Blog / Growth: An opportunity & an obligation
Have you contemplated the extent to which God emphasizes growth? God’s Word establishes an expectation that we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Jesus’ Great Commission communicates that His followers should make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) to grow His Kingdom. And while we know little about Jesus’ childhood, Scripture informs us that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52), as though an awareness of Jesus’ growth is all we need to know of those years.
At Shepherds College® (SC), we are choosing to pursue growth, which we simply define as “impacting more lives,” specifically the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and those closest to them.
THE NEED IS EXTRAORDINARY
Throughout Shepherds’ 65-year history, our organization has served an underserved group – people with IDD. This group is underserved in the sense that their needs extend well beyond the services that are available to them. For example, a conservative estimate suggests that in the United States, 150,000 students complete high school each year who would be a fit for Shepherds College. Last year, we celebrated our largest recruiting class - 40 first-year students. Approximately 150,000 candidates per year, and we serve 40 of them. Even when you factor in programs similar to SC, this group is profoundly underserved. So, the need to impact more lives is extraordinary.
THE PROGRAM IS PROVEN
As Shepherds College completes its 15th year, we have witnessed hundreds of students whose lives have been transformed through the SC experience. Our efforts to help students discover and maximize their God-given potential have proven successful. We have seen students grow in their faith, skills, selfconfidence, self-advocacy, and desire to pursue God’s plan for their lives. Our proven model has impacted students’ lives in deep and meaningful ways.
THE VISION IS SHARED
Our organization has a shared sense of the need and obligation to expand the reach of Shepherds College. It is our desire to:
1. increase enrollment on our Union Grove campus,
2. exponentially raise the number of Shepherds College Online learners (online.shepherdscollege.edu),
3. establish SC training programs elsewhere in the country, and
4. collaborate with like-missioned organizations to serve individuals with IDD.
This four-pronged vision for expansion is a plan to maximize the impact of Shepherds College across the world.
THE TIME IS NOW
The time to act on the God-sized vision for the growth and expansion of Shepherds College is now.
This June, we had a team of SC staff, students, and alumni serve God and people with IDD in Brazil as we collaborated with disability ministries in that country.
In July, we took Shepherds College on the road to Texas and Georgia, offering a Shepherds College Preview Experience for individuals with IDD with the goal of establishing an SC training program in both regions in the years ahead.
God is at work in and through Shepherds College, and we are grateful for His provision, protection, and blessing. Therefore, we are compelled to invest our time, energy, and resources to impact more lives. Please join our efforts.
Published in Volume 6, Issue 2 of SOAR Magazine.