Mission, Distinctions, and Beliefs

For more than 175 years, Taylor University has stayed true to its heritage, challenging each generation of students to integrate faith with learning and follow Christ’s calling. Though our University’s history is not blemish-free, tough times have kept us anchored in faith and committed to our university’s mission.

Distinctions

Founded in 1846 as Fort Wayne Female College, Taylor University now stands as the oldest nondenominational school in Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Each of our faculty and staff are devoted to discipleship in classrooms and residence halls, on the turf, and around the world.

Academic Excellence, Dedicated to Truth

With more than 100 areas of study across the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences, and a Foundational Core curriculum that promotes a broad base of knowledge, Taylor encourages students to ask hard questions, apply themselves to the tasks at hand, and embrace their callings. Our dedication to excellence in and out of the classroom has led to national recognition.

• Taylor has been ranked in the top three Best Midwest Colleges by U.S. News & World Report for 27 years. 
• Taylor has been holding at a 91% retention rate for two years in a row. Taylor ranks 4th in retention rate among Indiana schools, after Notre Dame, DePauw, and Rose-Hulman, and is tied for 1st with Samford among all schools in the CCCU.
• Taylor has one of the highest graduation rates at 78%. Taylor is 7th among Indiana schools and ties for 5th place in the CCCU in graduation rates. 
• With a wide variety of study and service abroad opportunities, Taylor has ranked in the top 10 nationally of baccalaureate colleges since 2008 for the number of students who experienced a short-term, study abroad trip. 
• 99% of graduates secure a full-time or part-time job, post-graduate internship, or graduate school placement within six months after graduation.

Read more about our academic accolades and awards in the Taylor University Profile.

Vibrant Community United in Faith

As a discipleship community, where “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17) and Christians can learn and grow together, 100% of TU students, faculty, and staff make a profession of faith before entering the University. That means everyone you meet on campus—classmate and Taylor employee alike—claim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Unlike many Christian universities, Taylor doesn’t monitor chapel attendance, and yet Taylor students fill the seats. Students hold each other accountable to their commitment to grow in their faith. Upperclassmen, who live on the same residence hall floors and wings as freshmen, forge their own mentor-like relationships among their underclassmen and encourage them to attend chapel, participate in small groups, and engage in floor/wing worship nights.

Talented Students Involved in Long-Standing Tradition

Our student body of about 1,900 possesses a tremendous amount of talent that is channeled through various avenues across campus. Students have applied their gifts in organizing and participating in on-campus music groups, Bible studies, and themed athletic events, and much more over the years. Rich traditions—running the gamut from lip-syncing/dance contests to bike races where the rider changes but the bike never stops—keep students engaged in Taylor culture and provide a great break from their every day academics and residence life.

Mission Statement and Anchor Points

Taylor's mission is to develop servant-leaders marked with a passion to minister Christ’s redemptive love, grace, and truth to a world in need. 

We seek to accomplish this mission through our seven Anchor Points:

• Whole Person Focused: We involve students in learning experiences imbued with a vital Christian interpretation of truth and life which foster their intellectual, emotional, physical, vocational, social, and spiritual development.
• Biblically Anchored: We believe that all truth has its source in God and His Word. We are committed individually and collectively to the prayerful study and application of Scripture. 
• Liberal Arts Grounded: We prepare students to adapt to a fast-changing world, equipped with critical thinking skills, a lifelong love of learning, and an appreciation for God's creation.
• Christ-Centered: Our Christian faith should permeate all learning—leading to a consistent life of worship, servant-leadership, stewardship, and world outreach.
• Faith and Learning Integrated: We strive to create specific experiences where the integrative focus of a Christian liberal arts education is clarified, personalized, and applied.
• World Engaging: We contribute to the advancement of human knowledge and understanding and serve the evangelical Christian church and the larger, public community for the glory of God.
• Servant-Leader Motivated: We foster a biblical model of relationships acknowledging both unity and diversity of the followers of Christ within a covenant community, which can be evidenced in a continuing lifestyle of service to and concern for others.

Foundational Documents

Statement of Faith

Taylor University is firmly committed to the lordship of Jesus Christ and evangelical Christianity. To assure the central place of Christian principles in the philosophy and life of the University, the trustees, administration, faculty, and staff believe that:

• There is one God, eternally existent in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the only Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things in heaven and on earth.
• The Bible is the only inspired, authoritative written word of God, true and trustworthy in all it affirms.
• Jesus Christ is the eternal, living Word of God. Through his incarnation he revealed God’s plan of redemption by his virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, and ascension. He will return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead.
• The Holy Spirit is present in the life of every believer, testifying to the lordship of Christ, illuminating the Scriptures, and empowering believers for fruitful service and obedience to God's commands.
• Humankind, though uniquely created in God’s image, rebelled and stands in need of redemption. God, by His grace, extends salvation, reconciliation, and eternal life to anyone who comes to Christ by faith.
• The Church is the global body of believers across time who affirm that Jesus Christ is Lord and demonstrate their faith and unity in Christ by loving and serving him and all people.

Life Together Covenant

The Life Together Covenant (LTC) identifies Taylor’s expectations for living in community as we seek to fulfill our mission. It is impossible to create a community with expectations totally acceptable to every member. Nevertheless, certain responsibilities and expectations must be specified to assure orderly community life.

