One of the most career-shaping meetings of my life happened when I first became president of Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL. It happened when I met with all of the student leaders of all of our schools and campuses. I had sent them one question for our discussion together:
“What is the most important thing you want me to know about educating the lives of people in your generation?”
I was a bit surprised to discover that they had met as a group before coming in to see me. The consequence of this was that they were unanimous about what they wanted me to hear. They told me, “The education we value is education that happens in community. Our generation does not simply want to be given cognitive knowledge that we must regurgitate. We want our lives to be shaped in a growing and health-giving community.”
I made a list of the kinds of things the student leaders said should happen in this kind of educational community. Among their comments were these:
$· Centered in the lordship of Christ,
$· Providing the kind of knowledge and skills that will be a catalyst for lifelong learning,
$· Permeated by grace—meaning that the community would not give up on them when they fail,
$· Characterized by accountability—students must be held accountable to become more than they are at the present,
$· Concerned about the whole of their lives—mind, emotions, spirit, body…
$· Facilitating life-on-life education.
I remember thinking, “This is the kind of community all people long to be a part of.” And that student meeting came back to my mind as I came to one of several summaries of the early church community found in Acts 2–6. I read with new eyes what the author (Luke) said about the early church. He told us that they were
$· An unselfish, generous community – Everyone was willing to give and share so that “there were no needy persons among them” (4:34)
$· A diverse but unified community – “All the believers were together and had everything in common…” (2:44)
$· A joy-filled worshipping community – “They ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God…” (2:46–47)
$· A transparent and honest community – See the awe-provoking story in 5:1–11.
$· A compassionate community – Notice how the community became nimble and made changes so that the widows among them would be cared for in 6:1–7.
The student leaders seemed to long for that kind of community. I do too. How about you?
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor