During the 2023-2024 academic year, VBC has the distinct pleasure of celebrating 40 years of training Christian leaders. While the method has changed over the years as we have transitioned to an online-only college, our mission remains the same. We may teach differently, but at the core we remain the same since day one.
I find four words help embody our core values: Veritas, Integritas, Humilitas, and Qualitas. These four simple Latin words summarize well that to which we are committed.
Veritas
All that we are begins with a commitment to verity, that is, to truth. We endeavor to define truth in a post-modern world. We instruct our students to defend and declare truth boldly. We desire our students to display the truth in the ways in which they live.
By teaching sound doctrine, we expose error. We know that the truth brings freedom (John 8.32) and joy (3 John 4). Whether it is our administration, staff, faculty, students, or alumni – we want to pursue truth.
Integritas
Grounded upon truth, integrity insists that we live without duplicity or hypocrisy. To use Paul’s words from Philippians 1.8-10, we strive to be sincere. There is an inherent idea that we walk in honesty, in transparency, and authenticity.
Integrity means that we are committed to keep His Word as well as to keep our own word. It implies that we deliver the education that we promise. It means that we must be ethical in our words and actions.
Humilitas
This word carries the connotation of respectful confidence without arrogance. John Stott once said, “Pride is your greatest enemy; humility is your greatest friend.” Perhaps the greatest example of humility is in the description Paul gives of Jesus in Philippians 2.5-8.
As a core value, humilitas affects how we lead. We choose to model a servant-leadership style, attempting to follow the example given by Christ. We understand that we are building His kingdom, not our own.
Humilitas implies that we are committed to modeling the Christian life, inviting people to follow us as we follow Christ. We know we can impress from a distance, but we impact up close as we strive to develop mentoring, discipling relationships. In short, we aim to keep a proper perspective of who God is, who we are, and what our responsibilities are to one another.
Qualitas
Our goal is excellence, rather than perfection. We have flaws, but the Lord’s work deserves our very best. We long to impact future ministry leaders by providing education that is from a distinctively Christian worldview, delivered passionately from qualified professors.
This commitment to deliver a quality education is reflected by our pricing and by our determination to not be satisfied to simply deliver content, but rather to invest in the lives of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
This is our framework: Veritas, Integritas, Humilitas, and Qualitas. Why did we start a Doctor of Ministry degree? Operating from a commitment to share the truth of God’s Word, we embarked on a journey to humbly deliver a quality option for those seeking to further their training.
Why do we offer discounts, scholarships, and work diligently to keep our prices low? Or, why do we offer so many free classes through our Truth Matters Institute? Again, this flows from a commitment to truth being taught to as many people as the Lord will allow. Why do we seek to hire high-quality professors? We believe not only that truth matters, but also that integrity matters as well.
In this 40th year of our history, it’s good to continue articulating those foundational principles. These four core values provide a great snapshot of who we are. If you’re searching for an opportunity to continue your education, we invite you to join us at VBC!
Truth matters!