Church, play to your strengths
Christian higher education has a strategic discipleship role for a generation in crisis. Here’s how we can make it work for us.
In 2019, the Competition for Character Education report discovered that students who attended Christian higher education were more likely to remain connected with the Church and their faith than those who didn’t. They were more likely to maintain or even increase their church attendance while at school.They were more likely to be involved with Christian groups, both on and off campus.They were more likely to share their parents’ Christian beliefs, and to agree with core statements of the Christian faith.
More than any other time of life, the decade after high school is one of life transition, identity exploration and time spent re-evaluating childhood beliefs. Young adults who were connected with Christian community and godly mentorship were more likely to carry their faith into adulthood.
Students in Christian higher education had daily access to these things. In a country where one in three young adults enroll in higher education, one of the strongest indicators of whether a Christian student would keep their faith was the kind of campus they chose.
We know Christian higher education has a strategic role in discipling this generation. How can we, the Church in Canada, play to this strength and support this work?
Pray for Christian higher education
A.B. Simpson said, “Prayer is the mighty engine that is to move the missionary work.” As we work with Canadian young adults, a group facing enormous spiritual challenges, the prayers of the Church are an essential part of our ministry.
Please keep Christian education across Canada in your prayers. Pray for Christian students as they explore their calling and learn what it means to follow Jesus. Pray for staff, faculty and administration as they prayerfully set the course for the future. Pray for the fruitful ministry and increased influence of Christian higher education in Canada.
Support Christian higher education
Enrollment in Christian postsecondary accounts for less than one per cent of all Canadian postsecondary enrollment. Even in an era of declining enrollment, Christian higher education continues to be deeply relevant.
Share its benefits with your church and support it as an option for high school students. Get to know the schools near you, or connect with the school you attended. Pray about financially supporting Christian institutions and scholarships.
Encourage young adults to attend Christian higher education
As our young adults look ahead, we must affirm the need to prepare not just academically, but spiritually for their futures.
Take up this conversation with your kids and the young adults in your church. In a generation of peers disengaging from Christianity, encourage them to consider a gap year to build a biblical foundation, four years of ministry and career training, or anything in-between.
As the Church in Canada, we must play to our strengths. When we ask, “How can we help our young adults keep their faith?”, we must also ask, “Are we praying for Christian institutions? Are we supportive in our words, attitudes and tithing? Are we encouraging our students toward Christian higher education?” And then we must act.
The state-of-the-art science facility is seeing a growing number of students pursuing bachelor of science degrees – or taking prerequisites for nursing, kinesiology and pharmacy.
As a leading Canadian Christian university, rurally placed and community driven, Providence is uniquely positioned to help transform the aspirations of students into meaningful careers that will make a difference for Christ in a changing world.
REDEEMER UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
A degree you can believe in
Are you interested in becoming a social worker? How about a doctor or teacher? Maybe an artist or entrepreneur? Perhaps you are unsure. Whether you know what’s next or not, there is one question we want every student to ask: What kind of _____ do I want to be?
Redeemer University College offers strong degree pathways for many exciting p//ro/f/e/s/s/i/o/n/s//a/n/d//c/a/ll/in/g/s, all rooted in a Christcentred, rigorous academic program that challenges you to develop a Kingdom vision. In our rapidly secularizing, interconnected world, Redeemer is the place to discover how God wants you to use your abilities to serve others. From law to journalism, politics to education, Redeemer graduates have learned what it means to live out their faith as critically thinking difference makers, ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Redeemer is unique in helping you find your calling. At the heart of our classroom is an integrated Christian worldview that weaves its way through the entire Redeemer experience. From an interdisciplinary core program to a spiritually vibrant co-curriculum, prepare to be challenged to reach higher, think wider and dive deeper into your program, your faith and your world.
REGENT COLLEGE
Theology for all of life
Theology is about more than getting our thinking right. It’s about full life. As we grow in our knowledge of God, that knowledge shouldn’t sit stagnant. It should start shaping everything we do.
Today in Canada there’s pushback against Christianity – people asking questions about the Church’s harder doctrines, and about wrongs the Church has done in history. Often these questions need to be asked. But the problem is that a lot of Christians feel they don’t have good
answers. That creates a situation where people become wary of bringing their faith out in public. They split their lives in two, speaking Christian language with Christians, but struggling to know what to say about faith at work, on the soccer field, at the art gallery.
From the beginning our goal at Regent College has been to give Christians tools to bring their faith into every square inch of life. Students at Regent get the chance not only to sink deep into Scripture and theology, but to discover how to integrate the theological truths they’re learning at work and play, in art, culture and relationship.
Learn more about theology for all of life.
ROSEBUD SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
A strategic partnership with Crandall University
Rosebud School of the Arts in Rosebud, Alta., offers a world-class experience in theatre rooted in the Christian faith. And their renowned training program is now also available to students from Crandall University in New Brunswick.
Crandall students train at the popular theatre destination for an entire year while they work toward their degree in communication arts with a major in theatre.
Students take classes with resident company members and guest artists in acting, scene study, movement, dance, speech, videography, visual art, and drama ministry while contributing backstage to the operations of Rosebud Theatre.
The year ends with a dance show on Rosebud’s Studio Stage, and an optional program extension through the summer months by performing with the Canadian Badlands Passion Play in Drumheller, Alta.
Upon return to Crandall University theatre students are poised to take leadership in theatrical productions on campus.
RSA’s strategic partnership with Crandall enables students to get the best of both worlds – conservatory training in a thriving theatre centre and a Christian liberal arts education that culminates in a bachelor’s degree.
For more information about a year-long immersion in theatre training visit:
TYNDALE SEMINARY
A missional approach to life and ministry At Tyndale Seminary you will explore faith and discern your place in God’s mission and the changing society. You will gain the skills to understand culture, speak faith from the margins, and move into neighbourhoods to live faithfully with those around you.
Here you will balance academic scholarship with a practical, missional approach to life and ministry. Tyndale is a place that encourages you to lead a deep, Christ-centred life and provides you with biblically sound theological education. It is a place where you will be spiritually nurtured – a place that equips you for the real world. You will be challenged as you engage with students from across denominational and ethnic backgrounds in a