Laidlaw’s mission is to equip students and scholars to renew their communities with a faith as intelligent as it is courageous, in service to our vision of a world shaped by love compelled and informed by the gospel. We strive towards this as imperfect people in need of grace, but convinced that through faith and hope our graduates can influence the church and world through love. The graduate profile comprises the distinctive characteristics by which we intend our graduates to become known, in the context of their churches, communities, workplaces and relationships.

Formation

Laidlaw graduates will be known as:

• People of faith, their lives shaped by encounter with Jesus, in scripture, prayer, worship and community.
• People of grace, embracing the tensions of life and faith with a deep sense of their own brokenness and redemption.
• People of love, who encounter others with authenticity and humility, whether sharing laughter or tears.
• People of hope, who invite others into the struggle for beauty and justice, freedom and rest, as they anticipate the new creation.

Context

Laidlaw graduates will participate in:

• The local church, building community by serving, challenging and renewing in love.
• Mission, shaping society by living out the gospel of hope and reconciliation.
• Bicultural dialogue, partnering with tangata whenua and manuhiri of Aotearoa New Zealand in a spirit of covenantal love and shared story.
• Diverse communities, celebrating culture and difference in respectful and authentic dialogue.
• Vocational settings, pursuing excellence and embodying faith, hope and love in the context of work, home and play.

Knowledge and Understanding

Laidlaw graduates will be renewed by:

• A deeper knowledge of the triune God who is revealed in Jesus and in the witness of the scriptures and who engages with the world.
• A christocentric theological method anchored in the scriptures, engaged with the church and relevant to life.
• A relational understanding of humanity, of self in relation to others, in the context of a world created for relationship with God.
• A participatory expression of faith, hope and love as primary ways of engaging with people, life and thought.
• A robust grasp of the theories and practices and the historic and contemporary voices of their chosen discipline, in dialogue with theology.

Skills

Laidlaw graduates will be equipped to:

• Engage with issues of life from a deep participation in the gospel as a primary source of knowledge.
• Read the biblical text in light of the discourse around its interpretation and discern its relevance for contemporary church and society.
• Apply their knowledge in skillful, practical ways appropriate to their discipline and in the context of lifelong learning.
• Articulate their faith in dialogue with others with confidence and intelligence, curiosity and respect.