We just finished a fantastic module with our Institute Three Year Masters by Module students. What rich dialogues, interactions, and engagement of the heart and mind on ideas throughout time we shared.

Here’s why we teach the way we do at St. Stephen’s University in our ThreeVoice, roundtable learning model:

From good friend, Heidi Turner.

SSU Commencement Week is in full swing. We culminate Saturday in our graduation exercises, and it will be a great pleasure to graduate our first Institute One Year Diploma participants. What a joy and privilege this inaugural session has been. I believe that I deepened and formed as much as they did during the course work.

I have this thought today for our graduates:

“To venture any growth demands the courage of one who challenges an opposing army; only in this battle to both deepen and rise, the army is within.”

The following post is meant to capture just a few reflections in the Master’s Module program of St. Stephen’s University. Our class, now having finished our course work and beginning to work on our thesis component of the program, will hit “comment,” and bring a few particular thoughts from each student.

If you’re interested in the program, go to ssu.ca, and hit “contact.”

Click here for the .pdf 2005 SSU Summer Newsletter.

I’m opening this post for the sole purpose of providing a “space on the web” for some of the key leaders of St. Stephen’s University to offer a brief paragraph on why they feel that SSU provides a unique place for both personal and academic development in an ever-changing world scene.

I’ll begin the post, and then I’ll ask my peers and colleagues and fellow students to offer their perspectives on the unique environment that is SSU.

For me, St. Stephen’s University is the optimal blend of scholarship, community and ancient-future thinking all rolled up into one. The location of the school in a small town in a gorgeous part of Canada only enhances the mystique of the school.

In my estimation, it will only grow in its influence as it seeks to “develop leaders for the Church of today and tomorrow.”

I’ve watched seasoned Church movement leaders, artists and new students profoundly impacted by the atmosphere of SSU.

With strong emphases on spiritual formation, classical writings, cultural impact, ancient-future spirituality, personal development and academic excellence, SSU will continually become an epicenter for thinking that shapes the Church over the next few centuries.

Teaching primarily occurs in a “round table” format, optimizing student/professor interaction, and ultimately raising the bar on mentor-based learning environments

In an age where postmodern realities drive us toward real, substantial community, SSU stands out in the crowd of Christian universities.

The Beginning

St. Stephen’s University is a transdenominational Christian university located in the border town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, just across the St. Croix River from Calais, Maine.

Hosting professors from both Protestant and Catholic traditions (Vineyard, Roman Catholic, Anglican primarily), St. Stephen’s University is a small university that is becoming an epicenter for ancient-future thinking, community formation and emerging cultural leadership.

Just a few miles down the river is St. Croix Island, where the 400th anniversary of European settlement was celebrated in 2004. The French expedition which wintered there in 1604 included a Roman Catholic priest and a Hugenot minister, to provide for the spiritual needs of the little community and to begin evangelism among the people of the area. SSU is inspired by that first transdenominational community planted in this very area.

Planning began in 1971 for a new centre of Christian higher learning in Canada—one that would reflect a Biblical world and life view in all its activities. In 1975, the first students were enrolled in St. Stephen’s University, located near Canada’s border with the United States in St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

In 1998, SSU received a charter from the Province of New Brunswick to grant legally-recognized Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Liberal Arts and Ministry Studies.

The expanding University campus includes two historic 19th century buildings. Park Hall, which includes residence and academic facilities as well as the University chapel, overlooks the St. Croix River separating St. Stephen from Calais, Maine. The Governor Todd Mansion, a block away, provides additional residence space. In addition to the historic buildings, the N. D. Lea Ministry Centre provides residential and study facilities for full and part-time Ministry Studies students, and St. Croix Hall provides additional residence facilities and a classroom.

St. Stephen’s University offers a setting and programs that are unique. The University is a community of faith and learning characterized by:

(1) the centrality of its worship;
(2) the pattern of its community life;
(3) academic programs in Arts and
Ministry that are international, intercultural, and interdenominational in scope.

As a Christian University, St. Stephen’s encourages the highest standards of attitude and practice among all members of the University community. We seek to create and maintain a campus climate conducive to spiritual and intellectual maturation.

Worship

Community worship is characterized by a thoughtful approach to Scripture, a love of adoring God, an openness to the work of the Holy Spirit, and a concern for the world at large.

The University gathers for an informal time of worship several times each week. On Sundays students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in worship at local churches.

Programs

For more information on the St. Stephen’s University Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, visit our website.