Church History & Doctrine-Eternal Family CFS Professorial Faculty Position

Job Title: 

Church History & Doctrine-Eternal Family CFS Professorial Faculty Position

Posting End Date: August 30, 2026

Required Degree: 

PhD or equivalent terminal degree in marriage and family studies, family science, human development or a related field from an accredited university. The required degree must be completed by start date.

Applications must include the following:

• mission alignment statement
• curriculum vitae
• letter of intent
• evidence of teaching
• samples of scholarship
• contact information for at least three professional references 

Questions regarding the position can be directed to:

Jenet Erickson, Religious Education, Brigham Young University, 270B JSB, Provo UT 84602-4201, Jenet_Erickson@byu.edu.

The Purposes of Religious Education and The Eternal Family course at BYU: 

Religious Education plays a central role in the mission of Brigham Young University, which is “to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life” by providing an educational experience that is spiritually strengthening, intellectually enlarging, character building, and leads to lifelong learning and service. The distinctive purpose of Religious Education has been outlined in the Church Educational System’s Board-approved document, “Strengthening Religious Education in Institutions of Higher Education” (referred to hereafter as SRE). The SRE document guides all hiring decisions in Religious Education. Candidates should be familiar with the purpose of Religious Education as outlined in SRE and demonstrate a commitment to its principles and guidelines. Application materials should explicitly speak to the SRE while addressing the required experience and duties/qualifications for the position. All candidates must be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in good standing, be grounded in the doctrines of the Church, and have the personal character, faith, testimony, and qualities of life to provide a powerful role model for students.

The Eternal Family (Rel C 200) is one of two cornerstone religion courses offered by the Department of Church History & Doctrine (CH&D) within Religious Education. All undergraduate students are required to take this course to graduate. The course seeks to help students understand, develop faith in, and strengthen their capacity to live and support the principles and doctrines laid out in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. The successful applicant will teach this course consistently. As a result, we are in search of a religious educator with training and expertise in the principles addressed in the Family Proclamation and taught in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Applicants must demonstrate their capacity for the highest quality of teaching, scholarship, and citizenship in relation to the qualifications, experience, and duties outlined below.

Experience: 

Teaching: The primary responsibility of each religious educator at BYU centers on excellent teaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that helps each student develop faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ, become lifelong disciples of Him, and strengthen their ability to respond with faith to whatever challenges they may face, find answers, and resolve doubts (SRE). The Department of Church History & Doctrine (CH&D) seeks to hire individuals who have demonstrated unusual potential for excellent teaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ (SRE), especially considering the unique and complex experiences, questions, and challenges facing our students today. Preference will be given to candidates with teaching experience related to The Eternal Family (Rel C 200) as well as student-centered mentoring. Further demonstration of the ability to teach other courses offered in CH&D will be helpful. Click here for a complete list of courses currently taught in CH&D.

Scholarship: Scholarship is important to the work of a religious educator in CH&D. The candidate must demonstrate potential for scholarly work that is of high quality and adv