Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature

Hours and Expected Teaching Load: 40 hours/week (1.0 FTE), 20 credit hours per academic year

Accountability: Reports to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty and to the Chair of the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies

Position Summary:  Western Seminary is seeking an Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature. The successful candidate will be a member of Western’s Center for Biblical and Theological Studies (CBTS).

Location: Candidates local to the Portland area preferred. Remote candidates will be considered from certain states. Travel is required at least 3 times per year. This position is not open to remote work for those who reside in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, or internationally.

Essential Duties/Functions:

• Teach both Master’s and Doctoral-level courses in Old Testament literature (introduction, survey, specific books), Hebrew language and exegesis, and other related topics, and supervise Th.M. theses in these areas.
• The instructor should be prepared to teach in various modalities, including traditional/residential, immersive cohorts, and online (including both synchronous/live and asynchronous/pre-recorded formats).
• The instructor will be expected to deliver course content in ways that contribute to contextualized learning experiences that support the education and formation of students within and/or in partnership with their local church contexts. In all cases, the approach to teaching should seek to bridge the gap between biblical scholarship and ministry practice, oftentimes by working collaboratively with local ministry partners. The individual will also actively participate in their academic department (the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies) and the Seminary community at large. This will include responsibilities such as:
  • mentoring students (academically, spiritually, vocationally)
  • attending faculty meetings and retreats
  • serving in select administrative roles and/or on various faculty committees
  • participating in commencement ceremonies
  • engaging in research and scholarship (ideally aimed at both the academy and the church)
  • contributing as able to student recruitment efforts, and serving as an ambassador for Western by helping to build Western’s outward-facing brand (e.g., through public speaking and media opportunities) and participating in local community events through which Western seeks to build relational bridges with the local church community

Qualifications:

• Education: Completed Ph.D. in Old Testament Language and Literature (ABD candidates may be considered.)
• Experience: Demonstrated experience and skill teaching both in the classroom and online, as well as evidence of scholarly contributions, student mentorship, and ministerial engagement (Prior pastoral experience a plus.)
• Doctrine: Ability to affirm Western’s Faculty Teaching Position sincerely and without qualification or reservation
• Irenicism: Strong value for engaging students and colleagues across disagreement (theologically or otherwise) in a collegial, non-divisive way, eager to help foster a warm, inclusive, robustly dialogical community spirit within the parameters of Western’s statements of faith (World Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith for students and staff, the Faculty Teaching Position for faculty)
• Character and Church: Displays a vibrant and mature, yet still growing, Christian faith, maintains a morally upright lifestyle consistent with the expectations for faculty character and conduct described in Western’s Faculty Handbook, committed to and actively involved in one’s local church
• Technology: Experience with Microsoft Suite, Moodle, and Zoom preferred.

Desired Start Date: Aug. 15, 2026 (in time for the fall semester, which begins Sept. 5, 2026)

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Application: To be considered for this position, please submit all required application materials as listed on the Faculty Employment Application to Kendra Huntington, Administrative Coordinator for Counseling and Academics ([email protected]). Applications can be found online at https://www.westernseminary.edu/about/employment.

Application Deadline: May 25, 2026, or until position is filled

Further Information:  Dr. John Kwak, VP of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty ([email protected])