We are educated (in the broadest sense) so we can participate and engage with the world. We live in a world characterized by change. How do we understand and manage change if we have no notion of the past? How do we understand ourselves if we have no notion of a society, culture or world different from the one in which we live? We need to equip our emerging leaders with the cultural understanding, knowledge of social dynamics, and language proficiency to lead through complex conflicts.
Our educational institutions provide opportunities for integrative thinking and imagination, for creativity and discovery, and for kingdom impact. Our learning communities include a deep understanding of the ways our differences and commonalities have shaped history. We must prepare the next generations to be the best possible future leaders.
The colleges and universities affiliated with the Free Methodist Church have a long history of commitment to Christian higher education and raising up leaders who will intentionally spread holiness and the Good News throughout the world. We value the partnership between these colleges, universities and seminaries as we recognize the importance of teaching and learning in every generation. Jesus was known for teaching all generations and people groups from Jews to Gentiles, from children to elderly, and from poor to rich — no one was excluded from learning.
This Higher Education Guide serves as an introduction to Free Methodist partner and affiliate institutions. In the pages that follow, you will find schools from the East Coast to the Midwest to the West Coast with a variety of program offerings, learning styles and environments to prepare and engage students from diverse backgrounds.The colleges, universities and seminaries on these pages serve a total of nearly 30,000 students in 400 degree programs. They continue the rich legacy of B.T. Roberts, who founded the Free Methodist Church in 1860 and then started its first school, Chili Seminary (now Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary), in 1866 under the motto “education for character.”
We hope this guide will be a valuable resource for prospective undergraduate and graduate students who seek an education that nurtures both the mind and the soul.
