What is the Covenant

John Brown University has a rich history of commitment when it comes to its core mission of providing Christ-centered higher education for all. As part of this mission, students are required to sign the community covenant at the start of each year. The covenant is a vessel of ground rules to ensure that JBU remains a community focused on Christ-like actions in everyday affairs on and off campus. The student covenant is signed the first week of the fall semester and students are able to review it with residence life staff before signing it.

Elements of the student covenant include:

• We affirm and honor scripture – Desire to place Jesus Christ at the center of our belief and practice; Derive the principles for our life together from scripture and live according to its authoritative instruction; Value our interdenominational foundation within the evangelical heritage.
• We strive to live with integrity – Strive to live our lives with honesty, willing to share our struggles and victories while attempting to align our actions with Christian principles; Engage in our academic work with honesty and integrity; Seek out mutual accountability through supportive relationships.
• We support and care for individual uniqueness – Value the racial, ethnic, gender, and religious diversity of our community, honoring the unique gifts and dignity of each person; Show redemptive grace and compassion to each other by speaking the truth in love; Foster an environment of transparency, authenticity, and unconditional love.
• We actively participate within the community – Endeavor to love God with our whole being and our neighbors as ourselves; Encourage one another to engage in the building of our community for the good of all and the glory of God; Put the good of the community above our individual desires, encouraging each other to live lives of purity and holiness.

These four values are the core of the covenant and each are accompanied with corresponding bible verses, community expectations and detailed descriptions of what these look like in the context of JBU. All traditional students are expected to abide by these guiding principles in their lifestyle choices in order to help achieve JBU’s mission.