A Sustainable Modern University
Anchor Christian University is a private, independent, nonprofit university dedicated to building a sustainable model for modern life and ministry preparation that intentionally involves the local church and other faith-based organizations in the process of growing biblically-grounded next-generation Christian leaders.
As a global learning community, the university is marked by a rigorous integrated learning approach that leads to intellectual, spiritual, and professional skill development.
We are committed to launching Kingdom leaders across cultures along their God-designed path, equipped with the tools for continuous growth and effectiveness, and without the weight of unhealthy debt.
We value active learning
All Anchor Christian University programs and courses are designed around an intentional stack of measurable objectives that develop the knowledge, character, and skill a student needs to deliver immediate Kingdom impact in a real ministry environment. Every course is built on the Learning Blueprint framework developed by Eleven:6. It's a simple, but powerful approach to active learning that accelerates understanding and makes learning "sticky."
The Learning Blueprint framework gives students a healthy rhythm for contextualizing every course through four main elements: Framing, Reading & Research, Journaling, and Application Projects. It allows our professors to "flip" the course approach and customize content from course bibliographies to target student dynamics and to coach the development of final projects to deliver real professional or ministry outcomes in each student's real-world ministry role. Real learning. Real application. Right now.
“When I committed to moving to Haiti, I was sure there was no chance of me ever getting a college degree, and that was harder to accept than I thought it would be. When the opportunity to earn a degree doing what I love in the place that I love was presented to me, it seemed too good to be true. I have loved every bit of university since starting in August.”
--Leah
We Value Integrated Learning
Our roots as a teaching and learning organization are in active learning and ministry environments. For us, the process of learning has always been integrated with real contexts... we learn in live environments.
Every Anchor Christian University student is required to be involved in a volunteer or professional role that gives context to their learning. Every course is built to take advantage of the perspective and opportunities that role gives the student to process their learning and to apply their learning in that real environment. It also helps the student grasp the real value of what they are learning as they are learning it by making the knowledge, character and skill outcomes of each course tangible. Growth is immediate and immediately valuable.
Integrated learning is essential for the student's growth, but it's also valuable to the organization or ministry they serve. As students grow, they engage their ministry responsibilities at a higher level, with more impact. In many cases, Anchor Christian University students serve with partner organizations that also actively invest in their learning through mentoring and/or scholarship opportunities. We aggressively foster a holistic learning community.
We Value Financial Responsibility
Debt is a huge problem for U.S. college graduates. It has the potential to steal the momentum and the intended value of the time and money investment made in completing a degree. For those headed into ministry or already living on a ministry salary, college debt can be crippling on the budget level and on the emotional level. It can limit opportunities and impact.
While we believe strongly in the impact ROI (return on investment) of tooling up for ministry impact with a faith-infused degree program, we also believe that student debt can significantly diminish that ROI. Because we are committed to a holistic ROI on each student's tuition AND time investment, we work hard to maintain a financial model that allows students to cover tuition without debt.
This commitment extends into our approach to global delivery. Through partnerships, we are making Anchor Christian University courses and programs available to international students at rates that reflect their countries' relative purchasing power.
How do we make it work? First, we run a tight ship with no waste in the system and without a costly traditional campus to maintain. Donated funds, tuition funds, and donated talents are the Lord's resources and we steward them as such. Second, we invest time and resources in people and organizations that are committed to multiplying value in line with our mission for the Lord's purposes. Third, we collaborate with other ministry and educational organizations to share assets and opportunities along our aligned missions.
We Value the Global Church
Our mission is to amplify the disciple-making mission of the local church globally. While in many cases that may look like exporting U.S. students to serve and work in missions, there is a more significant and sustainable impact in taking learning to the church wherever it is.
Our objective is to leverage modern educational tools and technology to deliver faith-infused training and education to the next-generation leaders in their location, in their language and within their cultural and economic dynamics. We apply the same continuous learning approach we teach to students to the process of discovering how to best accomplish our global mission.
We firmly believe God uniquely designed and equips each local church, regardless of location, language, culture and/or economic dynamics, with Christ as its head, to engage and impact its community with the Gospel... to bring Light into a dark world. Our opportunity is to amplify that God-designed DNA with a biblical toolbox for training disciple-makers.