New Life Theological Seminary
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Educating Men and Women of Integrity

Mission and Philosophy

 
 
MISSION STATEMENT
 
For the glory of Jesus the Messiah, NLTS  is committed to equip servant leaders with integrity to exegete and deliver the Word of God with no compromises in teaching, no greediness of purpose, and no prejuddice of instruction to urban people of all cultures enabling them to reach the lost, disciple the saved, and further the Kingdom of God.
 
 
STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
 
As a body of believers invested in Christian education, NLTS acknowledges
  • that we as sinners are redeemed by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ; and
  • that we have submitted ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to the authority of Holy Scripture as God’s inerrant, infallible Word; and
  • that God’s Word declares that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of godly wisdom, knowledge, and understanding; and
  • that God’s Word commands us to make disciples of all people everywhere, especially our own children, by the training and instruction of the Lord.
Therefore, NLTS affirms that
  • godly wisdom comes only by special revelation through the Person of Christ, Holy Scripture, and the whole counsel of God given by the Holy Spirit through the church:
  • godly knowledge comes by general revelation through formal and informal study and contemplation of nature and human nature, in pursuit of an academic curriculum, and in work and play;
  • godly understanding comes only when all life’s experience passes through the lens of a biblical world-view, meaning that all truth is framed by biblical reality and everything that is ultimately of God is true.
NLTS further affirms that
  • God who is perfect and holy commands humankind to service that aspires to be both perfect and holy;
  • humankind lacks in itself the capacity to fulfill God’s commands and that humanity must humble itself and strive to use spiritual gifts to bring honor and glory to God;
  • to withhold from God our best, to achieve less than our best, to commend ourselves for doing what is only our duty, or to judge the achievements of others are all sin and we must seek God’s forgiveness for our sin.
NLTS further affirms that
  • the goal of achieving excellence is essential to the good stewardship of our gifts and calling; as commended by the example of Holy Scripture and the work of God in history, the founding and operations of NLTS stems from a commitment to honor the Lord Jesus Christ by the training and equipping of men and women to proclaim the gospel message and to serve God and His people;
  • both objective and subjective standards of excellence exist for measuring the quality of our work in this seminary;
  • NLTS standards of excellence reflect biblical virtues and cultural values compatible with Scripture;
  • among the cultural values acknowledged by society and Scripture are included excellence of the academics, arts, athletics, and social attainments.
The academic programs and educational ministry of NLTS reflect
  • goals to be an institution where the board, administrators, teachers, staff, and support personnel recognize the holistic and interdependent nature of our work together;
  • a ministry of the greater Charlotte Christian Community, able to make a unique contribution to the larger Body of Christ, recognized and respected for its distinct calling to shape the will of students to mirror “the mind” of Christ;
  • the extension of the Christian family and household where we take seriously the trust others have placed in us to help them in developing responsible adults in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; 
  • the extension of the worldwide Christian family - To be that salt of the earth, a beacon on a hill as our programs and people impact the world around them.
Therefore, by God’s grace, NLTS strives to the end that our students
  • be stimulated, challenged, encouraged to utilize the best possible use of the intellectual, aesthetic, physical, social, and spiritual gifts given to them by God;
  • be provided opportunity to excel in academic studies, artistic performances, and social growth while keeping mind of their need for spiritual maturity and faith and yet provide the students the dignity and responsibility of fulfilling their financial obligations;
  • be provided sound academic training mixed with practical hands-on experience in their field of ministry as they are exposed to examples of godly living worthy of emulation, not only by their professors and our staff but also their peers and members of the religious community;
  • be encouraged to develop, build and deepen a sense of family among students, faculty, administration, alumni and board members’;
  • be urged to recognize the grace of God throughout the human race and in every nation, language, and culture;
  • be directed toward a vocation field of service worthy of their calling and gifts, to enable them to confront the world with the gospel of Christ;
  • be confronted with the claims of Jesus Christ in such a clear manner that they always teach the Christian faith as the only true faith, and faith in Christ as humanity's only hope of everlasting salvation.
May our endeavors be guided by God’s Holy Word: “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).