What would happen if Christian universities and seminaries sponsored local churches? What would happen if churches were more like Christian universities and seminaries?

Post date: Feb 20, 2015 2:33:25 PM

Let's take a few leading Christian universities and seminaries as an example.

a. Biola University: http://www.biola.edu/about/mission

1. Vision:

... to be identified among the world’s foremost Christ-centered universities – a community abiding in truth, abounding with grace, and compelled by Christ’s love to be a relevant and redemptive voice in a changing world.

2. Mission Statement:

The mission of Biola University is biblically centered education, scholarship and service— equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Our Value: Truth

We believe that there is truth; it is knowable and revealed in God's inerrant Word. As a result we can live with unshakeable confidence and hope knowing that the Bible and God's truth have direct application to our lives, our work, our relationships and the culture around us.

We believe that holding a biblical worldview is foundational to understanding life and Truth. God has equipped us to uphold truth and sustain community at Biola through Christ-centered and Spirit-led education, scholarship and service that is grounded in Scripture and challenges our community to seek and integrate biblical principles into our fields of study.

4. Our Value: Transformation

We believe that participating in a Christian community of grace is important in the life of the believer. Our identity as children of the Triune God lies in our lives lived in and through community, holistic relationships, mutual interdependence upon the Indwelling Spirit and members of the Body and seeking the unity of the Spirit.

We believe that through the renewing of the mind and care of the body we prepare our students to live within the culture in a loving and Christ-honoring way. Through a rigorous, Christ-centered and Spirit-led education we enable our students to grapple with and engage in the spiritual, intellectual, ethical and cultural issues of our time, their implications and application to everyday life...

5. Our Value: Testimony

We believe that we exist to serve God and His Great Commission in reaching the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christ-followers, we are His light to a dark world and it is our duty and privilege to make disciples.

We believe that God uses the faculty, staff, students and alumni to accomplish His plans. As servant leaders, each person who is part of Biola's community can make a difference in their families, churches, communities and vocations for Christ's Kingdom...

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ intends His Church to be a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-national body of believers. We have been called to respect, and when appropriate, reflect the diversity of God's kingdom throughout the world. As believers, we have a responsibility to spread the Gospel through evangelism, missions and outreach...

b. Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). http://www.dts.edu/about

1. Founded in 1924, our mission is, “to glorify God by equipping godly servant-leaders for the proclamation of His Word and the building up of the body of Christ worldwide.” In other words, we want to help men and women fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, or more simply: Teach Truth. Love Well.

2. Rigorous Biblical Education: DTS affirms that the seminary experience is foundationally a process of spiritual transformation, and at the center of that journey is the Triune God and his Word.

3. Missional Purpose: Whether training pastors for the local church or developing leaders for the business sector, preparing Greek scholars, or equipping those tackling social justice initiatives, DTS remains steadfastly committed to the missional life.

c. The vision and mission of these two Christian education centers is very similar to that of the local church. I am convinced that if Christian universities and seminaries sponsored local churches and churches were more like Christian universities and seminaries, “lay” nonprofessional Christians, pastors and leaders would be better equipped to engage our postmodern culture and would make a greater difference in their families, communities and vocations.