Choosing a college is choosing personal character. It is choosing the kind of person a student will become. Tuition, campus life, and areas of study are just a few of the factors holding weight in this kind of decision, and assessment of these factors takes careful deliberation. With so many options on where to study and considerations to influence that choice, Wesleyan higher education consistently emphasizes character. Choosing a college means choosing the person the student will become and Wesleyan higher education takes that choice seriously.
Dr. Aaron Perry, Director of Wesleyan Academic Initiatives, wants those looking for a higher education institution to know that Wesleyan schools are filled with people who have a heartbeat to see students transformed through holiness. There are wonderful staff and faculty across various schools and departments who truly desire to care for their students and to see them formed in resilient discipleship toward the character of Jesus Christ.
Dr. Perry asked six faculty members why they taught in a Wesleyan institution. Their answers were clear.
Faculty in Wesleyan higher education love to see the Holy Spirit work in the lives of their students.
Chair of Religion at Houghton University, Dr. JL Miller shares, “At Wesleyan institutions of education, we regularly witness lives transformed because our communities are deeply connected to the lives of students. The Wesleyan Church’s understanding of God’s expressions of grace and the continuing work of sanctification allows us to see God’s image imprinted in each person within our community.”
Attending a Wesleyan institution affords students more than the opportunity to earn a degree. It opens the door for a transforming work in their lives. Dr. Brent Dongell, Associate Professor of Youth Ministry at Southern Wesleyan University, expresses how he loves the shared heart of faculty “to love the Lord with all and love others as ourselves even as Christ did.” Outside of academic achievement, he loves the message of hope shared regarding victory over sin.
Faculty in Wesleyan higher education believe in the heart of the mission of The Wesleyan Church.
The recent Acts 1:8 Initiative, which aims to close the gospel gap by taking the Gospel to places near, hard, and far is a natural fit for students at Wesleyan institutions, regardless of their major. Wesleyan faculty believe in helping students realize their calling in life whether that is in ministry or in another vocation. Dr. Jerome Van Kuiken, Professor of Christian Thought at Oklahoma Wesleyan University says that he “sees his classroom as his mission field.” Students in any major can bear witness in their field and through their field to Jesus Christ.
Professor Axel Kazadi, Program Director and Assistant Professor of Theology at Kingswood University, shares, “I serve in a Wesleyan institution because I agree with its biblical message of holiness. On the home front, I have the joyful privilege of contributing to the mission by helping tomorrow’s global leaders learn theology and think theologically about matters related to ministry and life.”
Faculty in Wesleyan higher education want to invest in people for a lifetime, not just during their time working toward a degree.
Dr. Tammie Grimm, Associate Professor of Congregational Formation at Wesley Seminary, expresses her desire to “help people realize the authentic Christian life [is] necessarily integrated, involving their whole heart, mind, soul and strength as they seek to be in love with God and [to love] their neighbor.”
Faculty at Wesleyan institutions want to continue the work started in young people through the local church. Young adults seeking higher education often have significant questions regarding their faith. Wesleyan institutions aim at providing a robust education while creating supportive communities where these questions can be freely asked and responded to with good answers that deepen faith and build-up identity in Christ.
Dr. Miller expresses his desire to “invest in the lives of students with the goal of them knowing God’s love at a gut level,” which is one of the reasons he chooses to teach in a Wesleyan school. Miller believes wholeheartedly that when our identity is found in Christ’s love, any calling in life can be approached with confidence and courage. His goal is to prepare students “to partner with God’s work in the world.”
Faculty in Wesleyan higher education aim to serve the local church by building up the people who will love and serve their neighbors through the local church.
Dr. Miller emphasizes the connection of Wesleyan educational institutions to the local church: “Because of our connection with The Wesleyan Church, we are free to be an educational institution. We get to aim the primary focus of our formation at the educational task. At the same time, we are responsible to the local church to ensure that the ways we teach are rooted in our heritage and appropriately connected to the current needs of the local congregation.”
Stacy Shaw, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Youth Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University, considers it a joy to “invest in current and future leaders of the local church and to equip all students to understand the importance of ministering to and with young people.”
Higher education gives faculty the opportunity to live out their calling.
“I have the privilege of hearing story after story of men and women finding fulfillment in their role as educators. They have not only been trained to teach, but they are gifted and called to do this work,” says Perry. Perry believes the faculty mentioned above faithfully represent many more who believe education is a calling to love their students and to teach them about the transformative work Jesus can do in their lives. Wesleyan higher education faculty are developing a growing camaraderie that creates an extensive network with a common goal to invest in The Wesleyan Church by forming students with characters that reflect the hope and holiness of Jesus Christ.
