Path to 1,000+

One of the questions we often ask at Highlands College is simple: What would it look like to meet the growing need for ministry leaders at an even greater scale?

For years, we have carried a vision of training and equipping 1,000+ students on our campus to become future pastors, worship leaders, missionaries, and business leaders, prepared to serve wherever God calls them.

This year marked an important step toward that vision.

During the 2025–2026 academic year, undergraduate enrollment grew to 509 students, increasing Highlands College's student body to the largest it has ever been. Just a year earlier, enrollment stood at 401 students. The growth we've experienced represents hundreds of men and women choosing to invest their lives in the local church and the mission of advancing the Gospel.

The momentum continued this summer when, for the first time in Highlands College history, demand for enrollment exceeded available capacity. Students seeking ministry training were placed on a waitlist, providing further evidence that a new generation is responding to God's call.

Reaching 1,000+ students is not simply about growth for growth's sake. Every additional student is another leader being developed, another church being strengthened, and another community impacted through the Gospel. As we continue moving toward that goal, we remain committed to preserving the culture, discipleship, and hands-on training that have defined Highlands College from the beginning.

The need is great, and the opportunity before us is even greater. Because of your generosity, we are positioned to continue expanding our impact and preparing leaders for the Church at a time when they are needed more than ever.

Highlands College Alumni, Bri & Grant Rosener

After graduating from Highlands College in May 2026, Bri and Grant Rosener were married in the summer and headed to Houston, Texas, where they began their first ministry assignment together as newlyweds.

While their stories started in different places, both arrived at Highlands College knowing that God was calling them into ministry. Bri first sensed that call at a summer camp in Oklahoma when she was 15 years old. Grant's calling came even earlier. By fifth grade, when people asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, his answer was simple: he wanted to attend Highlands College and serve in ministry.

Over the years, they were developed through classes, mentoring relationships, hands-on ministry experiences, and opportunities to grow alongside a community of peers pursuing the same mission. Now, as graduates, they are stepping into leadership roles at Faith Family Church in Houston.

Bri, a Global Ministry graduate, serves as Creative Communications Coordinator, helping the church communicate its mission and connect with people in an increasingly digital world. Grant, a Pastoral Ministry graduate, serves as Next Steps Director, helping guests become engaged members of the church community while building a new Dream Team leadership structure at the church's Central Campus.

Their story is a reminder that churches around the world are looking for leaders who are spiritually formed and practically equipped. Your generosity trains leaders who are called to serve the global Church. As Highlands College students who have been called, transformed, and sent to lead, Bri and Grant are answering that call together.

"Highlands College isn't just about getting a degree—it's about training those who are going onto the front lines of ministry and preparing them for battle."

— Bri Rosener

From Financial Gift to Personal Investment

"Investing in Highlands College was never simply about supporting a school," says Joe Sawyer. "It was about investing in the mission of raising leaders who will go into the harvest field and make an eternal difference for God's Kingdom."

For Joe and Stephanie Sawyer, giving to Highlands College began with a calling. From their first visit, the Sawyers noticed something in the culture that marked the leadership, faculty, staff, and students alike. That impression deepened into the conviction that if God calls a student to ministry, finances shouldn't stand in the way.

Their Endowed Student Scholarship (ESS) became one way to remove that barrier.

The initial gift became something more personal when the Sawyers met Taylor Hodges, their ESS recipient, at an event, where they heard her story and the calling God has placed on her life.

"It transformed our perspective on giving," Joe reflects. "Our scholarship was no longer just financial support. It became a personal investment in someone God is preparing to serve others."

That shift from funding a mission to knowing a name is what the Sawyers say makes their giving meaningful. "It put a face and a story behind our investment," Joe says. "That's a legacy worth investing in."