PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH
The Profile
What is this document?
North Central University was founded in 1930 as North Central Bible Institute and in the following years experienced growing enrollment, expanding programs and the change to North Central University in 1998. At North Central, we are passionate about our faith. We place Christ at the center of our experience and strive to create a learning environment where knowledge of the Scriptures grow while experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in daily life. North Central has prepared outstanding pastors, missionaries and other servant leaders in education and business through which Christ builds His church and extends His witness in the world. Located in the heart of Minneapolis, North Central is a comprehensive, primarily residential university owned and operated by 11 Assemblies of God districts of the Upper Midwest. North Central is accredited in 1986 by the Higher Learning Commission.
North Central seeks a president to join our university to build on and mobilize North Central’s resources and lead the university into its next season of church-and culture-shaping influence.
This document provides you with a means of offering valuable assistance in our search process. It provides you with a...
• Summary of North Central’s mission and distinctive character.
• Glimpse of some of the opportunities and challenges North Central faces.
• Profile of the capabilities sought in our next president.
• Process for nominating candidates or applying for this position.
• List of questions for potential applicants.
Thank you for giving these pages your careful attention and responding as you feel led!
North Central University Facts:
• Founded in 1930.
• Campus is located in downtown Minneapolis.
• Faculty is comprised of 24 full-time faculty.
• Programs offered:
• Residental: 20 Undergraduate, 2 Master’s degrees and 6 Associates.
• Online: 6 Bachelor degrees, 2 Master’s degrees (with multiple tracks) and 1 Associate of arts degree.
• Student Body of 857 (combination of traditional on-campus undergraduate, graduate programs, and online)
• Student Diversity: 34%
• Denominational Background: 57% Pentecostal
• 14 Varisty men’s and women’s sports teams in the NCAA Division II Upper Midwest Conference (UMAC) and Esports team.
The University
What is North Central University’s distinctive calling and character?
North Central University is dedicated to a central mission of preparing students for global leadership and ministry through top-quality academic programs, a spirit-empowered community and an exciting downtown Minneapolis campus. North Central pursues this mission by providing an environment that supports:
• Christ-followers who are guided and empowered by the Holy Spirt and God’s Word
• Lifelong learners in the highest tradition of Christian scholarship
• Leaders serving and empowering others throughout society, the marketplace and the church on a world-wide basis.
• Ministers communicating Christ’s love and the Holy Spirit’s power through word and actions.
While North Central shares many attributes and goals with institutions in Christian higher education around the United States and globe, it is the manner in which North Central pursues providing these educational goals that defines its unique character and the distinctive contributions.
• In keeping with its Pentecostal heritage and beliefs, North Central models and expects excellence in both academic practice and Christian faith.
• Through rigorous engagement in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, North Central graduates are becoming more competent, wise, competitive, and skill based. Our graduates possess a faithful outlook and disposition for reflective and critical thought that is rooted in scripture and empowered by the Holy Spirit, resulting in career excellence, spiritual integrity and ethical courage.
• The NCU experience fosters a mature commitment to both Christ and the mission of God throughout the world. As a leading urban Christian university, North Central offers a transformative student experience. North Central graduates are challenged to engage in thoughtful and proactive dialogue concerning biblical models for compassion, equality, and social well-being.
The Future
What challenges and opportunities does North Central face?
As North Central University anticipates its next season, our new president’s particular vision and passions will help set our agenda. There are, however, several particular opportunities and challenges that the president’s gifts will need to engage.
Location in a Downtown Urban Environment
Being located in the heart of downtown Minneapolis has historically provided students and staff with opportunities to minister to its community and put “faith into action” in truly meaningful ways. This heritage of ministering to and caring for our neighbors continues to be strong today and provides unique opportunities for our students. However, being located in a downtown area also presents challenges which North Central staff regularly assess and address. The reality of an urban downtown campus will require the new president to give continued focus on defining strategies to maintain the health and vibrancy of the North Central campus environment.
Resource More Fully the Changing American Church
The North American church is changing in many ways and is becoming more diverse and North Central’s faculty and students are a reflection of these changes. The new president will have the opportunity to continue creating an inclusive environment.
Another change facing the North American church is a lack of fully trained ministers to step into open positions available in our churches. With so many divergent voices available in the American culture that influence those who
attend our churches, churches are in dire need of fully trained ministers to provide Biblically accurate teaching and training to a church’s members and attendees. We believe that this type of training is best achieved when students have the opportunity to have direct interaction and mentorship from theologically trained faculty who are able to pour directly into the lives of these students over an extended period of time. North Central competes with licensure programs that require less investment in time and money but can often lack the theological development available through an in-person / on-campus degree program. The new president will also have the opportunity to develop innovative programs to develop strong Biblically trained leaders to lead the next generation of the church.
Chart an Innovative Course in Response to Changing Demands
Students and parents have come to expect flexibility in how education is delivered and are not always interested in being limited to an on-campus residential model for completing a degree or certificate program. However, making new forms of education just as excellent and cost effective as traditional models will require continued creativity and leadership. The new president will be tasked with developing an innovative strategy on how to offer programs that address changing educational expectations of the next generation of church and marketplace leaders.
