Every organization has a mission. I’m not talking about the one that’s printed on the lobby wall. I’m talking about the one that’s driving every decision at either a conscious or subconscious level. For some, maybe it is meeting a social need. For others, it may be maximizing shareholder returns. For colleges, it may look more like building a reputation as a research institution or growing annualized enrollment. Here’s ours:

“The dream of Highlands College is not that you came. It’s that you went.”

Chris Hodges, Chancellor, Highlands College

That’s it. It’s not the paradigm-shifting training model or the first-of-their-kind facilities – those are just beautiful means to a far more beautiful end. The end is the mission. At Highlands College, we are fixated on the lives of eternal impact our graduates go on to live when they leave us. Fulfilling the world-changing call of God on our students’ lives is the axis about which everything at Highlands College revolves.

To practically help our students fulfill this call, we created a Ministry Placement team that focuses their full-time efforts on preparing students for and connecting them to ministry careers. Our team is constantly meeting one-on-one with students and churches to make the connections that propel both to their God-given destinies.

This priority occupies the heart of our college, and its expression will sit at the center of our new campus. Ministry Placement occupies a space in our new facility that forms the hinge of all student life in the building. In this space, students will connect with ministry professionals and be developed into ministry professionals themselves. Spaces for hosting church leaders and interviews are positioned as if around a compass, a visual reminder of the expansive and diverse mission field they are about to enter.

We’re captivated by the stories our students write with their lives when they leave here. They are why we exist, and we’ll never stop championing the destiny that God has placed inside them. And now we’ll have a space intentionally designed for that to happen. Our mission is clear. Our flag is planted. The world will never be the same.

As our building project gets underway, if you are interested in learning about the different values and areas of focus we are integrating into the project, please check out other recent articles.

Written by President Mark Pettus