Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2015

The foundational truths that guide Cedarville University are clearly on display between DeVries Theatre and the dining hall in Stevens Student Center: LG, LO, IC, and EE. “This covenant is in everything we do: Love for God (LG), Love for Others (LO), Integrity in Conduct (IC), Excellence in Effort (EE),” noted Jon Wood, Vice President for Student Life and Christian Ministries. “Those are our core values.” “Those core values have been the bedrock of what we’ve tried to do and what Cedarville has always done in the lives of students,” observed Brian Burns ’95, Director of Student Life Programs. “I remember Dick Walker ’74 talking about your commitment to love the Savior; Paul Dixon asking how we love others and if we were serving; that you were doing what you said you would do, your integrity; saying everything done in the name of Christ should have quality stamped all over it — excellence.” Such values have always been important because of their biblical underpinning in the Great Commandment (Matt . 22 : 37–40 ) and t he Gre at Commission (Matt. 28:18–20). In a day when rapid change is the norm, these values are more important than ever. “We stand in the great tradition that higher education is built on the foundational truth that God is the Creator of the universe,” Wood said. “And the study of all knowledge is worship and pursuit of Him.” There’s always been spiritual darkness, Wood affirmed, but over the last two centuries there’s been a deepening antagonism to a Christian worldview in Western culture. “This is our opportunity to equip students to stand as those who speak to the culture around us with the specific truth of the Gospel and the general truth of human origins and marriage and sexuality,” he said. “This isn’t just about wanting to be right, but it’s the way God designed life. Human flourishing depends on society living according to His truth. The more culture deviates from this into darkness, the more it will ultimately break down the flourishing of our society and the people around us. It’s really a matter of love that, as the darkness increases, we take seriously our stewardship to equip students to engage the world around them.” MAKING STUDENTS BETTER Student Life and Christian Ministries (SLCM) is a large umbrella at Cedarville, capturing just about every aspect of a student’s nonacademic experience, from living in a residence hall, to growing in a discipleship group, to singing with HeartSong. It encompasses nine different departments: Student Development, Student Life Programs, Career Services, Church Relations, University Medical Services, Campus Recreation, Production Services, Global Outreach (GO), and Discipleship Ministries. “They all fill one of three functions,” said Wood. “They provide campus services to students, they equip students, or they provide opportunities for students to reach out and impact the world.” In today’s higher education terminology, SLCM is responsible for the cocurricular side of the Yellow Jacket learning environment. “We come alongside the academic foundation of the University to help students grow in their spiritual depth, moral character, and professional and intellectual capability so they fulfill God’s mission in their lives,”Wood said. “We start with clarifying the Gospel, making sure they understand the Gospel and are able to share it with someone else. We want to make sure they have truly come to a point in life where they have been converted as Jesus’ disciples. “We’re building into students’ lives a deep spiritual commitment, a walk with God that is day in and day out, where they’re engaging in a prayer life and have a mindset of service and discipleship.” It’s really the big picture of Christian education — helping shape minds and hearts transformed by the Word of God. “They will be able to know and approve what God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will is,” Wood said, citing Romans 12:2. “He wrote a book for us to knowHim and know the world He created from His perspective. When we pursue that, we can think rightly and develop professionally in a way that will glorify Him, whether we go out as nurses, accountants, or missionaries.” The tagline of a familiar ad campaign expresses SLCM’s mission well — we don’t make the products you use, but we make them better. “The core of accomplishing this is the faculty, who model a Christian commitment and deep walk with God and exhibit professional excellence in a particular field,” said Wood. “Our job is to augment and enhance what they do.” LEADERSHIP DEFINED BY GOD Part of that enhancement is helping Cedarville students know and live out the Bible’s view of leadership. “Leadership is discipleship,” Wood said. “Leadership is not just tied to being in front of people, or even having an obvious title. We define leadership with three key words: stewardship, influence, and service.” Burns added, “Leadership is the stewardship of one’s God-given gifts, abilities, and opportunities in seeking to influence and serve others.” That def init ion is rol led out , explained, and discussed during Getting Started Weekend. “If you wait till they’re sophomores, you’ve missed it,” Burns said. “When they’re with their Resident Assistants (RA) and they hear, ‘We need to be good stewards,’ there will be that connector right from the beginning.” Not all Cedarville students will hold leadership positions, but it’s hoped that by beginning the discussion early on, they’ll retain a stewardship-influence-service definition of leadership by graduation. “The University’s mission is to create lifelong learners,” Burns said. “We better make “We define leadership with three key words: stewardship, influence, and service.” 12 | Cedarville Magazine