256 / 259
To fulfill personal and vocational goals, Columbia
International University offers a variety of academic
programs, with Bible as the core of each. To understand
the Bible it is necessary to know its content, understand its
meaning, and apply the truth of the Scripture so that it
changes patterns of thinking and behavior. Skill in
observing, interpreting, and applying God’s Word is
necessary. Bible surveys, book studies, topical Bible
studies (e.g. theology), and Bible-related subjects are
designed with these purposes in mind. To develop skill in
the use of the Bible, tools for study and communication are
learned and used in such courses as hermeneutics and
homiletics. However, to make Christ known in the full
sense of the word, it is necessary not only to study the
Bible and Bible-related subjects, but to know and
communicate well with the people to whom we make
Christ known.
As an institution of higher education, at least two relevant
reasons for studying general education are essential. First,
an important part of studying the various disciplines in
general education is to become the fully-formed, creative,
reasoning, social creatures that God designed us to be. In
doing so we enter into richer relationships with God and
others. The second vital reason to study general education
is to develop the ability to communicate Christ effectively.
By becoming well-formed, we will have reasoning skills,
worldview understanding, anthropological knowledge, and
historical perspectives that will enable us to reach others.
Undergraduate Objectives
The objectives of our undergraduate programs express
specific ways in which we endeavor to accomplish our
mission through helping students to develop in spiritual
maturity, Bible knowledge, ministry skills, and general
education. We take our mission and objectives seriously
and have taken care to state these objectives in terms that
facilitate assessment. We conduct specific assessment
activities each year and the results guide the institutional
planning process, enabling us to make improvements.
Focused on Spiritual Formation
*
Graduating students should demonstrate a growing
intimacy in their relationship with God, as evidenced in the
areas of worship, prayerfulness, and faith.
Graduating students should demonstrate a biblical
understanding of themselves rooted in Christ, as
evidenced in the areas of confidence, self-discipline, and
stability.
Graduating students should demonstrate a growing
relationship with the body of Christ as evidenced in the
areas of community, unity, and submission.
Graduating students should demonstrate a growing
maturity in personal relationships as evidenced in the
areas of purity, faithfulness, and servanthood.
Graduating students should demonstrate a desire to serve
God fully as they engage the world as evidenced in the
areas of eternal perspective, conviction, and perseverance.
*The faculty recognizes that spiri ual formation m y be
defined in various ways. After careful consideration, in 2005
the faculty defined spiritual formation as: “The divinely
ordained transformational process by which the Holy Spirit
leads believers to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ through the
Word of God and by that relationship become progressively
freer from sin and more like Christ. The Spirit’s formative
work occurs in the context of a vital engagement with a
community of believers.”
Focused on Bible Knowledge
Graduating
students
should
demonstrate
basic
understanding of the content and composition of the
biblical revelation of God’s plan of salvation and program
of redemption, including a basic grasp of the content,
principles of interpretation, and theological teaching of the
Bible. Graduating students will demonstrate a thorough
understanding of the biblical standards, principles, and
provisions for Christ-like living.
Graduating students should demonstrate a basic grasp of
the biblical mandate for world evangelization and the role
and responsibility of each individual believer and local
church.
Focused on Professional Competencies and Ministry
Skills
Graduating students should evidence identification and
understanding of their spiritual gifts and abilities and
evidence ability to use them effectively in ministry.
Graduating students should evidence integration of the
cognitive aspects of learning with affective and behavioral
aspects by demonstrating competence in development of
ministry strategies, development and use of ministry
materials, and adequate skill in methods and media of
presentation appropriate to their individual academic
specialization and vocational goals.
Graduating students should demonstrate development in
and adequate reflection of traits and skills for spiritual
leadership such as commitment to the biblical priority of
world
evangelization,
personal
involvement
in
evangelizing the lost and promoting righteousness, justice
and mercy in society, dependability, creativity, initiative,
and vision, and a servant attitude in their ministry skills
and internship experiences.
Graduating students should demonstrate technical and
human service skills by completing internships or other
forms of direct service under professional supervision in
their programs.
Focused on General Education
Graduating students should evidence development in
formation of a biblical worldview, which provides a
framework for interpreting, integrating, and assimilating
truth from various realms of revelation and human inquiry.
OLUMBIA NTERNATIONAL NIVERSITY
PPENDIX