With the campus operating under fewer restrictions this semester, the ethos at North Central is especially vibrant, and the spiritual aspect of campus life is thriving.
President Scott Hagan, Ph.D., is enthusiastic about spiritual life at NCU. “In many ways, this is the best day-to-day spiritual atmosphere I’ve seen at NCU,” Hagan said. “The collective sincerity of our student body is so beautiful. Our students are fully engaged in the world around them, but they also are showing an ability to shut out the distractions and noise that are devastating their generation.”
To help paint a picture of the spiritual climate and activities at North Central, NCU Magazine staff interviewed Joshua Edmon, M.A., North Central’s new Associate Vice President of Spiritual Life and Dean of Multicultural Engagement. A reprint of the magazine article follows.
Q. WHAT ACTIVITIES AT NCU FEED THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH OF STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF?
A. Daily chapel plays a crucial part, of course. Students experience chapel every day and there’s formation happening that is part of the rhythm at NCU. There’s an intensity spiritually happening, where students experience God through His Word, which is critically important, and through worship.
Beyond chapel, we’re seeing a desire for more of the Lord, more of His Spirit. A lot of times, after chapel ends, students just linger in the presence of God. They’re praying; they’re seeking the Lord; they’re praying for each other; they’re calling out to God for their purpose, for their destiny.
On Fridays, we do prayer and fasting, and students remain in the sanctuary, joined by staff, faculty, and senior leaders, praying and seeking the Lord concerning our community, Minneapolis, and our world.
Q. WHAT ROLE DO MUSIC AND WORSHIP PLAY IN SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT?
A. Jeff Deyo (Fine Arts) serves as a coach and chapel leader. Beyond the music, Jeff and members of Worship Live (NCU’s student worship team), supported by President Hagan and the chapel team, have intentionally invited students, faculty, and staff to participate. If they have a word from the Lord, we’re going to be open to the prophetic. We’re going to be open to what God is speaking to us. We have profound speakers coming in, but we also have people in the audience who are hearing from the Lord, and we encourage them to share what the Lord is speaking to them.
Musically, Worship Live has been just incredible. This year’s teams are pushing us into the presence of God through their gifts of music and worship. They’re humble, talented, and transparent.
Q. DO STUDENTS EVER GET TO PREACH?
A. Render is NCU’s student-led worship experience that happens in chapel most Mondays. Render services include student speakers, and they have a dedicated worship team leading music. These chapel services are well attended as we see students desiring to support their peers and worship together in a service they “own.” We see the Lord doing some amazing things through these students as they take on leadership responsibility.
Q. CHAPEL IS REQUIRED, BUT DO STUDENTS WORSHIP WHEN IT’S NOT COMPULSORY?
A. Absolutely! Every Wednesday at 10 p.m., Praise Gathering (also known as PG) is where students can experience extended time to quiet themselves before the Lord or spend time celebrating the Lord. At PG, students from other colleges all over the Metro also come to North Central to just be with one another and be with the Lord. Students actively share their experience in PG through social media channels, and it expands the reach beyond just NCU students.
Another experience that’s more student-led is the Upper Room, a dedicated space in Miller Hall open 24/7 for individual prayer and worship.
Q. HOW DO FACULTY AND STAFF GET INVOLVED IN SPIRITUAL LIFE?
A. We couldn’t have the environment we have here without the full support and participation of our faculty and staff. Every day in classes, NCU faculty pray for students and connect their subject area to faith. We frequently have faculty and staff members preach in chapel, and many of them take initiative that goes above and beyond any requirements!
For example, every Monday morning, at 7 a.m., Dr. Adam Sikorski ’03 (Church Leadership) leads Morning Rise. He’ll share a devotional and give students space to write in their journals and pray for one another. They share what God has been revealing to them, and we’ve seen a real growth—all from college students at seven in the morning!
Q. WHAT TYPES OF DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES TAKE PLACE ON CAMPUS?
A. The Residence Life team at NCU includes Discipleship Leaders (DLs) in every residence hall and the apartments. DLs are student leaders who guide their peers through weekly meetings, Bible study, and occasional service activities. These smaller-group activities are a powerful complement to the opportunities we provide for corporate worship and spiritual development. Discipleship groups create a space where 10 to 15 people can spend time together and just dive deeper into their relationships with the Lord and with one another.
Q. AFTER SUCH AN UNUSUAL YEAR LAST YEAR, WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL TONE ON CAMPUS RIGHT NOW?
A. I see a spiritual intensity here. Especially in chapel, I sense the students are hungry for God and encountering God in powerful ways—because they’re hungry for His Word, for His Spirit, and knowing more of God. They’re hungry for purpose, and they’re submitted to Jesus.
I also see a beautiful desire for unity. People are pushing to be unified under the Lordship of Jesus. He’s leading the way, and there’s a desire to walk in unity and reconciliation.
Q. WITH SO MUCH CHANGE IN OUR CULTURE, HOW IS NCU STAYING TRUE TO ITS ROOTS AS A BIBLE COLLEGE?
A. I believe our job is to make Jesus famous—in our time and our culture. We maintain the spiritual heritage of Pentecostalism and Pentecost because we know that to have a robust relationship with Jesus, we must trust the Spirit to give us the ability to do that. We have never minimized the message. We are committed to telling the world about Jesus. We’re going to preach His Word and celebrate His name. We’re going to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with His presence and His power to baptize us in His presence again and again. We want to teach students to do that as well.
My hope is that students would fall passionately and even more deeply in love with Jesus. And that means that they are intentional about spending time with Him beyond chapel and that we give them the tools that they need to seek the Lord for themselves beyond North Central. My prayer is that they would be salt and light and that they would know how to articulate God’s heart for this world.
You can listen to chapel at northcentral.edu/chapel.
