What it Means to be a Christian College: Our Covenant of Faith

Our first priority is to learn about our faith – what it means to be a Christian, how to engage in the Christian community, and why the Bible is so important for our spiritual wellbeing. We want to be a Christian college that has open conversations about the joys and difficulties of walking with Christ:

• We have chapel three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:30 to 11:20 a.m.) in the Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center. We view chapel as a time to worship and learn together under speakers who are passionate about Christ and their career fields.
• Each year, Grace leadership thoughtfully chooses a campus theme that is tied to a book of the Bible. This theme is interwoven into our chapel sessions and growth groups. For the 2024-25 school year, the theme is Humility Reigns. Our goal is to unite the entire campus around a specific focus and to learn together straight from Scripture.
• Growth Groups, which are required for freshmen, meet on Wednesday evenings and are Bible study groups that meet in every residence hall on campus. Many of the lessons are based on the campus theme, but Growth Group Leaders (GGLs) are given opportunities to create their own lessons as well. This group gives the students a chance to bond as they pray and study the Word together.

As we learn about our faith, we value application as an important next step. We are a Christian college that doesn’t just talk about our faith but brings our Biblical knowledge into real life. This is done through faith integration in the classroom as well as developing Christ-like behavior and skills:

• We offer more than 100 different undergraduate majors, minors, and online and graduate programs in a variety of career fields and seek to incorporate our faith into everything we do, from math equations to music practice. Our Bible majors are given ministry opportunities that prepare them for the ministry field. Our non-Bible majors are shown how their field can be a vehicle to spread the Gospel and further the kingdom of God. For instance, in our science classes, we discuss both secular theories and look at what the Bible says about the natural world.
• At Grace, college is about so much more than classes – it is about praying for and investing in students to help them become disciples of Christ. During their time here, we want them to develop Biblical skills that will serve them throughout their lives. We specifically want them to:
  • Be a disciple of Christ – seeking to know Him more deeply. (Ephesians 1:17)
  • Know and choose what is best, not simply what is good. (Philippians 1:9-11)
  • Interact with Christ’s followers and be drawn toward Jesus and His glory. (Philemon 6)
  • Have his or her will displaced by God’s will. (Colossians 1:9)
  • Live a life that is in step with Christ and His calling on his or her life. (Colossians 1:10-11)

Applying your faith to real life takes practice. We are a Christian college that puts our faith on display to the surrounding community. Grace College provides opportunities for students to bring their faith into real life by serving other people:

• Every student is required to experience a GoEncounter trip. These 10-day cross-cultural trips provide opportunities for students to interact with those of another culture. These trips are transformative for students as they engage with new people, places, and cultures and grapple with how their culture has influenced their worldview. 
• Every year, we hire students to be resident assistants, growth group leaders, chapel coordinators, and student mentors to help lead our campus and welcome the incoming class of freshmen into our community. These student leaders are trained to be servant leaders and are given many opportunities to minister to others through soul care and meeting practical needs.
• Our campus is surrounded by organizations that value what a Grace student can bring to their teams. As we educate students, we want to send them out into their workplace and mission field to get first-hand practice as Christian employees. This means preparing them to spread Christ in their future companies and to be a light to all.