When individuals join the Taylor community, they freely and willingly choose to take upon themselves the responsibilities and expectations outlined in this covenant. The University Expectations are not intended to measure spirituality or to promote legalism. Nevertheless, Galatians 5:13-14 reminds us while we were called to be free, our freedom is best used when we serve one another in love (Romans 14:1-23; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, 10:23-33).

Sanctity of Life Statement

Scripture affirms the sacredness of human life, which is created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 NIV states: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Therefore, human life must be respected and protected from its inception to its completion.

Multicultural Philosophy Statement

Taylor University is a community of Christians intentionally joined together for academic progress, personal development, and spiritual growth. From Genesis through Revelation, the Scriptures testify to God’s reconciling and redemptive work to restore broken relationships. Accordingly, the University is committed to fostering healthy relationships in our community—regardless of differences in race, ethnicity, or national heritage. We affirm that every person is made in the image of God and has immeasurable worth (Gen. 1:27).

We proclaim our commitment to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Mic. 6:8). We acknowledge that the Gospel calls us to live and love as citizens of Christ’s kingdom. We embrace diversity as we live out the Good News of Jesus Christ in the world and pursue the University’s mission. Indeed, our Life Together Covenant calls us to be an intentional community based on the Gospel, which transcends ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, and national divisions. Jesus’ love compels us to practice true friendship by loving our neighbors as ourselves, extending hospitality, forgiving one another, defending the persecuted, and living in peace with everyone. 

This is a high calling that is often difficult to achieve. In this spirit, we acknowledge that our individual and community actions do not always demonstrate our commitment to treat one another as equal image bearers of Jesus Christ. When any of us falls short of obedience, God calls us to come before Him in repentance and to be reconciled with one another. When we harm one another, we are expected to forgive one another, restore relationships, and make restitution (Matt. 5:23-24; 18:15-17). We pledge to live out this commitment in repentance, forgiveness, and grace. 

We aspire to be a welcoming place where we show respect and love for all people. We want to honor one another and celebrate our diverse ethnic, racial, cultural, socio-economic, and national backgrounds in all dimensions of our life together. Through our relationships and programs, we actively strive to increase multicultural diversity in our community. We commit that Taylor University will emulate the beautiful, diverse multitude from every language, ethnicity, and nation who will gather in eternal praise to Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven (Rev. 7:9).

Statement on Human Sexuality

Biblical Standards

As Christians we are called not only to right belief, but good conduct. In fact, Scripture tells us that obedience is essential to the life of faith (John 14:23-24; Jas. 2:20-24). This is critically important in the area of sexuality, as the body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit.” Thus, we are called to honor God with our bodies and “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18-20). Taylor University therefore affirms the following biblical standards for human sexuality, which constitute the consensus of the Christian church, both East and West, for nearly 2000 years.

All human beings are created in God’s image and are, therefore, of immeasurable value (Gen. 1:26-27). Our male and female genders are also a part of God’s original good creation, and our sexuality is to be celebrated. The God-ordained context for virtuous sexual expression and procreation is marriage, a sacred covenant between one man and one woman (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4-6; Heb. 13:4). For Christians, the sanctity of the marital covenant is further reinforced by the New Testament use of marriage as a metaphor of Christ and the church (Eph. 5:31-33).

The biblical design for human sexuality demands sexual faithfulness for married couples (Exod. 20:14; 1 Cor. 6:13-20) and chastity for those who are single (1 Thess. 4:3-8). All premarital and extra-marital sexual activity (e.g., fornication, adultery, incest, prostitution, homosexual behavior, and all sexual activity involving children) is immoral. And all use or involvement with pornographic materials is sinful, as are all forms of sexual abuse, exploitation, and harassment (1 Cor. 6:9-10; 1 Tim. 1:9-10).

Application

We endorse compassion, care, and mercy for all of us who struggle with sexual sin (Jas. 3:17). We strive to follow the model of Christ, who did not condemn but called for repentance (John 8:1-11).

In all of these matters we recognize the critical distinction between sexual orientation and behavior. The former pertains to attraction or desire, which are not necessarily of a person’s own choosing. Behavioral conduct, however, is under one’s control and thus reasonably subject to biblical standards governing sexual expression.

The biblical call to sexual purity is challenging. Therefore, we encourage rigorous, sensitive, biblically informed discussion of sexuality, whether in the classroom, outside the classroom, or in the context of scholarly research. We pledge a principled and loving response to those who disagree with the University’s stance on these issues, whether those within or outside of the Taylor University community. And in this matter, as with all others related to the Christian life, we depend upon and pray for God’s wisdom and mercy as we seek to do His will and proclaim His Gospel to a world in need.

Non-Discrimination Policy

It is the policy of Taylor University to provide equal employment opportunity to employees and candidates for employment. Within the parameters of the University’s Statement of Faith and Life Together Covenant there shall be no discrimination against any employee or candidate for employment due to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. This policy is applicable to the policies governing recruitment, placement, selection, promotion, training, transfer, rates of pay and all other terms, and conditions of employment.

Compliance with this policy is the personal responsibility of all personnel, especially those whose duties are related to the hiring of new employees and the status or tenure of current employees. The University is committed to recruiting, employing and promoting qualified members of groups who have not been discriminated against by the University, but who may be the victims of systematic, institutional and societal forms of exclusion and discrimination. Further, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, the University will cooperate fully in the implementation of applicable laws and executive orders.

Taylor University complies with all applicable federal and state non-discrimination laws. Taylor University is an equal opportunity institution. As a religious educational institution, Taylor University is permitted under the exemptions set forth in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to prefer employees on the basis of religion.