The Center For Christianity And Scholarship

What The Center For Christianity And Scholarship does

The Center for Christianity and Scholarship (CCS) is a non-profit academic center housed within Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. It operates from the CCS House at 608 N. Buchanan Blvd., a physical facility open Monday-Friday that serves as study space, library, and gathering venue for Christian students, faculty, and graduate scholars. CCS serves four primary segments: Duke undergraduates (through CCS Fellows two-year program, Certificate in Christian Studies, reading groups, and Weekly Wednesday Meals), graduate students and postdocs (through the Future Christian Faculty year-long cohort accepting 6-10 scholars per year with $250 stipends), Christian Duke faculty (through the Faculty Theological Collaborative, Triangle Roundtable, and faculty cohorts), and alumni/friends (through et Religio events and donor programming). Programs draw from Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions and are positioned to complement rather than duplicate the work of churches and campus ministries.

The center's product portfolio includes extra-curricular seminars and reading groups on topics ranging from "Science and Faith" to "Christian Ethics and AI," half-credit house courses, full-credit departmental courses taught in partnership with Duke departments, mentorship programs, the CCS House physical space, and public events including the annual et Religio symposium. CCS does not operate a proprietary technology platform; all delivery is in-person at Duke. Distribution is entirely through the CCS House, Duke campus classrooms, and external venues (Washington Duke Inn, Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center, Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church) for larger symposia.

CCS's business model is donation-driven. Revenue streams consist of individual donations (one-time and recurring monthly gifts at $25, $50, or $100 per month via Stripe), and event revenue from the et Religio dinner symposium ($250 individual tickets with $175 tax-deductible; $2,000 table sponsorships for 8 seats). All programs, courses, reading groups, and meals are offered free of charge to Duke students. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and Duke Faculty Advisory Council, with no external venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment indicated. CCS is led by Executive Director Edward Dixon and Director of Academic Programming Derek Witten, with key staff including Kathryn Wagner and Steve Hinkle. Strategic partnerships span Duke Divinity School, Regent College, Anselm House, Octet Collaborative at MIT, the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, InterVarsity, and Veritas Forum.

Name

The Center For Christianity And Scholarship

Legal name

Center for Christianity and Scholarship

Website

https://ccsduke.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Christianity and Scholarship is a non-profit academic center within Duke University that provides courses, reading groups, mentorship programs, and community events for Christian undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and alumni at Duke.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization relies primarily on individual donations from alumni, supporters, and friends. One-time and recurring monthly gifts can be made through the website or via Duke's giving portal.
2. Event Sponsorships and Ticket Sales: The annual et Religio dinner symposium generates revenue through individual tickets ($250, with $175 tax-deductible) and table sponsorships ($2,000 for 8 seats).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Center for Christianity and Scholarship is a non-profit academic center within Duke University that provides Christian intellectual community programs for undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and alumni. Its core offerings include cohort-based fellowship programs (CCS Fellows, Future Christian Faculty, Faculty Theological Collaborative), academic courses and reading groups on Christianity and faith, the Certificate in Christian Studies, and the CCS House physical gathering space with library and weekly community meals.

Product overview

The Center for Christianity and Scholarship (CCS) at Duke University operates as a community and educational resource center rather than a technology product company. CCS offers a portfolio of programs including the CCS Fellows two-year undergraduate program, Faith and Work Summer Experience, Certificate in Christian Studies, reading groups, seminars, and courses. The organization also provides the CCS House as a physical gathering space, Weekly Wednesday Meals, and various faculty support programs including the Triangle Roundtable and Faculty Theological Collaborative. Additional offerings include the Future Christian Faculty program for graduate students and alumni engagement through et Religio events. These programs collectively support Christian intellectual exploration and dialogue at Duke University.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CCS Fellows
• Faith and Work Summer Experience
• Certificate in Christian Studies
• CCS House
• Seminars and Duke Courses
• Reading Groups
• Future Christian Faculty
• Faculty Theological Collaborative

