbol of Christ prior to the cross. In the Old Testament and Ancient Near East culture, leaders were frequently described as shepherds of their people.
As we look at the rapid changes in our society and culture we see our “flocks” faced with challenges that many shepherds have never had to navigate before. Although not new, wolves are present and prowling and their dangers are enhanced by technology. At times there seems to be an increasing distance between the green pastures and still water that people are in such desperate need of receiving. Healthy shepherds navigate these dangers and help bring about the flourishing of the flocks entrusted to their care on a daily basis.
Let's work together
Partnership is one of the key pillars of the work that Collegiate Abbey does on the University campus and within our city. If you are interested in exploring a potential partnership or if we can help in some other way, please reach out to us!
Collegiate Abbey
502 South Gay Street suite 404
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902