13 Nov Resetting the Culture at UVF
The University of Valley Forge (UVF) has undergone significant changes in the last few years. Despite the season of transition, UVF has further strengthened its commitment to producing influencers of the gospel. In this new season, the driving passion to impact the world by training disciples of Christ continues to fuel UVF.
Many Christian universities today are struggling with enrollment due to economic reasons, and are compromising what it means to be a Christian school. As a Christian liberal arts university, we get many questions asking “is UVF a Bible school or a university?” meaning, “is UVF going to continue to produce ministers? Is that a priority?” We believe Valley Forge has a special call to produce ministers and missionaries. When you make Jesus the center of any institution or organization, the anointing of God will follow. UVF has recommitted itself to raise influencers of the gospel. The goal is not to be a large institution, but a specialized school for training disciples of Christ who will serve and lead in the church and the world.
We also feel a call to raise up a priesthood of all believers, so it’s not just about providing education for our marketplace majors, it’s about producing disciples who will be ministers of the gospel in every field. “From the moment I stepped on campus, I began experiencing the blessings of being exactly where God wanted me… Through amazing professors, my field experiences in local schools, ministry involvement, work experiences, and student leadership opportunities, I was able to develop as an individual, a professional, and as a follower of Jesus; I am prepared to serve the Lord wherever he sends me,” says UVF senior, Megan Knorr Walsh.
We have seen a great cultural shift on our campus; we’ve had physical and spiritual healings in our prayer services. We believe that whenever the Holy Spirit moves, signs and wonders will follow. We are anticipating the power of the Holy Spirit’s work here at UVF, not only for deep spiritual encounters, but also for the purpose of the Great Commission. We want our students to experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit for the missional work God has for them.
When you make a decision to turn towards Jesus, you’ll face spiritual warfare. Our leadership senses this deeply, and we are more committed than ever to prayer. We do not believe that leadership and strategy, alone, are the answers to the challenges ahead, although they are important. We, however, believe in winning and overcoming our challenges through intercession and prayer; our battles are ultimately won on our knees.
Written by Rev. David S. Kim