Originally published in the fall 2024 Update Magazine.
In each classroom, lab, and lecture on the Pensacola Christian College campus, every skill, principle, concept, and formula is presented through the biblical worldview and from faculty who are examples of Christian professionals in their field.
As an institution, PCC has laid a foundation of clear, attainable objectives that honor the timeless standards in Christian education. This includes the spiritual, intellectual, moral, cultural, and social areas of a student’s life. Today, these values remain true and continue to empower graduates to embrace their God-given callings with confidence and excellence.
Think: forming ideas through the biblical worldview and sound reasoning
Using relevant tools and skills related to their studies, students are equipped to cultivate understanding through faith-based insights and critical reasoning. The visual and performing arts programs, for example, include a variety of artistic mediums and the stage through which to deliver their message. “PCC is allowing me to find my voice in a culture that is so bent on squashing that Christian voice; it has helped me realize where my values should be,” shared Ashlyn Henley (Graphic Design ’24).
“As Christian artists, our students are encouraged (and taught) to honor the Lord in all that they do and use the biblical worldview as a basis for all that they create,” explained Dr. Amy Bombard, dean of visual and performing arts. “The end product is skillful demonstration of their technique, creativity and imagination, and informed conceptualization.”
“PCC is allowing me to find my voice . . . [and] helped me realize where my values should be.”
Students at PCC are in a place to grow professionally and personally. After graduation, Karen Eacho’s (History ’96, M.S. Secondary Education ’97) life involved being a wife, a mom, and a teacher in Christian schools and to her own three children while serving alongside her husband in full-time Christian service for 26 years. “PCC prepared me for [my] future beyond college,” she said. “I was taught at PCC to do things right, with excellence, and for the glory of God.”
Sarah Leiford (Pre-Law ’20) shared how PCC was instrumental in sharpening her thinking and reasoning skills. “My EN 126 class challenged me not just to write well but to argue a point well. My Origins class challenged me to truly understand what I believe. My debate class challenged me to think on my feet. My Classics of Western Literature class challenged me to analyze pieces of writing closely to draw out the meaning. My World History Since 1900 class challenged me to pay attention to the details of a story,” explained Sarah. “These necessary skills have greatly prepared me for my future, in which I’m looking to attend law school.”
Communicate: connecting with others by exchanging information and concepts
Beginning their very first year, students are taught to precisely articulate concepts through foundational classes (like Fundamentals of Speech and Grammar and Composition I and II) that provide techniques to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. “Communication is central to God’s heartbeat—Jesus is the Living Word. By teaching the essential skills found in language study, writing, research, and persuasive speaking, PCC has consistently emphasized communication with the express purpose of empowering students to influence their world with the beautiful message of the gospel,” explained Dr. Marie Thompson, chair of the Humanities Department. By graduation, students are furnished with the tools needed to defend biblical truth as the basis for faith and practice in whichever career or ministry they are called to pursue.
“Communication is central to God’s heartbeat—Jesus is the Living Word.”
During their time at PCC, students gain valuable and practical skills to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, actionable through multiple Christian Service opportunities. Sam Sinclair (Pastoral Ministries ’13, History ’15, M.A. Biblical Languages ’15, M.Div. ’17) did not realize that what he was doing every week was preparing him to pastor Cloverleaf Baptist Church in Mobile, AL. “Ministry is loving people where they are and leading them to where they need to be,” Sam said. From starting conversations with strangers in Seville Square or at Homestead Village Assisted Living, Sam has influenced many with the gospel. “I’m thankful for the experience I gleaned, the passion the Spirit deepened, and the hands-on training I gained through Christian Service. It has served me well.” These experiences in college often lead students to broader avenues to share the gospel with the world.
Engage: interacting and relating with personal and social awareness
The Nursing Department emphasizes the care for every individual with compassion and Christlikeness, knowing that every patient is God’s creation. This heart for others led Mekenzie Olinger (Nursing ’24) to serve in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, for a time with Kristine McLaughlin (Nursing ’01). Alongside a team of professionals, Mekenzie treated over 1,000 patients and witnessed almost 300 people receive Christ.
Today, Mekenzie is a nurse in the emergency department of Greater Baltimore Medical Center and plans to pursue her Certified Emergency Nurse title as well as a Trauma Nurse Certification. “[Studying] nursing at PCC is extremely tough, but it prepares you so well for postgraduation,” she said. “Every single one of my teachers at PCC was influential in my life and emphasized the importance of being a light in our dark world.” Because each patient interaction is brief, Mekenzie is aware this limits the opportunity to share the gospel. “Yet, people constantly notice the difference in your actions, allowing them to question what is different about you.”
“I feel like PCC prepared me socially and spiritually to know how to behave as a Christian adult in an ever-changing world.”
Deliberately cultivating relationships with sensitivity to social contexts and individual needs is central to the PCC experience. “I feel like PCC prepared me socially and spiritually to know how to behave as a Christian adult in an ever-changing world,” recalled Julie Ryan (Accounting ’95). “Being guided with careful standards while having to make our own decisions really helped develop us in the right way.” Jackson Maciaszek (Pastoral Ministries ’20, M.Div. ’24) said, “God led me to PCC and it has changed me, influenced my walk with God for the better, and enhanced my social interactions.”
PCC remains committed to the goal of training young men and women for a lifetime of service wherever God leads them. For as long as the Lord allows, the College will continue preparing students to graduate equipped to influence the world for Christ.