Mission, Vision and Values
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To serve the church in Ireland by educating, equipping and empowering Christians to live out the gospel in their communities.
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To see disciples of Jesus Christ being transformed by their learning to make an impact on Ireland for the glory of God.
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Biblical authenticity
We value embodying biblical principles in all that we do. We express this in our logo as ‘loving God.’
Holistic (education)
We value education and training that engages head, heart and hands.
Diversity
We value the diversity of our students and the churches and communities they represent.
Partnership
We value partnerships that result in the growth and flourishing of the gospel in Ireland and further afield.
Ethos: head, heart and hands
The ‘Head, Heart and Hands’ domains of learning and practice shape our educational ethos: in the design of our programmes, in how we teach, in the assignments and reading we set, in our community life together, and in the lives of teachers and staff. IBI’s Mission Statement enshrines this ethos as we educate, equip and empower Christians (head, heart and hands) to live out the gospel in their communities.
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An emphasis on ‘head’ (cognitive domain) enables students to engage critically with the Bible, theology and theological concepts in order to engage faithfully with contemporary Irish life and culture.
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An emphasis on ‘heart’ (affective domain) emphasises that all Christian life and ministry revolves around a deep love for God and others. Christian character comes first and must never be relegated in importance within theological education.
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An emphasis on ‘hands’ (behavioural domain) emphasises that it is not enough to assume theoretical teaching in class will necessarily translate to changed behaviour. Truth is truly learned as it is lived, especially in relationship with others in mission.
The ‘Portrait of an IBI Graduate’ describes the type of person who shapes our curriculum, guides our decision-making, orders our priorities and keeps in focus what studying and working at IBI is all about.