Mission
The mission of the university is to provide a Christian higher education of professional and academic programs which address the whole person (body, mind and soul) by cultivating knowledge and personal character development in order to glorify God and serve humanity in general and African peoples in particular through helping them improve lifestyles and health, alleviate poverty, and promote peace and justice.
Philosophy
All of the University’s educational efforts (training, research and practice) are guided by the following philosophy.
a. Our Christian Foundations
Our Christian foundations are expressed through the following statement of faith:
1. That there is but one living and true God, the maker and preserver of all things. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one in eternity, deity, and purpose; everlasting, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness.
2. That the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments) is God’s written word, uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit. It teaches the truth about God, His creation, His people, His one and only Son, and the destiny of all mankind. It bears unerring witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word. It also teaches the way of salvation and the life of faith. It is the final authority for our faith and conduct.
3. That God created human beings in His own image, innocent, morally free and responsible to choose between good and evil, right and wrong. By the sin of Adam, humans as the offspring of Adam are corrupted in their very nature so that from birth they are inclined to sin. They are unable by their own strength and work to restore themselves in right relationship with God and to merit eternal salvation.
4. That Jesus Christ offered Himself, once and for all, the one perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Those who receive Him by faith receive a new life and a right relationship with God which are made possible through the redemptive acts of God in Jesus Christ.
5. That the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is the administrator of the salvation planned by the Father and provided by the death, resurrection and ascension of the Son. He indwells the believer to enable him/her to live a holy life, to witness, and to work for God.
6. That Entire Sanctification is that work of the Holy Spirit, subsequent to regeneration, by which the fully consecrated believer, upon exercise of faith in the atoning blood of Christ, is cleansed in that moment from all inward sin and empowered for service. Entire Sanctification enables the believer to love God with all his/her heart, soul, strength and mind, and his/her neighbor as himself/herself, and it prepares him/her for greater growth in grace.
7. That as expressions of Christian faith and love, our good works performed with reverence and humility are both acceptable and pleasing to God. However, good works cannot save us from our sins nor from God’s judgment.
8. That the Church is instituted by God; it is the people of God. Christ is its Lord and Head; the Mission, Philosophy and Code of Conduct for Volunteers at HAU Holy Spirit is its life and power. It exists to fulfill the purposes of God in Christ. It redemptively ministers to persons. The Church is the fellowship of the redeemed and the redeeming. All who are united by faith to Christ are members of the same and, having thus become members of one another, it is our solemn duty to fellowship with one another in peace, and to love one another with pure and fervent hearts.
9. That water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the sacraments of the Church commanded by Christ. They are means of grace through faith, tokens of our profession of Christian faith, and signs of God’s gracious ministry toward us.
10. That the return of Christ is certain and may occur at any moment. It is not given to us to know the day or the hour. At His return Christ will fulfil all prophesies concerning His final triumph over evil. The believer’s response is joyous expectation, watchfulness, readiness, and diligence.
11. That there will be a bodily resurrection from the dead of both the just and the unjust: they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.
12. That the eternal destiny of persons is determined by God’s grace and our response, not by arbitrary decrees of God. For those who trust Him and obediently follow Jesus as Savior and Lord, there is a heaven of eternal glory and the blessedness of Christ’s presence. But for the finally impenitent there is a hell of eternal suffering.
b. Our Ultimate Purpose
Growing out of its statements of mission and faith, the University is committed to provide Christian higher education which will help students develop toward:
1. The integration of faith and learning. The integration of faith with learning assumes that faith and reason are compatible. Both faith and learning are God’s gifts for human beings.
Through integration, students are assisted to discover various truths about God and His creation.
Discovering God’s creation involves all kinds of studies aimed at helping students:
a. Discover human beings and organizations in relationship to their environments, problems, beliefs, aspirations and products; and
b. Discover God’s created physical and biological universe in order to better find solutions to practical problems. Our motto is that of the Reformers: “All truth is God’s truth.”
2. The development of human potential. As a Christian university created for the 21st century in the third millennium, we believe that Africa should rise above the present unhappy situation of moral decay, underdevelopment, poverty, injustice, death by curable diseases, and realize her possibilities. Human beings are created with potentialities which if developed can assist in bringing positive changes in society. They include the power to think, the power to live, and the power to do.
a. The power to think: This involves growth in knowledge of all types and use of the same knowledge to seek for many possibilities in solving problems for oneself, for the community, and for the society.
b. The power to live: This involves growth toward mature personhood and development
of character, which is formed thorough a person’s response to Jesus Christ in faith and obedient living.
c. The power to do: This involves an acknowledgment of work as a good thing; it also involves the development of skills to do specific tasks.
