Professor Project: Jennifer Scott
Bethel Believer. Truth Teacher.
By Maddie Christy | Multimedia journalist
Meet Jennifer Scott. Scott grew up in Edina, MN in what she would call a non-Christian home. Often finding herself in circumstances outside looking in at people of faith she came to want what they had. She desired the ‘that’ and ‘it’ factor of their lives. Scott saw Bethel as ‘that’. She earned her undergrad Youth Ministry degree here, and went on to receive her masters degree in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary. She has been at Bethel ever since.
First, working in campus ministries until transitioning to teaching as an adjunct in the BTS department for the past 14 years. Now, in addition to teaching, Scott just began her new role as Assistant Director of Alumni and Family Relations in June. She is a supporter, believer and fan of Bethel and it’s students. For her, Bethel is the real deal. That’s why she chooses to teach here and to work to foster Bethel’s mission.
How did you end up coming to Bethel as a student?
“This camp that I went to had some staff that were older than me that went to Bethel. I had never heard of Bethel before them. I was planning on going to the University of North Dakota. I had a roommate and deposit there. I was ready to go. But then I visited Bethel and just knew this was where I wanted to go. And financially it just ended up working out. It wasn’t against my parents will for me to come here. But I don’t think they were super excited about helping to fund that kind of expense, especially when I could have gone to a public school for less. But I know they would say it was a great decision and they are proud of me and glad I made that choice.”
Can you give a little background on how you got to this point in your professional life?
“I was working in campus ministries while I was finishing up my masters degree. I was planning to quit that soon, and I was just trying to figure out if i was going to go to the church route or nonprofit or something else. I was for sure resigning from campus ministries because it was too much work for my young family. So I didn’t really have a plan. I knew I wanted to be in some kind of vocational ministry I just wasn’t sure what that was going to look like. So then I had a seminary professor ask me if I would ever consider doing a Ph.D. program and I didn’t think I would right away because I had a little kid and I wanted to have more kids and I didn’t see how that would work. He thought I should consider being an adjunct to try out teaching and see if I liked it. So, that’s when I started the whole process of teaching as an adjunct, and now here I am 14 years later and still teaching at Bethel. As an adjunct, you’re part-time and you’re focused and you don’t have to do the department stuff. It felt just good for me. As I moved on I realized I didn’t want to do a Ph.D. program. That was more the academic cerebral route and I wanted to be more academic practical. So when I figured that out, I took a job with my church in a pastoral role. I was the Community Life Pastor and just felt like that was a good fit because I was still able to teach. So I could do teaching part time and pastoring part time and then when it came to this new role in Alumni and Family Relations it was a way for me to pastor and care for Bethel families and alumni. Now they don’t call me pastor but that’s how I look at it! It feels like this is the whole thing. The total package deal.”
“In a way I chose it, and in a way it chose me.”
Why Bethel? Why teach here?
“So I met with the head of the BTS department here at Bethel when I first decided to try teaching. I didn’t consider other places only because at the time Northwestern wasn’t hiring women to teach in their Bible programs and I had a pretty narrow focus so I knew that I was going to have to be at a Christian school. It wasn’t like I only did Bethel out of default because I really did believe in what Bethel offered to students and still really wanted to be part of what Bethel was doing. In a way I chose it, and in a way it chose me. I chose it because it felt like a great way to get my feet wet in teaching. I felt like I loved the students and I didn’t really want to fall out of student contact after leaving campus ministries. It gave me kind of a chance to pour into a pretty concentrated group. I was able to really do a great job in a limited area. So, why Bethel? Because I still believe in its mission. I believe it’s the real deal. I feel like students are really trying to figure out who they are, who God is in their life and how they intersect God’s word with their vocation and their families and just all of it.”
Why do you teach?
