Expanded Statement of Mission

Originally written in October 1992, this version of the Expanded Statement of Mission was revised in 2004.

From the preface:

“From its beginning Calvin College has been governed by a clear mission. During its earliest years that mission was to train the youth of the church for callings in the ministry and in education. Soon the mission broadened to training people, by means of a liberal arts curriculum and according to the Reformed tradition, for a life of Christian service in any vocation. Fundamentally, that task remains a primary mission of the college. So stated, it has the apparent elegance of simplicity....

“An expanded statement of mission intends to establish directions, not to implement programs. But it is essential that those directions recognize the fundamental premises that have formed and guided this college from its outset. To promote and follow a transforming vision, one that grants new direction, is not to forsake the heritage that has sustained us. Rather, it is to embrace that tradition, to seek courage and sustenance from it, as we look for new ways to effect our calling as a comprehensive liberal arts college in the Reformed tradition of historic Christianity.”