Perspectives Instructors are passionate men and women from various backgrounds and ministries eager to advance the Vision and Mission of Perspectives USA. Instructors serve alongside local class Coordinators, Staff, and other Instructors as partners in mobilizing World Christians through education. We entrust Instructors with presenting lesson-specific content in a way that honors the overall scope and sequence of the curriculum and the course. They integrate unique experiences and personality in ways that illustrate and incarnate lesson content for students, and earnestly embrace the goal to inspire, challenge, and equip students for partnering with God to fulfill His global purpose.
Perspectives USA Certificate or Credit Alumni
Alignment with our Vision, Mission, and Values
Demonstrate skill and/or gifts as an educator
Submission of Application and pastoral and professional references
Affirmation of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant as doctrinal alignment
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Check out the FAQ section below. If you have additional questions or need assistance related to a local class, please contact your Regional Director. If you have questions related to applying to be an Instructor, Instructor Certification, or would like to be paired with an Instructor Coach, fill out the contact form below.
Each local Perspectives class invites 15 different Instructors to teach one of the 15 lessons of the course. Perspectives Instructors come from various backgrounds: pastors, missionaries, mobilizers, anthropologists, business owners, non-profit organization leaders, and more!
Instructors are given two 50-55 minute sessions during the 2.5 – 3 hour class to teach that lesson’s content. While the Instructor Guidelines of the lesson need to be followed, lessons can be presented in a variety of ways. Instructors are expected to teach the core content of the lesson, integrate their experience, and expand on the material as appropriate. They are also encouraged to interact with the students and urge them to engage with the content.
The requirements for initial approval to become a Perspectives Instructor include the following:
The process for certification is slightly different for new Perspectives Instructors vs. existing Instructors.
New Instructors: After initial approval, new Instructors are paired with an Instructor Coach to partner with them in preparing and debriefing their first lesson. They will also have until December 31, 2027, or two years from their initial approval (whichever is later), to complete an Instructor Development Workshop.
Existing Instructors: Instructors who onboard prior to July, 2024 have until December 31, 2027 to complete certification elements. For those who have not yet done so, these include completion of the Perspective course at the certificate or credit level, completion of an Instructor Development Workshop, and signing of the Instructor MOU. Coaching is not required for existing Instructors but is available as a resource if desired.
Perspectives Instructors are invited to teach by local classes as part of their class planning process, typically 6-12 months prior to the start of the course. Teams are able to search for Instructors via our database and can view an Instructor’s teaching history, review ratings, lesson(s) of interest, certification status, demographics, biography, and contact information. Many Instructors are also involved in the Perspectives movement locally, providing additional opportunities to network and invest in classes as valuable Coordinating Team members.
Each Perspectives class that offers college credit through Trinity International University needs a Professor of Record. To become approved, a qualified Perspectives Instructor will need to fill out the TIU Adjunct Faculty Application, send a curriculum vitae, and have their transcript sent to TIU. Trinity looks for the following types of academic credentials from potential instructors: a doctoral graduate degree field, discipline, or subfield of Theology, Anthropology, Sociology, Missions, Intercultural Studies, Practical Theology, Christian Education, etc. Applicants with doctoral degrees from accredited institutions (example: PhD, DMin, DMiss, ThD, DMinEd, EdD), will be eligible for approval upon further examination of their credentials and fitness to serve as PORs.
When assigned to a Perspectives class, a Trinity International University POR must teach one of the lessons for that class. PORs will also grade the essay portions of the midterm and final exams, grade the integrative projects, and sign off on the final grade reports for Trinity credit students.
If you are interested in serving as a Trinity POR, please contact your Regional Director for more information.
While we champion the other mobilization initiatives across America, many of which have been influenced by Perspectives, the short answer is no. All Perspectives course content (Study Guide, Reader, videos, Instructor content, and other materials and resources) are proprietary to the Perspectives Study Program and our partnering publisher. To access our resources, Instructors must only use the Instructor Resources for teaching and serving in the Perspectives USA program. Exemptions require prior written approval from the Perspectives Chief Operations Officer.
Both the students and the Coordinator complete an online evaluation after you instruct their class. While we will be collecting these evaluations in the Fall 2023, our team is still working on the design of how these summaries will be shared out and available for Instructor review.
We want to know about the class experience for our Instructors as well. This feedback helps us learn how we can improve and can encourage our teams. After an Instructor teaches, they will be able to submit a class evaluation. This gives them the opportunity to give feedback to be seen by the class coordinator as well as submit input that will only be seen by the Regional Director.
Yes. We offer a modest honorarium to our Instructors as a thank you for partnering with us in mobilization by serving in our classes. For more information on Instructor honorariums, including tax implications, please review our Instructor Honorarium Policy.
Yes. Perspectives classes offer reimbursement of travel and meal expenses incurred while teaching. For details regarding reimbursable expenses, review our Instructor Reimbursement Policy.
Yes. While our classes are committed to thanking our Instructors through the giving of honorarium, and covering their travel and meal expenses related to serving with us, an Instructor may choose to decline these things. To do so, they can login to the Perspectives website, go to their teaching schedule and click the “decline honorarium” or “decline expenses” box for each class in which they desire to do so.
Approved Instructors have Instructor access on the Perspectives website. Once logged in, you will find your Teaching Schedule and Resources, be able to update your profile, and more from the Dashboard.
Unless you are a Professor of Record (POR), the role of Instructor does not provide access to Moodle. All resources needed for Instructing should be located in the Resources button on your dashboard. If you are a POR and do not have access to a class you are grading for, please contact your Regional Director for assistance.
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