“I would hope that anyone in teaching a basic econ or intro to writing would feel the same way, and that is I feel like God’s given me an interest area and I hope to teach is to students so they can use that as a foundational stepping stone to the rest of their studies. Because my content is scripture I hope it goes beyond their time at Bethel. I hope that this particular class truly gives them a confidence in reading the scriptures for themselves for the rest of their lives … I love reading the scriptures and I think it’s truth and I think it points way to real life and so if I can give students the confidence to figure that out for themselves and to explore the scriptures themselves then that’s why I teach.”
What’s your most embarrassing teaching story?
“Thankfully, I have short accounts for being mad at people and for embarrassing myself. I can’t think of anything specific, even though I know there has been small stuff that has happened. I have definitely sworn on accident a few times trying to say sit or as. ”
“If people can learn to feel confident integrating their faith and their studies in some way through an intro to the bible course then that’s a success.”
What’s been one big success or failure in your career?
“I think success for me is when I talk to an alumni later on who remembers taking my Bible class and still uses what they learned. When people can say they loved not just the class, but the content, that is really important to me. That feels like I succeeded in teaching them something real and applicable and important. If people can learn to feel confident integrating their faith and their studies in some way through an introduction to the Bible course then that’s a success. As for failures, I’ve had a lot. If I think about my early teaching, I just I tried to do too much and so students would be overwhelmed and not get as much out of the class. I think there were times that I could have paid more attention to students that were struggling and followed up with student life. I knew something was off but wasn’t confident that it was my place to do something or say something. And so there are some students I’m pretty sure slipped through the cracks and I wish that they hadn’t on my watch. When I think about failure it’s almost always related to something interpersonal, I don’t ever think about how I blew this or that lecture. To me it’s more important that the students are getting cared for.”
If you weren’t a professor what would you do as an occupation?
“Well I think I’m doing it! Somewhere in the area of pastoral care, community life, helping people see their gifts and use their gifts. Just the helping profession of some sort. Or I’d be a realtor! Which is also in the helping profession. I would flip houses just because I like that stuff and I’m good at it and I think I could have done that and done well for myself.”
“I feel like God has just dropped pools of people along my path.”
What or who has influenced you the most?
“I mean that’s a ridiculous question. So many things. I did not grow up in a Christian home, so I didn’t have faith influence in my home growing up, but someway somehow I found myself in situations where I was an outsider looking in to people of faith and I would be like I want what they have- not even being able to articulate what it was. At first it was going to a young life camp as a kid, we didn’t participate in any of the young life stuff, we just used the resort. It was weird and I was like I don’t know what it is but that’s what I want. And then I got to go to a Christian camp, and it was the same thing, I don’t know what it is but that’s what I want. And enough of those experiences taught me what ‘that’ was and it is an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ, and so once I figured out the what, the people around me built that up.
Specifically though, our campus pastor when I was in college, a few professors both in college and seminary, and my husband. I feel like God has just dropped pools of people along my path, once I figured out it was Jesus that I wanted. But I would say specifically Dr. Clark from the seminary, he was the one who asked if I would ever consider teaching. Mike Holmes at the college who gave me a chance and said he thought I could do it- vocationally, those helped shape and influence me.”
If you could have any superpower what would it be?
“I would have all my family chores done so that I could only enjoy time with my family. Because it turns out that hiring people to do the jobs that are necessary to keep the household going are super expensive to hire. As it is, I do have someone who does my laundry and someone who lets my dogs out. It’s not enough, there is more needed!”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“I started seminary right after college, and then I met my husband and he was in grad school and then we got married and we decided that I would step out of school so he could finish. Then I got pregnant with our first son and I had like a year and some of my three year program done. I thought about just letting it go because I thought I really wanted to be home, but I didn’t know. A friend of ours said, “Jennifer needs to finish that program because you never know what it’s going to open up. It’s a key on her keychain that you don’t know what doors it will open, but if you don’t have the key it will never open anything.” My husband and I were really prayerful about whether or not I should finish, but when I heard that it was like I knew I had to finish. And I am just so thankful, because it did unlock a door that I never considered as a career. And I feel like that career has led me to doing this alumni and family relations job and it’s all just come full circle.”
