Recently, a good friend who has spent virtually all of his career in Christian higher education spoke with me about the possibility of moving into a para-educational organization. The opportunity was a pretty prestigious one, and it certainly would have been a well-deserved appointment anchored in my friend’s faithful career service of two and a half decades. He was struggling with his decision because of his intense love for Christian higher education, but he also understood the magnitude of the opportunity.
I told him the decision should be a “no-brainer.” I told him he’d be crazy not to take the new job. He would have made more money, had less stress, and been able to work from home. I told him that almost no one gets that combination of opportunities and that he was probably facing a once-in-a-lifetime choice.
When I followed up with him a few days later to ask what he had decided, he texted me the following:
“Declined the offer on Friday…Ultimately, I want to serve and get [X institution] where it needs to be, and I want to be around students and Christ-centered education.”
Wow. Because I know my friend to be a man of impeccable character and integrity, I cannot say that I was surprised by his decision. But I was affected by it. I was humbled to have such a man of God in my circle of friends, and I was thankful for the reminder about how attractive and compelling such a resolved commitment to mission can be. I think only more highly of my friend now.
The impact that my friend’s decision had on me underscores why I believe Warner University will be recognized nationwide as a leader in Christian higher education. Awareness of our laser focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ is spreading, and the Christian community is recognizing our unapologetic commitment to biblical orthodoxy. More and more Christian students and parents are finding that we are a university that can be trusted to provide a quality education framed not in culturally popular ideas, trends, and movements, but in the time-tested truth of God’s unchanging Word.
Our trustees and employees are resolved about our commitments, and we are showing the world of higher education what boldness and courage look like in the face of a culture that often mocks our biblical convictions. We are focused. We will not compromise in providing an academically challenging, biblically faithful, and culturally courageous education that prepares students to impact and serve the world for Christ.
Gentry Sutton, D.Ed.Min.
President, Warner University
