Mission, Vision and Values
IBI’s mission is:
To serve the church in Ireland by educating, equipping and empowering Christians to live out the gospel in their communities.
IBI’s vision is to see:
To see disciples of Jesus Christ being transformed by their learning to make an impact on Ireland for the glory of God.
IBI’s values are:
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.
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.
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.
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.
A core document that unpacks this in more detail is our ‘Portrait of an IBI Graduate’ (Appendix 1) The type of person it describes shapes our curriculum, guides our decision-making, orders our priorities and keeps in focus what studying and working at IBI is all about.
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.
