Lifestyle Covenant

Upon employment, all administrators, faculty and staff are asked to sign a copy of the Employee Statement of Mission, Faith, and Lifestyle Covenant, signifying their commitment to uphold the values of Olivet in their daily lives.

Employee Statement of Mission, Faith and Lifestyle Covenant

Mission Statement

Olivet Nazarene University is rooted in this country’s great tradition of Christian higher education. The evangelical holiness tradition of the Church of the Nazarene continues to provide a benchmark for the campus community. The mission is clear and vital while institutional values remain solid, and priorities are plain.

Olivet Nazarene University, a denominational university in the Wesleyan tradition, exists to provide a university level liberal arts “Education with a Christian Purpose.” Our mission is to provide high quality academic instruction for the purpose of personal development, career and professional readiness, and the preparation of individuals for lives of service to God and humanity. “We seek the strongest scholarship and the deepest piety, knowing that they are thoroughly compatible (and) … a Christian environment … where not only knowledge but character is sought.” (Quotation from the Olivet University Catalog, 1915)

The mission of Olivet is captured in the University motto, “Education with a Christian Purpose.” Olivet seeks to be a place where the integration of faith and learning is sought. As such, it is a place where students learn to live in harmony with God and others. While historically maintaining a high commitment to academic excellence, Olivet exists as a community where faculty, staff, administrators and students share a common calling to faith. This Christian commitment adds wisdom to learning, allowing the spiritual and social dimensions of university life to be understood as important elements in the development of students.

Statement of Faith

Olivet Nazarene University recognizes that there is a body of knowledge with which the humanities, the natural sciences, the social sciences, theology, and professional studies are to be differently but compatibly concerned. As an educational enterprise of the Church of the Nazarene, we pursue truth in order to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: praying for the coming of the Spirit; remembering the promise of Scripture and tradition; keeping our hearts faithfully attuned to the voice of God; and being thoughtfully, acutely and critically engaged.

We endeavor to foster the disciplines of scholarship and Christian spirituality. We seek in all of our intellectual labors to be true to the academic and theological traditions of which we are a part. We weave together the various strands of our educational labors on a vision of the Church as a corporate holy life, a life of loving devotion to God and of loving mission to the world that God so loves.

We emphasize the Arminian-Wesleyan tradition, which both acknowledges the devastation of sin and depravity on every aspect of human life and history and hopes in the transforming work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to sanctify the human heart, soul, mind and strength to open history to the promise of the coming of Jesus Christ. As an indication of the commitment of Olivet Nazarene University to the historic Christian position, the University affirms a statement of faith that defines its doctrinal convictions as follows:

1. That there is one God — the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
2. That the Old Testament and the New Testament Scriptures, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living;
3. That humanity is born with a fallen nature and is, therefore, inclined to evil;
4. That the finally impenitent are hopelessly and eternally lost;
5. That the atonement through Jesus Christ is for the whole human race, and that whosoever repents and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ is justified and regenerated and saved from the dominion of sin;
6. That believers are to be sanctified wholly, subsequent to regeneration, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
7. That the Holy Spirit bears witness to the new birth, and also to the entire sanctification of believers; and
8. That our Lord will return, the dead will be raised, and the final judgment will take place.

Lifestyle and Ethical Standards Covenant

As a University, we seek to keep Christ at the center of all our interactions which will show in the life of our employees and students. Members of the Olivet community will distinctly display the following attributes:

• exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance;
• defend the worth of human beings, from conception to death, as the masterpieces of God;
• maintain the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman, and purity among the unmarried;
• spiritual disciplines of personal study of the Word, a life of prayer and commitment to a local body of believers;
• love what the Lord sees as good, and be repulsed by what is evil;
• be people of faith, testify to the truth of the Gospel and live a life of charity toward all.

Olivet Nazarene University attempts to develop and interpret all we do from a Christian vantage point. We operate from the conviction that God has created men and women to operate in an orderly and purposeful fashion in concert with His intent for the world. Thus, a Christian community must develop regulations as guides to realize its mission. Regulations help the University community put into practice its basic moral and social principles.

We believe that the teaching and learning processes flourish best in a Christian environment where trust and respect form the bedrock of relationships within the community. With this belief as our focus, we agree to uphold the following principles:

1. To speak the truth at all times.
2. To be respectful of all the members of the Olivet community.
3. To avoid certain practices, including, but not limited to, fornication, sexual promiscuity, adultery, pornography, any form of sexual misconduct and homosexual acts.
4. To be upright in speech, refraining from the use of coarse or obscene language and profanity.
5. To be exemplary in personal habits, refraining from activities such as the use of tobacco, alcoholic beverages, narcotics, all forms of hallucinogenic drugs and gambling that could result in personal offense or repercussions for the University in its policies.
6. To be in accord with the mission, values and priorities of the University, and to support the Articles of Faith and lifestyle standards of the Church of the Nazarene as outlined in this Statement of Mission, Faith and Lifestyle Covenant and in the Manual.

Olivet Nazarene University holds these principles and values close to heart because we recognize that each employee contributes to the quality of life for our students. Our students are our most important asset, and how they view each aspect of our lives and our work at the University is vitally important. All members of the Olivet community should agree that the students will judge the University by the quality of lessons taught, the courtesy and attitude of the staff, the cleanliness of the buildings and the beauty of the grounds. Therefore, each employee either contributes to or detracts from the effectiveness of the entire institution.

If you are offered a position with the University, you should be well-informed about the organization with which you may be working, its employment practices, its benefits and facilities, the privileges offered, and the responsibilities you will be expected to accept and live by. Accepting or continuing employment at the University requires a willingness to honor this covenant. Failure to adhere to the principles set forth in this Statement of Mission, Faith and Lifestyle Covenant, as determined by the University in its discretion, may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination from the University.

Overall, Olivet Nazarene University seeks to be a community not only of those who testify to Christian faith, but grow into Christian maturity, exemplified primarily in love for Christ, others and the potential of Olivet.