Mount Carmel is about making disciples–our focus is as much on character and life development as on academics. To this end we have designed our program around three core components: community, service and learning. Each of these areas are of equal importance and students are required to participate in all three facets.
How we spend our moments together really does matter. Who we spend our moments with really does matter. Mount Carmel wants to connect students with God and each other. We believe that individuals need community to fully experience the life Christ calls us to. Join this community and enlarge your heart in a transformational, loving environment where people are welcomed as they are and helped to become who they can be.
We aim to become a community where the interactions support, stimulate, and encourage vibrant faith and interconnectedness. Weekly chapels involve students in both planning and leading. Small groups meet every week to discuss the issues each member faces in life, to pray together and to challenge each other toward greater spiritual maturity. Time is also set aside intentional staff-student conversations, conferences and spiritual retreat days. Other weekly events which encourage community include community lunch, gym time, prayer groups and staff open house meals. Additional off-site community retreats at the beginning of each semester encourage personal spiritual growth as well as cultivate connectedness between staff and students.
Jesus called his twelve disciples to come and be with him. He knew that learning to be a follower is more caught than taught. Students are encouraged to discover and nurture their gifts through active participation in our community.
Jesus calls his people to make an impact in the world, particularly by our service to others. Learning to love and serve others is a very important part of the overall discipleship process. Students at Mount Carmel spend time every week volunteering with different organizations, and go on two ministry trips during the year.
Staff will assist students in choosing two or three different ministry placements. Students will serve in those placements for the entirety of the college year. These service times take place on specific afternoons, evenings, and weekends so that students can develop a regular schedule.
As part of our program’s service component, students participate in two ministry trips. The aim of these trips is to expose students to people groups that they may not naturally have contact with and to provide students with opportunities to interact with and hopefully have an impact. We want to help students grow in compassion for the “least of these”. Though subject to change, our most recent trips have been inner city ministry in Vancouver, BC and First Nations ministry in northern Alberta.
Where Are Our Students? (Click to find out where are students are serving this year.)
We live what we know, and we cannot live what we don’t know. Mount Carmel wants to help students stretch their minds and learn to view life from the perspective of God first. To that end, we teach college-level courses that will help students grow in their understanding of Scripture and essential Christian truths. While we do a lot beyond the classroom, academic instruction remains a focus of what we do.
We aim to have our students grow in their understanding of scripture and essential Christian truths; therefore, we require all students to read through the Bible during their year at Carmel. Courses are taught at a first-year college level and are offered only once during each academic year. Note-taking, study, and paper writing are a part of the package of academic growth. Being a uniquely concentrated one-year program, we're not tied up in the complexities of offering multiple degrees or pursuing accreditation. Upon successful completion of our program students simply receive a Diploma in Christian Studies. However the ultimate goal is transformed hearts and lives–never simply head knowledge.
Course offerings include:
