Building a kingdom culture: Life in Liberty’s newest dorm

It’s been a long time coming, but the new residential hall, Commons IV, is complete and operational. The addition of Commons IV marks a significant expansion on Liberty University’s campus, providing a new home for over 700 male students. 

The dorm features one wing, nine floors and over 325 rooms. Each floor possesses its own independent common room adjacent to each hall. Although the other Commons dorms have shared co-ed common rooms, the male and female floors are located in separate wings. A distinctive attribute of Commons IV is that it is exclusively a male dorm. 

“Having a dorm that is all guys helps with a lot of group and community dynamics,” senior Gabriel Timblin said. “There has been a lot of bonding among the guys, and the community aspect of common area life and the atmosphere of community groups has been really nice.”

Resident Directors (RDs) Jayson Carr and Jacob McNally, who both oversee the building, lead the effort in shaping the culture of Commons IV.

“When Jacob and I found out that we were going to be the RDs in Commons IV, we began working on our vision for the building,” Carr said. “Specifically, we had a vision for the type of culture we hope to create through our RAs (Resident Assistants) and students, centered around what students feel and experience on their halls.”

Carr described his and McNally’s vision for Commons IV, which is highlighted through a four-step plan that emphasizes the importance of building and cultivating a “kingdom culture.”

“Number one, the gospel of Christ is essential to have a ‘kingdom culture,’ which is a culture of guys that represents Christ and looks like the church,” Carr said. “Within that first step, a moral and social ethic has to be built on the truth of Scripture.”

Carr explained the second step as acknowledging and embracing one’s identity as a new creation in Christ. This requires an internal conviction. The third step is the command from Scripture to live out those convictions, as Jesus stated that true disciples are known by their obedience to his commands.

“When you do one, two and three — when you accept the Lord as your Savior, experience and embrace the convictions that come from Scripture, and live out those commandments — you get number four, which is a kingdom culture that represents Christ,” Carr said.

Carr emphasized that achieving a kingdom culture leads to the opportunity for witnessing and shepherding others toward Christ.

“Ultimately, it’s an incredible and humbling opportunity to point men in our building toward Christ and then in turn get to see others enjoy a culture that represents and reflects the Kingdom of Christ,” Carr said. “That’s our plan and prayer for the building: that men would come to know Christ at a personal and relational level, live out that relationship and, in turn, experience a kingdom culture in their building together.”

Jen Nodal, director of Residence Life, reflected on the completion of the new addition to campus. 

“I am excited for any class of ‘first’ students. They, along with their student leaders, have an opportunity to build a healthy hall culture and tradition,” Nodal said. “Years from now, these students will come back to Liberty and can tell their children, ‘I was the first student to live here,’ and then share wonderful memories from the community they built on their halls.” 

Nodal explained how the leadership structure of Commons IV aligns with Liberty’s mission of Training Champions for Christ.

“The student leadership structure remains the same (at Commons IV), which means each student is seen, valued and cared for,” Nodal said. “At Residence Life, we aim to meet each student where they are as they find out who they are meant to be.”

Carr said the Office of Residence Life works to support students.

“At Residence Life, we take the culture in our dorms very seriously. In terms of student engagement, the Res Life staff and RAs have the highest levels of student engagement. The students live in dorms, play in dorms, grow, experience difficult seasons and genuinely live the bulk of their lives in dorms,” Carr said. “We take it seriously when considering what we want the culture within our buildings to reflect.”

As RDs of Commons IV, both Carr and McNally are dedicated to nurturing the spiritual and personal well-beings of each Commons IV resident. 

“Jacob and I both make sure to submit ourselves to Christ,” Carr said. “He’s our shepherd and we’re his stewards of the men of Commons IV. They are men that are going to change the world for Christ. We take it very seriously to be a part of their lives.”

Solem is the lifestyle editor. Follow him on X.