Centennial Covenant
In 1997, on the 100th anniversary of Huntington University, delegates to the United Brethren General Conference approved the Centennial Covenant. This document was prepared by representatives from the United Brethren Church and from Huntington University. It outlines the key expectations we have of each other, and clearly states our commitment to each other.
Huntington University commits itself to the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and pledges to:
1. Educate men and women to impact our world for Christ. Huntington University graduates will be mature in spirit, equipped for ministry, competent in their academic discipline, Christian in worldview, and ready for leadership.
2. Be a place of spiritual vitality, challenging students to become mature in their Christian faith and commitment to the church at large.
3. Provide high-quality Christian higher education, at an affordable price, which teaches students to apply biblical truths to all aspects of life and knowledge.
4. Build and maintain an academically qualified faculty that is committed to the evangelical Christian faith, and that can train our present and future ministers, youth pastors, Christian educators, musicians, and lay leaders through formal and continuing education.
5. Teach and model social concerns consistent with the beliefs and practices of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.
6. Encourage gifted University personnel and students to pursue ministry and educational opportunities within the United Brethren Church.
7. Demonstrate sound fiscal management, operate within a balanced budget, and maintain an excellent campus as manifestations of Christian stewardship.
8. Expose students to the arts and how art, drama, and music can be used within the ministry of the church.
9. Challenge the church with fresh and innovative paradigms in the field of education and ministry.
10. Prepare students for lives of service by encouraging student volunteerism and by exposing students to cross-cultural service and learning opportunities.
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ commits herself to Huntington University and pledges to:
1. Pray faithfully for the administration, faculty, staff, and student body.
2. Interpret clearly to her constituency the mission of the University and its importance to the ministry of the denomination.
3. Provide quality trustees and other volunteer leaders who are committed to Christian higher education and the mission of Huntington University.
4. Expose potential students to the University and enthusiastically encourage them to enroll.
5. Promote the events, programs, curriculum, and other services that the University provides.
6. Support the University financially through denominational appropriations and by encouraging generous gifts from individuals.
7. Encourage talented lay persons to use their natural and spiritual gifts at the University.
8. Use gifted University personnel and students for ministry and educational opportunities within the Church.
9. Enter into dialogue with the administration and faculty regarding theological stances to be taken on social, moral, and ethical issues in our society.
10. Give the University the freedom to explore contemporary issues within the context of the Christian faith, trusting it to remain true to biblical absolutes and to the beliefs and practices of the Church.
The Church and the University pledge to preserve and enhance their partnership in Christian higher education.
To this end:
1. The Church and University will pursue a mutual vision that emerges from our interrelated mission statements.
2. The Church will continue to own and financially support the University.
3. The University will play a greater role in providing leadership for the denomination in order to help the Church fulfill the Great Commission.
4. The Church and the University will stand firm on biblical standards, allow freedom where the Bible allow freedom, and maintain unity when disagreements arise.
5. The Church will continue to cooperate with the University in creating an environment where students from many Christian denominations and independent Christian congregations receive the best Christian higher education.
