The School of Business and Leadership's Principles
The five C's at CCU's School of Business and Leadership can be summed up as follows:
- Christ is our center and our circumference and Christ calls us to community.
- Community living assists us in developing godly character.
- Character breeds competence.
- Competence leads to our ultimate calling in God's kingdom.
- Calling is specific for each of us and God will make His calling clear.
Our unique approach to business and leadership education has proven over time to be an invaluable foundation for building community, character, competence, and a clear sense of calling in our graduates who now serve in business and leadership around the world.
Christ
Christ is the first and the last, the alpha and the omega. Our lives must be first and foremost centered in Christ and ultimately covered in the blood of Christ's sacrifice. In this manner, Christ needs to be both the center and circumference of our lives. As individual believers in Jesus Christ, we must all aspire to be growing and thriving in our faith walk with Jesus Christ. There is no higher calling than to be a disciple of the living God. Christ calls us to community.
Community
While we each will kneel before Jesus as individuals, he intended for each of us to be immersed in a community of believers. Such a community is vital for our continued discipleship and personal accountability. Community sets the stage for building a godly character.
Character
To reach excellence, you must first be a leader of godly character. You must do everything you are supposed to do. Character develops over time. A person's observable behavior is an indication of his or her character. This behavior can be strong or weak, good or bad. A person with strong character shows drive, energy, determination, self-discipline, willpower, and nerve. This person sees what they want and goes after it. They attract followers. Character breeds competence.
Competence
Ultimately, an effective leader must be equipped with the tools and skills required for their mission ahead. The pioneering witness for Christ in the workplace is competence. To earn the right to be heard about our personal faith, we must first measure up in our day-to-day performance on the job. The foundational goal for our graduates is that they hold true competence in all of the foundational skills required in the modern workplace. These include competencies in accounting, business fundamentals, business law, communications, economics, finance, leadership, management, marketing, problem solving, decision-making, strategic thinking, and technology skills. Adding these professional competencies to the core competencies of any CCU graduate (Bible/Theology, English/Literature, Fine Arts, History, Public Speaking/Debate, Philosophy, Science/Math, and Worldviews) equips graduates of CCU's School of Business and Leadership to serve as successful leaders anywhere in the world. Competence breeds credibility.
Calling
We all too easily assume that "the calling" is reserved only for those within full-time ministry. Yet we are ALL called to service in the kingdom of God. In Ephesians 4:1 (NIV), Paul writes, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." For the believer, work is always a service to Christ, requiring attention to our choices in vocation. Our work as business professionals and leaders can and should bring glory to God but also improve our lives and our communities as well. Our calling is specific for each of us and God will make his calling clear. We will work beside you in your search for God's calling on your life.