Get to know Great Northern University

Chicago-based Moody Bible Institute said in November 2017 it would close its branch campus in Spokane at the end of the academic year. The bombshell not only affected students, faculty and staff, it impacted the entire region. The Pacific Northwest would be losing a school that had a mission of training people for the pastorate, missions and other ministries.

Convinced of the need for rigorous Christian education, the faculty of Moody-Spokane committed to the possibility of opening a new university. The new school, Great Northern University — the result of an amazing amount of work in a short period of time — opened for the 2018-19 academic year. We interviewed Wendy Liddell, the president of this new university, to fill in the blanks.

This has been a massive undertaking. Why did you think it was vital to continue the mission?

First of all, the Moody campus here closed not because of a lack of need, but because Moody in Chicago was going through many changes and some strategic repositioning. There has been a biblically based higher education institute in our location on Indiana Avenue in Spokane for decades, which has been critical in the training of believers for ministry and giving lay people a deeper understanding of God’s word. Our lineage goes back to Inland Empire School of the Bible, followed by Spokane Bible College, and, finally, Moody Bible Institute. We are building on a great legacy of training workers to fulfill the great commission by equipping students to engage and transform the world. In fact, we are hoping to reconnect with alumni of these previous institutions as we plan additional alumni events and opportunities, like our ReUnite event coming next April. Please contact us using the information at the bottom of this article if you attended any of these previous schools. We would love to speak with you.

The Pacific Northwest is part of what some call the “unchurched belt” of the United States, meaning a high percentage of people do not attend worship services or consider themselves to be religious. In this area of the Northwest, there is a tremendous need for evangelism and church workers. Great Northern University wants to equip those God is calling to meet this need.

What degrees and certificates do you offer?

We offer bachelor of arts degrees in biblical and theological studies, communication, youth and family ministry, leadership studies, intercultural studies, linguistics, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. We also offer one-year certificates in Bible, applied linguistics, youth and family ministry, English and area studies for East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe.

All of our majors emphasize training students to serve Christ through their careers and their lives. Part of this training is an emphasis on communication. Perhaps never before in history has the need for effective communication been so high; and, ultimately, nothing needs to be communicated more clearly than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Students who have learned how to effectively communicate in a variety of contexts will have great potential to influence society’s most pressing conversations for the better, benefiting the Church, our region, and the whole world. Each program also requires students to participate each semester in a mini-internship in the career field they are moving toward. We call this Field Education, through which we want our graduates to be prepared to step straight into a career, having gained experience and connections in the field before they ever walk across the commencement stage.

Central to our seven majors are the university’s core values of wisdom, scholarship and community. This means that along with a rigorous and communication-focused academic curriculum, we also seek to foster spiritual and personal growth within an environment of like-minded Christians. Whether a student desires to enter the secular workforce, professional ministry or to pursue a unique dream, each student will be equipped to follow God’s leading in life through a holistic educational experience at Great Northern University.

All but one of the faculty have doctorates. They earned them at Wheaton, Gordon-Conwell, Saybrook University, Baylor University, Azusa Pacific, Liberty, Trinity International and WSU. The one staff member without a PhD has two master’s degrees. Tell us more about the faculty.

Our faculty has been committed to this effort from Day One, each responding to a calling by the Lord to impart true wisdom to our students. We believe that the greatest expression of wisdom is to think, act, and love like Jesus did in his earthly life. We affirm that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has made a way to restore humanity to Himself. Through this reconciling work, God has freed us from slavery to sin and calls us to continually put to death the deeds of the flesh so that we can become more like Christ (Col. 3:1-17). It is only by the grace of the gospel that we can pursue wisdom. In addition to faith in the Lord and accomplishments within their respective fields of expertise, our faculty members are excellent teachers and have a passion for investing personally in the lives of their students.

Where are classes held? Do you have student housing?

We are in the same facilities that Moody Bible was in, at Fourth Memorial Church in Spokane, just a couple of miles north of Gonzaga University. Our address is 611 E. Indiana Ave., and our entrance is on Dakota Street. We do have residential homes for men and for women that enables students to live in Christian community while being a part of the Logan neighborhood.

In addition to offering bachelor’s degrees and certificates, I notice you provide the opportunity to audit classes and attend other activities and events that are available to the public. Can you give us more background about these?

Absolutely. We love it when community members come audit a class (attend at a reduced rate, not for college credit). One such course that might be especially interesting to the community is Biblical Backgrounds, coming up this next spring. This course provides an in-depth framework of historical, cultural, and geographical information that will help your Bible reading come to life in new ways. Contact our admissions team (admissions@greatnorthernu.org or 509-284-7100) to get signed up.

This course is also an excellent preparatory experience for another wonderful opportunity coming up next year: Great Northern University is leading a tour of Israel from May 19 to 28, 2020, entitled “In the Footsteps of Jesus.” Dr. Mike Kibbe, dean of The College of Communication and Theology, will be our host; and a dear friend, Dr. Dominick Hernández, will be the guide for this life-changing opportunity to walk in the very places we read about in our Bibles. An informational meeting about the trip will be held at the GNU campus on Sept. 10, from 6-7 p.m. This meeting will give interested persons the chance to hear more about the trip and ask questions in person. Please feel free to come to learn more. No RSVP is required. You can also see more details on our Israel trip website: inspiredtravel.com/greatnorthern university/.

We have some upcoming free events as well. On Nov. 11 and 12 we are hosting our 2019 Missions Conference. This year’s theme is “To The Nations,” and the key verse is Acts 1:8. We will be releasing additional details for this conference in the near future on our website’s events page.

Thank you for your time and the exciting story about GNU. If folks want more information, where should they start?

Our website is a great place to start: www.greatnorthernu.org. There is a place on our home page to subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter to receive updates, as well as a news page, and a page about upcoming events. People can also call the university office at 509-284-7100. We look forward to hearing from all of our friends in Idaho.

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Bob Shillingstad’s religion columns appear Saturdays in The Press. Email Bob: bjshill@mac.com