Vanguard University

Defining Service at Vanguard University 

Effective Christian service thrives at the intersection of calling, ability, availability, and vulnerability. Calling is the conviction we have that God has assigned to us a specific role and task. It is that sense that we are participating in God's mission in the world, not merely doing things for their own sake. When we speak of ability, we mean the gifts, talents, and skills, given to us by God and developed over time. Availability means our willingness to apply our abilities to a given problem or situation. Lastly, vulnerability refers both to our authenticity and our willingness to accept risks in order to engage courageously in service.  

As we serve, we are responding to a divine imperative while we actively bring to bear our gifts and talents to meet a need or transform a situation. Doing so involves obediently putting ourselves out there and taking risks. 

When we serve, we ask: What does the Lord require of me? What can I do with God’s help? How do I bring my best self to this situation? What social or personal cost am I willing to endure in order to remain obedient and complete the task? 

“Here I Am” 

This year's theme, Here am I, taken from Isaiah 6, captures the dimensions of service laid out above. Spoken by Isaiah, it is a response to a divine question: Who will go for us, and whom shall we send? Isaiah presents himself to God as an answer to God's call, having just confessed his weaknesses, and now pledging implicitly and humbly the use of his abilities to address his nation as a prophet whom God has sent. Isaiah is for us an example of the obedient, open-hearted, authentic, eager servants we aspire to be as we present and represent Christ in our various spheres of service. 

Spheres of Service 

We recognize three interconnected spheres of service: Christ, others, and ourselves. Since we are Christians, our first duty of service is to Christ. We are therefore Christ-centered. Our service to others, whether to individuals, communities, or institutions flows directly from this primary commitment. Our service to ourselves, though often twisted into self-centeredness, is a required element for service writ large. It enables us to do personal work of pursuing knowledge, cultivating character, and deepening faith, as well as all the other ways we love and care for ourselves. 

Understood in this way, service is therefore a manifestation of the two greatest commandments: loving God and loving our fellow human beings as we love ourselves. In fact, we serve because we love God, our fellow human beings, and ourselves. 

The Holy Spirit and Service 

We recognize that such demanding service cannot be sustained or be truly effective without dependence on God's guidance, presence, and power. We are centered on Christ and motivated by love. Yet we are also empowered by the Holy Spirit, the one whom Christ has promised would enable us to be His witnesses in the accomplishment of His commission. 

Our Institutional Commitment to Service 

Our unwavering commitment to excellence in service appears in a number of ways throughout our institution.  

First, service appears prominently in our mission: "we equip each student for Spirit-empowered lives of Christ-centered leadership and service."  

Second, service, along with truth and virtue, has long been identified as a core value of our institution.  

Third, service is a key component of our core curriculum, the many majors we offer, and in our discipleship plan.  

Fourth, service plays a key role in our strategic planning, as expressed in our University Strategic Plan and Ascend 2030: Our Strategic Vision for Academic Renewal.  

Fifth, and by no means conclusively, we are proud to be a Hispanic-Serving, Minority-Serving, Veteran-Serving institution. Through multiple initiatives across our university, we seek to excel in serving the various communities to which we are called. 

Encouragement to Serve 

Let us, this coming year, commit to living out this value of service more fully, even in ways that might appear small. If you do so, let us know; you might find that there are others waiting to help. What ever it is that God may place on our hearts, may our response to the ever be, here am I.