Mountains2

Vision, Mission & Values

Vision

The Vancouver School of Theology is called to educate and form thoughtful, engaged and generous Christian leaders.

View VST’s Strategic Plan

Mission

An education at VST invites:

  • Faithful discernment of the demands of Christian service.
  • Rigorous engagement with Christian tradition and contemporary learning.
  • Hospitable and respectful collaboration with Indigenous spiritualities and other cultures and faith traditions for the good of all creation.

As a community of faith, we commit to (Values):

  • Theological education (theological, biblical, pastoral, ethical, historical, Indigenous and inter-religious studies) for the formation of God’s people and the flourishing of all creation.
  • Inspiring lives of discerning Christian discipleship within and outside this community.
  • Respect for the dignity of every person.
  • Learning and scholarship undertaken with diligence and openness.
  • Encouraging prophetic speech and just action for the love and welfare of creation.

Goals/Strategic Ends

  • Formation for Leadership: Increase our commitment to educating and forming students for transformative and adaptive leadership in traditional and non-traditional ministry, while continuing to support existing research-oriented programmes.
  • Excellence in Teaching: Inspire excellence in teaching and learning for God’s people, and share that learning in multiple venues.
  • Strengthened Church Relationships: Cultivate our relationships with denominations that currently support us and continue ecumenical expansion, locally with progressive evangelicals, in Cascadia, the Pacific Rim and Africa.
  • Promoting Cutting Edge Education in Teaching/Learning Technologies: Increase our capacity to use information technologies for teaching, and research and programmatic outreach with diverse external publics.
  • Strengthened Community Relationships: Build the VST reputation and nurture a greater community of relationships, e.g., with Indigenous peoples as a priority, other religious traditions, UBC, neighbourhood theological colleges, Health Authorities and theological colleges in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.
  • Priority Choice for Students: Strengthen our recruitment of ‘first-choice’ applicants from Canada, the Pacific Northwest and draw students from diverse and minority backgrounds featuring our affordability and student support.
  • Strengthened Advancement: Create long-term financial strength, stability and confidence in the school with responsible stewardship.
  • ‘First Choice’ for Faculty: Enhance full-time faculty through deliberate recruitment and retention, to complement our current faculty.
  • A Unifying Vision: Sustain and develop a staff, faculty and board who enthusiastically support the vision and mission of the school.

Our Theological Foundations

    • God calls a people from and for the world to be a blessing for all creation.
    • The God revealed in the history of Israel and in Jesus Christ calls us to think together with tradition for the sake of the present and the future.
    • We meet God’s image in our neighbour and in all creation.