The ON steering committee has adopted the following new measures:
- Faith Statement: The ON has committed itself to the World Evangelical Alliance statement of faith. We rejoice to affirm our commitment to historic Christian and evangelical orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
- Student Outcome Goals: The ON has adopted a new set of student outcome goals; see below. Our vision and purpose have not changed, but this new expression of our goals adds greater precision and shows more clearly their theological grounding.
- Membership Process: The ON will be contacting schools in the coming year to discern together our level of shared commitment to the ON’s goals, and how we can serve one another in achieving them. The ON will also develop a process for individual faculty to formally affiliate with our network. We are a community first and foremost, so we do not expect this process to lead to major changes. But we are excited by the prospect of adding some new schools to the network, and in all things are open to the Lord’s leading as he gives us and our partner schools discernment through our interactions around around the ON student outcome goals.
ON Student Outcome Goals
Bearing God’s Image
Because God made us in his image – reflecting his attributes, relational, and with stewardship responsibility – and he redeems us to bear his image in Christ, we affirm:
- Discipleship toward maturity in Christ by the Spirit in all of life
- Serving the common good of all our communities (family, church, workplace, neighborhood, city, country, etc.)
ON OUTCOME 1: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people live integrated lives wholly centered on discipleship to Christ, not limiting “mission” and “ministry” to church activities.
ON OUTCOME 2: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people live as stewards of God’s world, responsible to work with integrity for its flourishing – individually and collaboratively in communities.
Bearing Witness
Because we are witnesses – through what we are, what we say and what we do – that God became human in Jesus Christ and redeemed us by his death and resurrection, we affirm:
- Manifesting (proclaiming and practicing) God’s holy love and loving holiness as found in Christ, contextualized to all our communities
- Working for justice and mercy as prophets, priests and kings under Christ
ON OUTCOME 3: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people discern and support systems and practices that promote value creation while challenging systems and practices that extract value from others or borrow it from the future instead of creating it.
ON OUTCOME 4: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people recognize the poor, the marginalized and the culturally different as fellow stewards whose work is equally important in God’s plan, cultivating trust and economic opportunity rather than division and dependency.
Bearing Fruit
Because the Great Commandment and the Great Commission call us to be fruitful by the Spirit – in intimacy with God and neighbor, Christlike character and productive contribution – we affirm:
- Working for authentic (image-bearing) human flourishing in all our communities, with a hopeful realism about what is possible now
- Patiently and humbly awaiting the restoration of all things
ON OUTCOME 5: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people find meaning and fulfillment in callings outside the walls of the church that create value for others, provide for their households and help communities and economies flourish.
ON OUTCOME 6: Pastors, Christian leaders and local churches prioritize helping people take responsible action, individually and as communities – energetically pursuing justice, mercy and flourishing while recognizing the complex challenges and limitations we face in the present age.
