President Faust’s B-O-L-D chapel sermon

At CCU we earnestly desire to honor Jesus Christ in all our attitudes and actions.  We are not content merely to be a “faith-related” school.  It’s our goal to be “faith-active”—to keep our relationship with the Lord at the center of all we do.

Students at CCU choose a college education that is BOLD:

B iblical, with the Bible at the heart of our curriculum and shaping the values we seek to live;

O utreach-oriented, because at CCU we prepare our students for service to God and others;

L ife-changing, because we’re interested not merely in information but transformation, becoming more Christ-like in our attitudes and actions; and

D istinctive, because CCU is purpose-driven, seeking to equip well-educated, high-integrity servant-leaders—men and women of character who are passionate about God and eager to fulfill the Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of every nation on earth (Matthew 28:18-20).

For Christ to be the center of our school, He first needs to be at the center of our personal lives.  We want all of our graduates to “have the Bible in their head and ministry in their heart.”  This is our goal for all CCU students no matter what degree program they pursue, whether they are traditional or non-traditional students, whether they are residential students or commuters, whether they are part of our undergraduate or graduate programs.  We expect all of our students to be on a path toward Christian maturity during their time at CCU.  That’s why we do our best to provide an environment in which our students can:

• Cultivate a lifestyle of personal worship that reflects a sincere desire to honor the Lord and obey Him in all things in keeping with the Scriptures;
• Develop the fruit of the Spirit in their lives (Galatians 5:22, 23);
• Increase not only their understanding of the Scriptures, but also their ability to apply the Scriptures to life;
• Develop a spirit of humility and gratitude that overflows in cheerful service to others;
• Cultivate their personal relationship with the Lord through prayer and practicing the spiritual disciplines;
• Identify and use their spiritual gifts for ministry;
• Be equipped with a thoughtful, well-informed biblical worldview so they can boldly and confidently defend their faith “ with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15);
• Have a global perspective on the mission of Christ;
• Be positively engaged in the life of the church, the body of Christ;
• Learn to accept and fulfill the responsibilities that go with servant-leadership;
• Develop a lifelong passion for loving and serving the Lord.

That’s also why a student can expect to find at CCU:

• Professors who sincerely believe in the Lord and hold a high view of the Scriptures;
• Classes that begin with prayer;
• Chapel services and other spiritual development activities that are uplifting and meaningful, reminding our students and all who work here that honoring the Lord is our top priority.

CCU offers academic excellence in an atmosphere of faith.  We are determined to “continue to live in [Christ], rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith . . . and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6, 7).