A Commitment to Mission

At Andrews University, our mission is embedded in our DNA.

Battle Creek College, the forerunner of Andrews University, was founded in 1874 to prepare people to carry forward the gospel commission. That same year, the University's namesake, J.N. Andrews, answered the call to serve as the first sponsored missionary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. From that beginning, many have gone forth from Andrews University to engage in God's mission throughout the world. Inspired by their legacy of witness and service, we also commit ourselves to fulfill God's mission.

First and foremost, our commitment is to fulfill the divine commission (Matthew 28:18-20; also Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-49; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:8). Empowered by the authority of Christ, sustained by His presence, and guided by His Spirit, we hold as core priority to lead people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. We also commit to the continued nurture of our community, teaching our students how to apply the teachings of Jesus in daily life.

Our commitment to a global mission also includes fulfilling our institutional mission, which reflects on and exemplifies the gospel commission. The mission of Andrews University states:

Andrews University, a distinctive Seventh-day Adventist Christian institution, transforms its students by educating them to seek knowledge and affirm faith in order to change the world.

As a University, we pledge to fulfill each element of our stated mission with creativity and excellence.

Distinctively Seventh-day Adventist. At Andrews University we are Christ-centered and Bible-based. We believe that the life of Christ is our greatest example and that His words inform each dimension of life and learning. We take God's Word seriously, as our guide and rule of faith. In turn, as a Seventh-day Adventist university, we hold the beliefs of the Adventist Church as providing foundational principles and values for all of our academic and professional endeavors. At Andrews University, we unite to help fulfill the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church: "Make disciples of Jesus Christ who live as His loving witnesses and proclaim to all people the everlasting gospel of the Three Angels' Messages in preparation for His soon return."

Transformation through education. We hold that while information is vital, information alone is insufficient. To truly learn is to change. An education at Andrews University must lead to transformation—a change in understanding, in skills, in priorities, and in life. We believe that to transform we must first be transformed—by the truth as it is in Jesus and by the work of His Spirit in each of our lives. This transformation will ultimately find expression in a life of wellness, witness, and service, supported by a personal commitment to lifelong learning.

Seek Knowledge. We believe that God is the ultimate Source of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 2:6), and we seek to connect all of our learning to God and to His plan for our lives. We also believe that our pursuit of knowledge is to be linked to real life and to the relationships and communities that make up our lives. This means that as a University we endeavor to develop and demonstrate our competence in a range of transferable skills, such as information and quantitative literacy, analytical thinking and ethical reasoning, and teamwork and effective communication. It also means that we will seek to advance excellence, both as individuals and as a community of learners, by assessing diverse perspectives and by supporting research and creative scholarship.

Affirm Faith. We work closely with chaplaincy in our Center for Faith Engagement, with the Pioneer Memorial Church leadership here on our campus, and with fellowship teams across campus to build up a community of faith (Romans 1:11-12; Ephesians 4:2-6) and to seek to be passionate about Jesus and His Word. We seek to identify and implement increasingly effective ways to nurture and deepen faith throughout the University. We endeavor to consistently articulate a biblical worldview to interpret, critique and enrich life, learning and social responsibility from a Seventh-day Adventist faith perspective. In essence, I believe that Andrews University is an ideal place where we can cultivate a lifelong friendship with God, develop a spiritual and ethical life that reflects God's loving character, and from which we go out as active followers of Christ and engaged members of the church and the wider community.

Change the World. We ultimately want to make a difference for God by sharing His love to the world. That means that our lives must have a distinctive flavor (Matthew 5:13) and that we must have courage to boldly share God's truth and love through our words and our lives (Matthew 5:15-16). In our purpose to form World Changers, we nurture innovation and entrepreneurship. We apply knowledge and skills in creative ways to solve real problems in contexts that are often complex and unpredictable. Together we seek to address the needs of diverse communities on our campus and around the world. Overall, we view vocation as a divine calling and our professions as service.

At Andrews University, in essence, we promote and highlight personal and collective involvement in mission—short- and long-term, locally and globally. Together we prepare students to become deep participants in this calling from God, providing training and opportunities to engage in missional experiences in our classrooms and campus activities.

Here at Andrews University, we are inspired by mission and we are committed to mission—to the mission of our University, to the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and to the gospel commission that God has given to us and which inspires all of our journeys forward.


John Wesley Taylor V
President, Andrews University