I. STUDENT LIFE MISSION AND STRUCTURE The mission of Student Life is to help students cultivate healthy relationships with Christ and others through providing leadership, a discipleship atmosphere, and development in spiritual disciplines. A. Objectives The specific objectives of the Student Life Department are to help every student to: 1. Develop and incorporate spiritual disciplines into daily life with the goal of long-term spiritual success.
2. Learn and apply biblical principles of leadership within various contexts. 3. Learn and apply principles of discipleship within various contexts. B. Structure
The Dean of Students, under the authority of the Executive Dean, leads the Student Life Department including the Dean of Men and Dean of Women. They minister together, overseeing all aspects of campus life including housing, spiritual, and social activities or events, counseling, discipleship, and discipline. The International Student Coordinator and the Dean of Students assist international and off-campus students with their specific needs. Resident Directors are selected to assist the Deans in the management of Student Life programs and the training, oversight, and discipleship of the Resident Assistants. Each Resident Director reports directly to a Student Life Dean. Student leadership (Residents Assistants) is comprised of students selected by the faculty and staff who have demonstrated leadership potential and personal responsibility. They serve to facilitate and maintain the standards of the Bible Institute as set forth in this handbook. Dorm Resident Assistants assist with the oversight of dorm life and Service Resident Assistants assist with oversight in various service areas. RAs exercise vital leadership roles in the dorms, in service areas, in the classroom, and on ministry teams. They also serve to encourage students in their walk with the Lord. II. STUDENT LIFE GUIDING PRINCIPLES The Christian life is a walk of faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Unbelief turns us away from the Lord, hardens the heart, and neutralizes the benefits of hearing the Word of God (Hebrews 3:12-4:2) whereas faith energizes the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Therefore, we want to help students to learn to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). As we seek to encourage this, it is our desire that the following biblical principles guide our approach. A. The Sufficiency of Christ Through His Word (Colossians 2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:1-4) Sanctification is the process by which believers change to become more like Jesus Christ. Salvation and sanctification are both of the Lord, unmerited favors that we access by faith. As we trust and obey God’s Word, the Holy Spirit transforms us through the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Scripture alone can accurately evaluate every situation and provide effective guidance for authentic life change. When external checklists, programs, and policies claim to prescribe a cure for the human condition or to generate spiritual growth on their own, they compete with the sufficiency of Christ through His Word. Therefore, our focus will be to constantly direct students to the Scriptures and help them to internalize truth. B. The Reality of New Life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-19; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27, 3:1-4) The Christian life is not a matter of doing all that we can to become like Christ. It is responding by faith to the truth that Christ is now our life and allowing Him to live through us! Since all students who come to WOLBI profess new life in Christ, we take them at their word. In the words of Paul, “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17). Therefore, in matters of behavior, personal responsibility, and community life we appeal to a student’s new identity in Christ and call him or her to live in a manner that is worthy of their calling (Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 1:27); no longer for self but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
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Revised August 2024
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