Student Policies
Philosophy of Moral & Spiritual Life
†We believe God is the One who calls people to new levels of spiritual growth, therefore, trying to legislate morality from
the outside seems too strict or legalistic, and is actually counter-productive to real growth. Humans need freedom in order to come to understand for themselves the
importance of boundaries, and to choose willingly to work within them. We have tried to make the atmosphere conducive to growth by holding up at all times the
Lordship of Christ and talking openly about the principles consistent to the Scriptures. And we've tried consistently to welcome the Holy Spirit into our midst so that
He can do the work of touching people's hearts and making them want to grow more and more into the image of Jesus. We are at peace with this process and will
not try too hard to force matters of sanctification on students. But when God awakens individual hearts with a great desire to grow, faculty and staff will generally do
all that is possible to be available to help. We believe in very high academic standards, but we consider spiritual development to be even more important than
academic development, therefore we have chosen to keep rules to a minimum.
People who come to TLC Schools of Ministry generally have some level of desire to grow as Christians, and allowing people space to grow, to make their own
choices, sometimes even to make mistakes, seems to have borne good fruit. If someone does something that goes directly against the Scriptures, it affects the
spiritual life of everyone in community, and we have taken these moments as opportunities for honest communication and growth. Generally this has worked well.
On very rare occasions someone has decided that s/he does not wish to submit to Scriptural standards, or to the standards of this community, and has chosen to
leave (see the Accountability section).
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no
bitter root grows up to cause trouble and to defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance
rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he
sought the blessing with tears. (Heb. 12:14-17) How are we to balance these two values of freedom on the one hand, and holiness on the other? If there is too
much room for error, if life becomes less than it ought to be, if (as Calvin calls it) the sluggishness of our nature predominates, we may be giving the devil a
foothold (Eph. 4:27) and losing forever the chance to have lived this portion of our lives at a higher level.
We are committed to the principle of freedom, but we believe that true freedom is sometimes done great damage by the oppressive atmosphere that seems to
follow excessive license. At such times, freedom is an illusion. With the broadest possible intent, we are seeking “a narrow way”
(Mt. 7:13-14).
†Edited and adapted from SSU's student handbook and website
Smoking — For health and safety reasons all the buildings on the campus are completely smoke-free. Smoking is allowed outside the
buildings so long as areas are kept clean.
Non-prescription Drugs — Use of illegal drugs is strictly prohibited.
Firearms and Other Weapons — Firearms and weapons are not allowed on campus for any reason.
Alcoholic Beverages — No alcoholic beverages are allowed in the classrooms. Drunkenness will not be tolerated at any time. Any instance
of an excess use of alcohol will be dealt with as described in the Accountability section below.
Sexual Conduct — Students will conduct themselves with absolute discretion in relationships one to another, treating one another honorably
as brothers and sisters in Christ. Since we are training men and woman for leadership in the church and believe that God sanctified only the male/female relationship
as that which reflects His image, if you are currently living a gay lifestyle you will not be considered a candidate for the MMin or Certificate, although you may audit
any class you wish.
“Every act of self-control of the Christian is also a service to the fellowship. On the other hand, there is no sin
in thought, word, or deed, no matter how personal or secret, that does not inflict injury upon the whole fellowship. An element of sickness gets into the body; perhaps
nobody knows where it comes from or in what member it has lodged, but the body is infected. This is the proper metaphor for the Christian community. We are
members of a body, not only when we choose to be, but in our whole existence. Every member serves the whole body, either to its health or to its destruction.
This is no mere theory; it is a spiritual reality. And the Christian community has often experienced its effects with disturbing clarity, sometimes destructively and
sometimes fortunately.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together)
Regarding some of the more serious items covered in this last section (illegal drugs, excess use of alcohol, improper sexual activity), compliance is expected.
Our very reason for being demands a high moral standard, and the presence of people in our community who choose not to live this way dramatically affects
everyone else. If someone violates community standards in one of these areas, or lives constantly in violation of community expectations in lesser matters, we will
do our best to follow this procedure:
1) we will speak to the student in an understanding way and try to resolve any related issues;
2) after another offense we will speak with warning that such behavior is not tolerated here; and
3) if there is another offense we will ask the student to leave for the rest of the term. Students who have been asked to leave for a period of
time are free to seek readmission for subsequent terms if they are willing to recommit themselves to community standards. Money that has already been paid for
tuition or living expenses will not be refunded if a student is asked to leave, but unused portions may be applied to subsequent terms if the student is readmitted.