Quantifiable outcome

• Certificate in Christian Studies awarded to students completing four program requirements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Regent CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2024Regent College, a graduate school of theology focused on the education of the laity, co-sponsors the Faculty Theological Collaborative. Faculty from Regent College provide theological training through lectures and workshops for the three-day summer workshop.
• Consortium of Christian Study CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2024The Consortium of Christian Study Centers co-sponsors the Faculty Theological Collaborative and is a joint project partner alongside Anselm House (University of Minnesota) and Octet Collaborative (MIT).
• Anselm House (University of Minnesota)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2024Anselm House is one of three member study centers jointly developing the Faculty Theological Collaborative with CCS and Octet Collaborative at MIT.
• Octet Collaborative (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2024Octet Collaborative at MIT is one of three member study centers jointly developing the Faculty Theological Collaborative with CCS and Anselm House.
• InterVarsity Faculty Ministries at Duke, UNC, and NC StatemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerInterVarsity co-hosts the Triangle Roundtable, an annual faculty event bringing together academics from Duke, UNC, NC State, and other Triangle-area institutions for dialogue on religion and public life.
• InterVarsity Black Scholars and Professionals (BSAP)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosts Triangle Roundtable events with CCS and other InterVarsity campus ministries.
• InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries at Duke and UNCsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsors the Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture series and other faculty events.
• Duke Divinity SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke Divinity School faculty serve as instructors for CCS-affiliated courses, the Faculty Theological Collaborative, and provide faculty mentors for programs like Future Christian Faculty and CCS Fellows.
• Duke University DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCS partners with various Duke departments (Economics, Political Science, English, Biology, etc.) to offer full-credit and half-credit courses taught by Christian faculty affiliates.
• Fons VitaesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Augustine Confessions reading group with this organization focused on theological publishing and education.
• Duke Catholic CentersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsors the Loving Global Neighbors reading group exploring immigration and refugee policy through Catholic and Christian perspectives.
• Simple CharitysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsors the Solidarity with the Poor reading group and educational programming.
• The North Carolina Study CentersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosts the Triangle Roundtable along with CCS, InterVarsity Faculty Ministries at Duke, UNC, and NC State.
• Veritas ForumsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored various lectures and events including 'Does God Matter in the Conversation about Race?' and other campus forums.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Humanitas (Council for European Studies / academic humanities programs): Adjacent peer in the broader academic humanities/intellectual-formation space, illustrating the category of faith-and-learning centers at universities. Useful as a thematic comparator for the CCS model.
• Duke Catholic Center: The Duke Catholic Center is a co-sponsor of CCS reading groups and adjacent ministry on Duke's campus. It serves a similar audience but is denominationally scoped and a complementary partner rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: InterVarsity co-hosts Triangle Roundtable and other faculty/student programs with CCS. It is a national campus ministry, broader than CCS's niche but operating in an overlapping audience (Christian students and faculty at secular universities).
• Regent College: Regent College is a graduate school of theology in Vancouver that co-sponsors CCS's Faculty Theological Collaborative. Comparable because it provides theological education for laity and faculty, but operates at a larger scale as a degree-granting institution.
• Veritas Forum: Veritas is an intercollegiate forum that hosts university-wide lectures and dialogues on questions of faith and reason. CCS co-sponsors Veritas events at Duke; Veritas operates the same intellectual-engagement concept across many universities at scale.

Regional players

• The North Carolina Study Center: The NC Study Center co-hosts the Triangle Roundtable with CCS, serving faculty and students in the same Research Triangle geography. It is a regional peer with a similar Christian intellectual formation model.

Direct peers

• Anselm House (University of Minnesota): Anselm House is a Christian study center at the University of Minnesota, directly comparable to CCS: a university-affiliated center offering intellectual Christian formation, faculty support, and student programs. CCS and Anselm House are explicit co-developers of the Faculty Theological Collaborative.
• Consortium of Christian Study Centers: The Consortium of Christian Study Centers is the umbrella network co-sponsoring the Faculty Theological Collaborative alongside CCS, Anselm House, and Octet. It aggregates peer study centers and is the closest industry-level peer to CCS.
• Octet Collaborative (MIT): Octet Collaborative at MIT is one of three member study centers jointly developing the Faculty Theological Collaborative with CCS and Anselm House. Same model: a Christian study center serving students and faculty at a secular research university.

Emerging players

• C.S. Lewis Institute: C.S. Lewis Institute runs discipleship and intellectual formation programs for Christian professionals and academics, partially overlapping with CCS's mission of integrating faith with academic and professional life.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100070772642134
• Instagraminstagram.com/ccsduke

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Center For Christianity And Scholarship