Our Distinctives

Mission Statement

The mission of Emmaus Bible College, as an institution of higher learning, is to glorify God by teaching the Bible and by educating and equipping learners to serve and lead in churches, ministries, communities, and vocations.

The Emmaus Experience

Academic programs infused with biblical content, meaningful relationships between faculty, staff and students, and a campus environment conducive to spiritual and personal growth.

Vision

A Bible college of national distinction offering both ministry and vocational education that prepares servant leaders for impact in the Church and the world.

Core Values

• Authority of Scripture
• New Testament church principles
• Dignity of the individual
• Integrity
• Accountability
• Culture of excellence
• Commitment to service
   

Institutional Goals

Emmaus purposes to:

• Empower learners to realize their full potential through high-quality academic and student development programs that are Biblically grounded and culturally relevant.
• Create an attractive, safe campus environment conducive to learning and spiritual and personal growth.
• Encourage the personal and professional development of each faculty and staff member.
• Strengthen institutional financial health.
• Engage external constituencies, including brethren assemblies and related ministries, other evangelical churches, and the community through education, ministry, and service.
• Increase the educational influence of the college, its faculty, and its students.
  
  

Educational Goals

Through its academic programs, Emmaus purposes to:

• Increase understanding of the Bible and Christian theology.
• Challenge for spiritual growth and development of Christian character.
• Develop servant-leaders, equipped for service, ministry, and vocation.
• Challenge for the development and integration of a biblical worldview.
• Develop foundational knowledge and skills to support lifelong learning.
• Cultivate educated contributors to contemporary society.
   

Educational Philosophy

The educational philosophy of Emmaus Bible College is framed by our beliefs about the nature of truth and learning.

• Biblical/Christian Education — We recognize the final authority of the Bible in all that it affirms.  The direct study of the Bible is part of every academic program at Emmaus.   This is educationally significant not only in Bible and theology coursework but also in general education, ministry and vocational studies, and co-curricular and extra-curricular programs and activities.  
• Higher Education — We are committed to providing a high-quality educational experience for every student.  Our faculty possesses appropriate academic qualifications, and students are admitted on the basis of their ability to be successful at the undergraduate level.
• Freedom of Inquiry — We believe that all truth has God as its ultimate source and needs to be pursued with honest, thorough, and open inquiry.  At the same time, we recognize the limitations of individuals in the process of determining what information is relevant and how that information should be appropriately interpreted.
• Foundation for Lifelong Learning — We believe that learning is a lifelong pursuit.  Curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular experiences are designed to foster a desire for lifelong learning in the lives of students.
• Holistic Education — We seek to educate the whole person, not simply the mind.  Curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities are all intended to contribute to personal growth and development in the lives of students.  This holistic approach to education is articulated more specifically in the Student Development Philosophy below.
   

Student Development Philosophy

As an institution of higher learning, Emmaus Bible College seeks to create a learning environment in which students are challenged to develop intellectually, spiritually, vocationally, and personally. 

• Through partnerships between academic life and student development, students are challenged in and out of the classroom to increase their knowledge of the Bible and their understanding of the world and pursue their personal role in God's plan through their chosen ministry or vocation.
• Through co-curricular programs, students are challenged to grow spiritually and build qualities of Christian character into their personal lives. 
• Through internship and practicum opportunities and the Servant Leader Training program, students are challenged to develop ministry and vocational skills and competencies.
  
  

Curriculum

The academic programs at Emmaus Bible College are designed to meet our institutional mission and educational goals in the lives of learners.  The programs of study are organized into the following curricular areas:

• Core Studies — The Core Studies curriculum is part of the academic program of each Emmaus student and includes Bible and theology and general education.  Specific areas of study in Bible include Biblical Studies, Bible Exposition and Exegesis, and Biblical Languages.  The General Studies program provides the foundational knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to be productive contributors to society, as well as coursework that supports student learning within specific major programs.
• Ministry Studies — Students may elect to complete elective coursework or a major or minor in Ministry Studies.  Areas of study include Camp Ministries, Intercultural Studies, Music Ministry, Youth Ministries, Biblical Counseling, Church Planting and Revitalization, Computer Applications in Ministry, and Biblical Ministry.
• Professional Studies — Students may elect to complete elective coursework or a major or minor in Professional Studies.  Areas of study include Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, Counseling Psychology, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Music, Music Education (K-12), Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and a cooperative program in Nursing offered in partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College.
  
  

Assessment of Student Learning

Emmaus Bible College is committed to providing a high-quality educational experience for each student.  The assessment of student learning process provides a mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of the academic programs at Emmaus.  Each academic program has established a set of learning outcomes to be met by certificate or degree graduates.  Evaluation tools are used at the program level and at the institutional level to assess whether or not learning outcomes are being met.  The evidence collected is then analyzed and used to make academic program changes or improvements.

Doctrinal Statement

The teaching of Emmaus Bible College is based on the following:

• The Bible is inspired of God, inerrant in the original documents and of final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
• There is one God, eternally existent in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was born of a virgin and is sinlessly perfect. His sacrifice is substitutionary and representative. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended to His Father's right hand, where He now ministers as our Great High Priest. He will come to rapture His Church and subsequently return to reign over the earth.
• Each member of the human race is fallen, sinful and lost, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of man. Redemption is wholly by the blood of Christ, and salvation is by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
• The Holy Spirit indwells the believer who is thus empowered to live a godly life. There will be resurrection of the saved and of the lost, of the saved unto eternal life, and of the lost unto eternal conscious judgment. 
• The Church began with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and is composed of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. These believers are united to Him and to one another by the indwelling Spirit. The Church's calling, hope and destiny are heavenly, and its chief functions are to glorify God and to witness for Christ until His return.
• Christ, the risen head of the Church, is the giver of spiritual gifts to all believers. Gifted individuals such as evangelists, pastors and teachers are responsible to Him for their service and are given “for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
• There are two Christian ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism by immersion signifies that the believer, having died with Christ, is buried with Him in baptism and also is risen with Christ to walk in newness of life. The Lord's Supper is a memorial feast, instituted by the Lord Himself exclusively for His own.
• Every true child of God possesses eternal life and being justified, sanctified and sealed with the Holy Spirit, is safe and secure for all eternity.
• The personal imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to translate His Church will be followed by the Tribulation and the inauguration of Christ's reign over the earth; He will then deliver up the Kingdom to God the Father that the Triune God may be all in all.

The teaching of Emmaus Bible College follows the historic, evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures, which has, in general, been accepted by the Christian Church since its inception.  It recognizes no sectarian barriers and seeks to declare the whole counsel of God without over-stressing any single line of truth.

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