Goshen College Online

Vision

Goshen College is recognized as an influential leader in liberal arts education focusing on international, intercultural, interdisciplinary, and integrative teaching and learning that offers every student a life-orienting story embedded in Christ-centered core values: global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking, servant leadership and passionate learning.

Mission

Goshen College is a liberal arts college dedicated to the development of informed, articulate, sensitive, responsible Christians. As a ministry of the Mennonite Church, we seek to integrate Christian values with educational, social and professional life. As a community of faith and learning, we strive to foster personal, intellectual, spiritual and social growth in every person. We view education as a moral activity that produces servant-leaders for the church and the world.

Core Values

At Goshen College, we intend to create a community of faith and learning built on five core values: Christ-centeredness, passionate learning, servant leadership, compassionate peacemaking and global citizenship. Our academic program and co-curricular programs prepare graduates for:

A life that is Christ-centered, with

a reflective faith that nurtures spiritual growth in individual and corporate contexts an active faith that informs all life’s choices We believe God is the foundation of all wisdom and knowledge. Through Christ, we find merciful forgiveness and an invitation to a daily, personal walk empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are led by Christ in our search for truth. I Corinthians 3:11: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.”

A life of PASSIONATE LEARNING, through

the mastery of a major field of study as the basis for life-long learning, service, relationships, and work in a socially and culturally diverse context an extensive foundation of knowledge, skills, processes and methodologies derived from a liberal arts curriculum that are required for systematic study and problem solving We believe our faith is supported by knowledge. As a learning community, we foster a journey of lifelong learning, encouraging one another to seek truth with fervor. This spirit of academic excellence enriches our relationships, our world and our faith in Jesus Christ. II Peter 1:5-8: “For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A life of SERVANT LEADERSHIP, based on

• a leadership ability that empowers self and others
• a healthy understanding of self and others that is reflected in relationships of interdependence and mutual accountability

We believe that servant leadership is embodied perfectly in the life and person of Jesus Christ. We humbly set aside self-interest for the interests of others, leading in the strength of love given by God, because love for others builds up God’s community. By following Christ’s example, we create a culture of leadership characterized by joyful servanthood. Matthew 20:26-28: “But whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant.” Philippians 2:5,7: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who … taking the very nature of a servant was made in human likeness.”

A life of COMPASSIONATE PEACEMAKING with

a personal integrity that fosters the ability to resolve conflict and to promote justice a commitment to diversity in all of its forms both conceptually and in practice As Christian peacemakers, we embrace “shalom” – the peace that God intends for humanity. We are committed to building the “peaceable kingdom” by practicing loving kindness, restoring justice, practicing anti-racism, loving our enemies and advocating for the dispossessed. We renounce the oppressive, violent destructive powers of this world – and are willing to live our lives as examples of God’s peace. Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

A life of GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP with

• an intercultural openness with the ability to function effectively with people of other worldviews
• a responsible understanding of stewardship for human systems and the environment in a multicultural world

As responsible global citizens, we see, encourage and celebrate the image of God in others. We welcome and include the ‘stranger’ in our midst – respecting differences in worldviews while seeking common ground. We wish to transcend barriers between people not only through academic teaching and learning but also in meaningful cross-cultural exchanges. We go into the world offering our gifts and lives in service to others. II Corinthians 5:18-20: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”