Our vision is to create an academic community to form the next generation of Anabaptist leaders in wisdom, faithfulness, and love.
We believe that the conservative Anabaptist community needs in-depth, in-person, in-community educational institutions to foster thoughtful discipleship in all of life. This need includes young people, who are increasingly seeking higher education and are more exposed to secular ideas and values. It also includes pastors and church leaders, who need accessible in-depth training opportunities in order to disciple well in an increasingly complicated world.
We're just starting out and testing the waters, but the goal of the Lancaster Anabaptist Study Center is to provide educational communities to support both our young people and our church leaders.
Our long-term vision includes the following:
College: a fully accredited, four-year institution with programs in multiple disciplines: biblical and theological studies, history and humanities, and others. The college would be in-depth, providing rigorous education taught by highly qualified professors; in-person, emphasizing whole-person formation in an on-campus learning community in an age of increasingly online “content delivery” options; and in-community, where students learn in the context of their Anabaptist church environments.
Pastor training: The institution would provide a flexible program for ministers’ continuing education. The program would be made up of a few in-person intensive courses per year where pastors could hone their skills in community with each other. A program like this could prove invaluable for Anabaptist ministers who feel the need for training but are unable to take large chunks of time off from their many responsibilities or travel to a distant location easily.