Faith and Service
An Authentic Faith Community
Faith and service
Spiritual growth is an essential part of a Messiah University education. We incorporate our shared Christian faith in the classroom, through residence life, at chapel, on sports teams, through the arts and in clubs and organizations. Our motto, "Christ Preeminent," shapes every experience you'll have as a student here.
At Messiah, we see ourselves as partners in your spiritual journey and are committed to helping you prepare for whatever vocation or service God has called you to. We don't want you to feel like you have to have it all figured out when you come to Messiah though. Our hope is that through your time here, you'll explore, discover and commit to your own personal faith perspective and beliefs—guided through strong Christian convictions—and leave with a strengthened heart for service, a commitment to common good, a faithful intelligence, and a passion for community and justice.
Statements of Faith
By the Numbers
Named to National President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction
Choose from 60+ off-campus study locations in 40 countries
35+ denominations represented in our student body
Grow your faith
At Messiah, we want you to grow in your faith and have a passion for Christian community. Join a small group. Find a personal mentor. Challenge yourself in a campus ministry role. From the first day you step on campus to your last, we hope your time at Messiah is a time of growth for you spiritually and academically, and a time where you’ll learn to explore and deepen your core convictions and Christian beliefs. The Office of Campus Ministries coordinates many programs and resources to help you take the next step in your faith journey at Messiah.
Chapel
Student-led Worship
Small Groups and Bible Studies
Service opportunities
Messiah is committed to equipping you for a life of service and there are plenty of opportunities to hone your passion for service during your time here. Each year, Messiah students collectively volunteer thousands of hours to community service—locally, nationally and around the globe. The University’s Agapé Center for Local and Global Engagement is the coordinating hub for service organizations and opportunities both on and off campus.
Local Service
Looking to serve those closest to you? Our local service outreach teams focus on the surrounding communities around Messiah such as Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg and Dillsburg. Our teams work with organizations focusing on such things as poverty, literacy, relationships, mentoring, homelessness, migrant partnerships and special needs. Most of these teams volunteer on a weekly basis.
See local opportunities
National Service
Each year, service trip teams spend their time volunteering in communities across the nation through short-term service trips. Through participation on a service trip team, you can put your faith into action to obtain a deeper understanding of what servanthood is and how to apply it to your own life. In the past, groups have taken trips to the Appalachia region to help with home repair and health assessment, and urban centers like Chicago, Bronx and Philadelphia to work with inner-city ministry groups.
Global Service
Opportunities for international service trips are abundant at Messiah. Work with teams in Ecuador or Poland, among others with the Agapé Center. Combine your love of sports and ministry on an AROMA (A Revolution of Missional Athletes) trip to countries such as Uganda, El Salvador, Panama and others. Provide research assistance and real-world solutions to sites in Burkina Faso, Nicaragua or others through the Collaboratory.
See global opportunities
Academics as Service
The Collaboratory for Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research is a center for service, scholarship and project-based learning at Messiah University. It is a collaboration of students, faculty from a variety of majors that apply academic knowledge and live out their Christian faith through imaginative, hands-on problem solving with non-profit organizations, governments and business partners in our region and around the world.
