Mission Statement
Mount Vernon Nazarene University exists to shape lives through educating the whole person and cultivating Christ-likeness for lifelong learning and service.
MVNU’s educational philosophy and purpose are shaped by its Wesleyan-Arminian holiness theological roots, informed by the Bible, focused on Christ-likeness in every aspect of life, and defined by an emphasis on loving God with all of one’s heart, mind, soul, and strength, as well as one’s neighbors as one’s self. Students are nurtured and empowered through caring relationships with faculty, staff, and administrators; challenged to be a devoted disciple of Christ; drawn toward discovery of wisdom and truth in every discipline of study; prepared for leadership in various professions; equipped to be lifelong learners; and sent into the world to live out their faith by offering their hearts and lives in service to God and others.
The University is characterized by an engaging environment where diversity is celebrated and differences in ethnicity, denomination, gender, economic level, and stage of spiritual development are embraced. A spirit of worship unifies the academic, social, and spiritual life of the student body, and the community is shaped through shared commitments, values, and experiences that provide the context for transformation in Christ, individually and collectively. Excellence in vocational pursuits and in character development are viewed as an expression of faithful stewardship, and a lifestyle of compassion is demonstrated as the most effective witness to others of God’s love. As students become graduates, the character of Mount Vernon Nazarene University continues to identify them as devoted disciples, servant leaders, learning professionals, and loyal alumni.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University: To Change the World with the Love of Christ.
The University’s aspiration is that academic and student life activities be integrated in a Wesleyan evangelical tradition to facilitate character, value, and cultural development to improve the quality of life for all through the love of Jesus Christ. The University seeks to enable students to model the attitude expressed in its motto "To seek to learn is to seek to serve." As students experience the educational process, the University strives to enable students to function as competent Christians, citizens, and professionals.
A coeducational university of the arts and sciences, MVNU is the official university of the East Central Educational Region of the Church of the Nazarene. Primary responsibility for sponsorship and support of the University is charged to the Nazarene congregations in Ohio, West Virginia, and the eastern half of Kentucky, with control delegated to the Board of Trustees elected by the annual assemblies of the Central Ohio, East Kentucky, East Ohio, North Central Ohio, Northwestern Ohio, Southwestern Ohio, West Virginia North and West Virginia South districts. Many of the students come from this church constituency. However, the University is not narrowly sectarian; students of like ideals are welcome to the university community.
As an institution of the Church of the Nazarene, MVNU stands in the Wesleyan evangelical tradition, as summarized in the "Articles of Faith" in the Manual, Church of the Nazarene. According to this "Agreed Statement of Belief," we believe:
- In one God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- That the Old and New Testament scriptures, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living.
- That man is born with a fallen nature and is, therefore, inclined to evil, and that continually.
- That the finally impenitent are hopelessly and eternally lost.
- That the atonement through Christ is for the whole human race; and that whosoever repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is justified and regenerated and saved from the dominion of sin.
- That believers are to be sanctified wholly, subsequent to regeneration, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
- That the Holy Spirit bears witness to the new birth and also the entire sanctification of believers.
- That our Lord will return, the dead will be raised, and the final judgment will take place.
To these ends, the MVNU curriculum follows a liberal arts pattern, which encompasses career preparation at the college level in selected professional and pre-professional areas of study.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is guided by a firm foundation in the Church of the Nazarene.
Since 1968, MVNU has come a long way from “a cornfield to a college,” but the one thing that holds true are our basic values that characterize our campus community.
Our campus was lovingly guided by God and nurtured and built by our founding faculty and staff that had diligent and genuine hearts for the Lord. The same values and principles are in place today, as our campus community continues the work our founders started.
We have not only remained committed to our founding precepts, but we also continue to apply them to everyday living. Consequently, the values outlined in the following pages are not merely statements on paper; they literally drive all aspects of university life.
These affirmations reflect MVNU's conviction that the biblical mandate for the holy life, to which God calls all believers, is summarized in the scriptural commands to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength and thy neighbor as thyself"(Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31).
At MVNU, our intentionally-Christian institution exists to shape lives through educating the whole person and cultivating Christ-likeness for lifelong service.