Mission & Identity
OUR MISSION
The mission of Houston Graduate School of Theology is empowering spiritual leadership through the intellectual, spiritual and vocational development of men and women in order to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
This mission is accomplished by promoting the growth of our students in three areas:
OUR IDENTITY
We are:
Evangelical in Character Though diverse in theological perspective, HGST consciously identifies with historic evangelical Christianity.
Multicultural in Makeup HGST brings together people from a wide range of ethnic, cultural, economic, and language backgrounds.
Ecumenical in Spirit HGST encompasses a broad spectrum of faith experiences and doctrinal orientations, and encourages the passionate espousal of personal convictions within an atmosphere of mutual respect for difference.
OUR FAITH
At HGST we confess our faith in Jesus Christ and commit our lives to him and to the service of his church. We affirm our faith, not in order to exclude from the circle of faith those who may differ on some point, but rather to offer a positive witness to the reality of our experience of Christ as Lord and Redeemer within the community of faith that has nurtured us.
OUR CORE VALUES
The following aspirations lie at the heart of all we do at HGST as motivation, guiding principles, and criteria for success:
The mission of Houston Graduate School of Theology is empowering spiritual leadership through the intellectual, spiritual and vocational development of men and women in order to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
This mission is accomplished by promoting the growth of our students in three areas:
• the mind is challenged and strengthened
• the spirit is guided and formed
• the calling of God is discerned, yielded to, confirmed, and cultivated
• the spirit is guided and formed
• the calling of God is discerned, yielded to, confirmed, and cultivated
OUR IDENTITY
We are:
Evangelical in Character Though diverse in theological perspective, HGST consciously identifies with historic evangelical Christianity.
Multicultural in Makeup HGST brings together people from a wide range of ethnic, cultural, economic, and language backgrounds.
Ecumenical in Spirit HGST encompasses a broad spectrum of faith experiences and doctrinal orientations, and encourages the passionate espousal of personal convictions within an atmosphere of mutual respect for difference.
OUR FAITH
At HGST we confess our faith in Jesus Christ and commit our lives to him and to the service of his church. We affirm our faith, not in order to exclude from the circle of faith those who may differ on some point, but rather to offer a positive witness to the reality of our experience of Christ as Lord and Redeemer within the community of faith that has nurtured us.
OUR CORE VALUES
The following aspirations lie at the heart of all we do at HGST as motivation, guiding principles, and criteria for success:
• Acknowledging teacher and student as collaborators in the shared enterprise of learning.
• Bringing the value of critical and creative thought to the content of faith as revealed in Scripture and exemplified in Christian tradition and the personal experience of the believer.
• Counting on God’s gracious involvement in our lives and in our world as the indispensable foundation on which all of our efforts rest.
• Developing effective ministers who are socially relevant and globally minded.
• Embracing variety as part of God’s design for creation while tirelessly seeking a basis for unity in the midst of diversity.
• Forming minds, spirits, and characters increasingly into the image of Christ.
• Gaining competence in the knowledge and skills required to support and motivate a lifetime of learning.
• Holding ourselves accountable for the total honesty of all our intellectual work.
• Bringing the value of critical and creative thought to the content of faith as revealed in Scripture and exemplified in Christian tradition and the personal experience of the believer.
• Counting on God’s gracious involvement in our lives and in our world as the indispensable foundation on which all of our efforts rest.
• Developing effective ministers who are socially relevant and globally minded.
• Embracing variety as part of God’s design for creation while tirelessly seeking a basis for unity in the midst of diversity.
• Forming minds, spirits, and characters increasingly into the image of Christ.
• Gaining competence in the knowledge and skills required to support and motivate a lifetime of learning.
• Holding ourselves accountable for the total honesty of all our intellectual work.