“I am pro-chapel … This is your one little window to really pour into this early maturing thing that is your adult faith and I wish more students would take advantage of it.”
What’s something you would change about Bethel? Why?
“Honestly, require chapel. I know it sounds so counter intuitive, and I know that’s a reason a lot of students end up coming here instead of other schools because of that freedom. But I feel like students are so busy and so driven to do well academically that that almost becomes a priority. It’s like students can’t afford to go to chapel because this have a paper or test. And I don’t even think it’s like we’re trying to be rebellious by saying screw chapel or I don’t care and it doesn’t matter. It’s this pressure students put on themselves to succeed academically, and so they look at chapel time and think I just can’t afford to give that up. But I feel like you just can’t afford to not participate in that for these four years! You are paying so much to come to a Christian school, and you’re missing out on a really key thing that could help you think critically about so many things. And worship, and pray, and receive healing, and teaching, and all that stuff. I just am so sad for all the students that don’t participate in chapel. Most schools have required chapel. And maybe we wouldn’t require every day. But just a certain amount every semester. And I know that it’s never going to happen, but I’m gonna be counter cultural. I am pro-chapel. Because the world is so calling, you’re 23 and that’s it, you’re done for the rest of your life. This is your one little window to really pour into this early maturing thing that is your adult faith and I wish more students would take advantage of it.”
Do you have any critiques of Bethel’s student community?
“I can’t say that I know enough about the community to give a critique … Maybe that too many students go home on weekends and it’s a disservice to the rest of the students who are around. If my son goes here we are not letting him come home. We’ll take him out to dinner, but he isn’t coming home to snuggle up in his bed. You’re going to college. Just stay on campus. Go up north with your friends, find someone who has a cabin, go do something with the people that you came to school with. Just be all in! I think, wherever you are, do all of it.”
“I’m a fan of the covenant ... But I would definitely change the clarity of expectations.”
Would you change anything about the Bethel Covenant?
“I’m a fan of the covenant. When I was a student the covenant was different. There wasn’t any dancing allowed. Obviously you can dance now. And I think it seems appropriate that you can be 21, off campus, not taking classes, and be allowed to drink in the summers or Christmas break. And that’s because the next year you are out in the world having to figure out happy hours with friends and colleagues and how to do it appropriately. Watching how people do it well and not so well is not a bad thing. Even if you chose not to partake it’s helpful to maybe see the stupidity of people who are partaking. But I would not have alcohol or other substance use allowed during the school year because I just feel like that sets up underclassmen for failure. If you’re off campus and you’re of age, but your friend isn’t of age it just changes the atmosphere for underclassman. I think during the school year you should abstain for the sake of the community. But I would definitely change the clarity of expectations. There are so many students that aren’t sure. That don’t even get why we have the covenant. Everything works better with a story. So talking to students who have done it well and students who have made mistakes is helpful for the why behind it instead of just a board trustees who are making these decisions out of context of students lives.”
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“Since I just started this job, I told my boss lets stay on track for 15 years. Let’s commit to 15 years of really growing our alumni base, our engagement, and let’s really grow what it means to be a Royal. That way we have a great network of people around the nation who are identifying as Bethel alumni who are supporting other Bethel alumni and Bethel students. We just have strong vision for growing what those alumni and student connections could look like. As well as caring for our parents so they have a good experience so that the subsequent children want to come here. I really see myself here, just continuing to grow what I’m doing. And I think teaching still! Part of my appeal for taking this job was that they said we would love for you to keep teaching if you want, and for me that seems like such a win. Because for most of my career it’s been like parsing together the teaching. I have always wanted to teach, but taking it with the church job. It was always split church, Bethel, and mothering. And now I feel like it’s all under one shot so I would like to continue to be doing what I’m doing. That would be an honor. Life happens so you just never know, but that’s my plan.”