Objectives
The objectives of the University are:
1. To prepare students to make a positive contribution to societal leadership and development by applying a Christian worldview and lifestyle in their various academic programs;
2. To provide and maintain an integrated curriculum in a way that all courses are seen as faith-affirming;
3. To develop in students the ability and motivation to become godly Christian leaders who glorify God as they serve Him and people through their various careers and professions;
4. To guide students to view others and themselves physically, mentally, morally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually…and to develop their potential for influencing the world for what is good, pure and righteous;
5. To motivate and equip students to involve themselves in missions, evangelism, leadership, church planting and Bible interpretation and preaching;
6. To provide resources for Christian university education in order to become a learning center for thought, research, consultation and teaching;
7. To play an effective role in working with other institutions and governments for the development of industry, commerce, and the efficient use of natural resources and agricultural production in Africa;
8. To conduct research and encourage students to conduct research on various religious, social, economic and political issues, seeking ways of using gained knowledge to help solve problems for oneself, the church and society;
9. To contribute to the promotion of Christian higher education in Africa in general.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Hope Africa University is a Christian institution, a community of believers from various ethnic groups, nations and church communions. All members of Hope Africa University–including students, faculty, staff and administrators–are required to be recognized Christians and to exemplify lives committed to God, both on and off the campus. All who come to join Hope Africa University express by coming here that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord of their lives and that they wish to demonstrate that they live with and for Him in thought, word and deed.
Every member of the Hope Africa community is to seek to follow Jesus Christ in all ways, being servant leaders, to be used by God to make a difference for His kingdom. Being members of the Hope Africa community implies both benefits and responsibilities.
First, each one is to live constantly as an “ambassador for Christ,” seeking to glorify
Christ in all he/she says and does.
Second, in love for each other, each is to be concerned for one’s behavior in relation to another, and one is to speak the truth in love according to the biblical pattern: first, going to the offender privately; then, if he or she is unresponsive, with two or three others; and as a last resort, bringing the person to the larger body or higher authority for discipline.
Third, there are various parts of the body of Christ whom the Hope Africa community serves who believe that differing behaviors are sinful or unbecoming to a Christian. We recognize that sincere followers of Jesus Christ honestly differ in their views of some of these behaviors, and we recognize that Christians in other contexts might order their lives somewhat differently.
We believe that, as the community of Hope Africa University, we should govern our lives so as to maintain the ministry of Hope Africa to the whole church in Africa and a Christian witness to people from all walks of life. Consequently, Hope Africa University’s behavioral requirements are designed to allow freedom in Christ, while maintaining respect for and sensitivity to those Christians who may differ in their
views.
Specifically, the following behaviors are not permitted to the students, faculty or staff of Hope Africa University: smoking, gambling, bribery, occult practices; the use of alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, tobacco, obscene or pornographic materials; sexual intercourse outside of marriage, or homosexual activity; dishonesty (including cheating and plagiarism) and other such practices considered unacceptable or questionable in Christian community.
In addition, sins of the spirit–such as covetousness, jealousy, pride, immodesty, gossip, slander, profanity and vulgarity–are to be avoided.
The care of the body demands proper clothing, not only for protection and comfort, but for propriety and decency. The question of dress concerns not only the welfare of the body, but becomes also an expression of the character of the individual. Therefore, all students, lecturers and workers at Hope Africa University must wear appropriate clothing consistent with a Christian witness in African society.
Anyone who does not conform to this code or whose conduct is detrimental to the total welfare of the Hope Africa community will be subject to disciplinary action, which may result in suspension or dismissal.
As a community of believers, Hope Africa faculty, staff and students believe in the biblical approach to settling of grievances or misunderstandings which may occur from time to time (Matt. 18:15-17). Boycotts, strikes, riots, sit-ins, any form of mass indiscipline, protests and unruly behaviors are not permitted to the students of Hope Africa University. Any form of participation or involvement in any of the above activities will lead to disciplinary action, which may result in suspension or dismissal.
We seek to uphold the name of Christ, both corporately and individually, in all that we say and do.