Clarify a Model for Long-Term Economic Sustainability
The economic model of higher education is at risk of becoming unsustainable for both students and institutions. North Central is not immune to these challenges. The new president will help redefine the way education at North Central is provided and funded by developing a strategic plan that focuses on market leading program offerings, evaluating opportunities for sustainable growth in course offerings and capital resources, as well as establishing new sources of revenue and donations. He or she will also help build a more coordinated approach to fundraising.
The President
What are we seeking in our next leader?
Our ideal candidate will not only grasp and honor the culture and rich history of North Central but will also embrace the evolving landscape of Christian higher education. The next president will be tasked with further developing an innovative strategic plan for the university, one that encompasses initiatives for financial sustainability, academic program development, student enrichment, advancement growth, enrollment achievement, and an unwavering dedication to the Christian principles that have guided North Central for over 90 years.
While no one person can possess all of the gifts we might pray to find in North Central University’s next president, at the same time, we dare to hope that God will bring to the university an unusual servant who has a proven track record with many of the following leadership abilities:
Spiritual Leadership
An articulated faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, a pattern of spiritual discipline that sustains this relationship, a character full of the fruit of the Spirit, a passion to see others become, grow, and go as His disciples, and a commitment / theological alignment to the principles of the Assemblies of God tradition and practice. This includes a requirement to be an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God or a commitment to become an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God.
Institutional Vision
A capacity to understand and own all elements of the university’s healthy functioning, to discern the unique challenges and opportunities of both North Central University and the changing landscape of Christian higher education, and to define a creative, vivid picture for a thriving future.
Strategic Leadership
The ability to involve, coordinate, and motivate the many different members of the university community by setting and achieving clear, shared and actionable goals for institutional growth, and to ensure prioritized and disciplined progress toward them.
Academic Scholarship
The demonstrated intellect needed to gain the respect of faculty; to understand and support the rigors of research, writing and teaching; and to convene the faculty conversation (A PhD or equivalent terminal degree is preferred but not required).
Fundraising Commitment
An aptitude for building relationships of trust and gratitude with supports, the clarity and confidence to lay out a compelling case and ask for major gifts, and the commitment to work regularly on development efforts.
Competence with Diverse Populations
The capacity to relate with sensitivity, respect, and a learner’s heart to the diverse constituencies within the North Central community and to build authentic relationships of trust and shared purpose with these constituencies.
External Bridge-Building
The skill to build alliances with thought- or resource-leaders within government, business, different faith traditions and other entities that can advance North Central’s mission or the common good.
The Opportunity
How can you respond to this opportunity?
First, thank you for giving this document your time. If you want to help us in our search for the next President of North Central University, there are several steps we hope you will consider.
Pray
The person God has anointed may already be serving with distinction in an academic institution. He or she may be heading a major church or parachurch ministry. This individual may now be the theologically educated executive of a substantial business or public enterprise.
• Pray that God will excite the interest of people who might be right for this role.
• Ask God if the role we’ve been describing might be for you.
Share / Refer / Suggest Candidates
Please share this document with individuals you believe may be interested in this role or who comes to mind as you consider this position today or in the days ahead. OR
Contact us at presidentialsearch@northcentral.edu and let us know of an individual you believe should be nominated for this important role. When suggesting a potential candidate, please let us know:
• What experience and expertise the individual has that you believe qualifies him or her for this role?
• The nominee’s contact information.
Inquire / Explore
Contact us at presidentialsearch@northcentral.edu if you are interested in learning more about this position but are not quite ready to apply. We welcome the opportunity to discuss this opening with qualified candidates.
Apply
To be considered as a candidate for this position please make formal application by sending to this confidential email: presidentialsearch@northcentral.edu, either in MS Word or PDF format the following:
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume.
• Answers to the Application Questions on the next page.
• The record of your application will be treated with the utmost confidentiality in respect for your current position and relationships.
• Applications will be received beginning in early August 2024. To ensure full consideration, applicants should submit all materials by October 15, 2024.
Application Questions
What we’d like to know about you.
We are committed to finding the right fit for both the selected candidate and North Central University as each seeks to serve God well in the season ahead. In your own words, please submit your responses to the following questions. Responses should be 3 to 5 pages in length.
• How has your personal and professional experience prepared you as a possible match for the role of president of North Central University? Please include comments about your development and financial experiences.
• What attracts you to this opportunity and why now? To what extent does this feel like it may be a “call” to you?
• How would you describe your theological commitments”?
• What do you perceive as the most significant challenges facing the Christian movement today, and what is the role of a university like North Central University in addressing these?
• What are the essential elements of your leadership approach and some specific examples of results that have come from the application of your gifts?
• Last Impression: What is one thing you would like to highlight to the Presidential Search Committee about yourself that makes you the ideal candidate for this position?