President Pawelke shared with students and faculty “The State of Us”: a look into the challenges faced by the Church and by Christian higher education, and a charge to re-focus on our call to make disciples (Matthew 28:18–20).

The address called Briercrest staff (and Christian higher education in general) to bear down on their commitment to education that disciples: “We are a servant to the church, an extension of the church, and we are accountable to the church. And as an educational institution, discipleship is absolutely at our very foundation. And we need to ensure that our discipleship is first biblical and then wholistic, comprehensive, thoughtful, excellent, and certainly advanced—it is higher, as in higher education or higher learning.”

The practices and characteristics of a Christian disciple are:

• In the Word
• In Fellowship
• In Worship and Prayer
• In Service
• In Character
• In Wisdom
• In Leadership

He closed with a charge to Briercrest students to choose to be disciples who follow Jesus every day.

• Choose to be In the Word
• Choose to be In Fellowship
• Choose to be In Worship and Prayer
• Choose to be In Service
• Choose to be men and women of Character
• Choose to be Wise
• Choose to Lead

Watch the full address below