NCU's Spiritual Environment

Integrating faith and education.

North Central is more than just a Christian university—we’re a community that strives to be Christ-centered in everything we do. We’re convinced that knowing and following Christ is essential to success in any career arena, and that’s why our curriculum for all majors includes requirements for foundational Bible and Theology classes. Not only that, but the classes you’ll take in your field of study are designed to challenge you and encourage you in your faith as well. This doesn’t mean other subject matter and skills training takes a back seat, though—it means we believe they go hand in hand.

Worship takes a front row seat.

Our daily chapel services are a big part of our campus community. Attending chapel isn’t just a requirement; it’s an experience that is often one of the highlights of the day. Students, faculty, and staff join in worshiping together, while a worship team leads with passion and skill. Some days you may just sit and soak it in. Others days you may be the one in the front row worshiping with everything you have.

Our commitment to providing real life experience and training is part of our chapel program as well. Just on the other side of the wall from the main chapel service, another group of students worships in a smaller auditorium. We want to empower our students to minister to one another and this student-led event is called “Entry”. Taking place 2-4 times a week during most of the semester, Entry is a unique opportunity for students to take the lead in all aspects of a chapel experience, from coordinating and planning the services, to participating on worship teams, to preaching. Students from all majors are actively involved, and students are free to participate in whichever of the two services they choose each day.

A community you can count on.

Keeping your faith strong as you deal with real life issues is easier if you have a support system, and you’ll find that in the discipleship leaders from your dorm. Each floor in the residence halls has not only a Resident Advisor, but also a team of Discipleship Leaders, who work with the RA to encourage community on the floor and lead weekly Lifecore small group opportunities. The professors at NCU are also an important part of the spiritual support system we have on campus. Even if you have a concern that may seem out of the scope of the classroom, our professors are ready and available to help guide you in any way they can.

Faith in action.

One of the best ways we’ve found to grow spiritually is to serve and teach others. That’s why service in a local church is something we believe in at NCU. We expect all our students to be involved in some way. With over 200 churches within 20 miles of NCU, we want you to be active in serving in a local church. We also know that serving can lead to moments when you just need to be encouraged and refreshed. That’s one reason NCU students lead a weekly Praise Gathering on Wednesday nights, after all the local church services are over. We know you’ll need times like chapel and Praise Gathering to keep your spiritual batteries charged.