Ecclesia College Students Enjoy Very Low Student Loan Debt at Graduation

President Oren Paris III Interviewed On David Barton's WallBuilders' Program. Link To Podcast

President Oren Paris explained the meaning of Earn While You Learn on WallBuilders Live.

WallBuilders Live! dealt with two major issues on the program - Earn While You Learn - linked here on their website.

One concern is the secular content of higher education, which trains students apart from or against Biblical truths.

The Ecclesia College statement says:

We are called to study all disciplines in light of the Scriptures to “show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” learning to think and walk honestly before Him in the light of His truth according to our ever-increasing frame of reference.

A second concern is the spiraling cost of a bachelor's degree and the burden of student loan debt at graduation.

President Paris noted that the average student loan debt is now $25,000, while the average at Ecclesia College is under $6,000 - lower than almost any other school. Ecclesia does not put a cap on parental earnings, so no student is rejected for having too much family income.

Ecclesia is a a work-college, often called a work-study college. The students are required to work 15 hours a week and learn good work habits. Paris said, "They are held accountable for their work, and learn good work habits."

More details are available from podcast audio file - Earn While You Learn.

Music and sports are important components of Ecclesia College's mission.

Ecclesia College Board of Regents - Pat Boone, Eric Metaxis, Twila Paris

Pat Boone has long been a favorite among conservative Christians.

EC Board of Regents

“It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbour. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbour’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and only the backs of the proud will be broken.”

⎯ C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Since 1975, Ecclesia has been committed and positioned to faithfully serve the whole Body of Christ for the advancement of His Kingdom. While holding to foundational, Christian values, and at the same time transcending denominational barriers, we have strong relationships with many different believers. Among these, our Board of Regents is a denominationally diverse group of leaders who exceptionally model and share our wholehearted involvement in the advancement of God’s Kingdom under the Lordship of Christ.

The Ecclesia Board of Regents are reputable, exemplary leaders of the greater Body of Christ who strengthen our common bond with fellow believers throughout the world in the faithful advancement of God's Kingdom.

Please click on the names below to find out more about our featured Board of Regents members:

David Barton

Phillip Brassfield

Pat Boone

Steve Henderson

Dennis Lindsay

H. D. McCarty

Eric Metaxas' book, Amazing Grace,
became the movie about Wilberforce's mission to end slavery in England.

Eric Metaxas

Twila Paris is well known as a Christian singer -
and is also the daughter of Ecclesia's founder, Oren Paris II.

Twila Paris

Winkie Pratney

Valentin Vale

Seven Reasons To Choose Ecclesia College

Students Comments on Their Experience at Ecclesia College

Forever A Loan - At I Owe U.Students and Parents Are Looking for Alternatives to Student Loan Slavery

Work-study schools like Ecclesia College in Northwest Arkansas have an another approach to higher education.


7 Reasons To Choose Ecclesia College
Character Development

With "Christ in us, the hope of glory," the whole Ecclesia College educational experience focuses on developing and living out the character of Christ in order to display His glory and bring about His Kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven."

True Success
Ecclesia College prepares students for true success in every area of life.  In addition to Character Development all students develop job skills and gain experience in their chosen vocation through our student work program, internships, and other hands-on experiences.

Cost 
We believe so strongly in the importance of Christian Higher Education that we are committed to giving every student who needs one, a financial aid package that would offset the cost of tuition.

Biblical-Based Classroom
Because all truth is God's truth, all education (Bible, Business, Psychology, Arts, Sciences, etc.) is done from the Biblical perspective.  In teaching not only the "what," but also the "why" and the "how-to," true knowledge comes on the foundation of faith and character (2 Peter 1:5).

Discover Your Place in God's Kingdom
We will work with your parents and home pastor to help you find your place and purpose in God's Kingdom (whether pastor, missionary, business, education, arts, etc.), and equip you with the best tools and training to make you successful.

Mentoring for Life
To lay hold of a greater passion for God and His ways, as well as foster an ever-increasing Biblical Christ-life that is real, practical and powerful, every Ecclesia College student has a support system of faculty, administration, and fellow students to assist and encourage them in their walk with God and all other areas of life.

Christian Service 
Students practically walk out the life and mission of Jesus Christ by working alongside local churches to reach out to our community, as well as ministering around the world in places like China, India, El Salvador, Turkey, and Mexico.

What Happened When Alex Kenjeev Paid His Student Loan in Cash - DailyFinance

What Happened When Alex Kenjeev Paid His Student Loan in Cash - DailyFinance:

Since then, the anonymous alum has stepped forward as Alex Kenjeev, a 2009 law school graduate of the University of Toronto.

Kenjeev, who works for venture capitalist firm O'Leary Ventures, told Business Insider the $114,000 payment was the last chunk left of $190,000 in loans he took out during school. He'd spent years dragging out his payments while pouring most of his income into a start-up. As for why he paid in cash, Kenjeev said he wasn't proving some point about the dangers of credit cards or trying to show off. He just thought it'd be really funny. 

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Student Debt is Killing the Church

Work colleges like Ecclesia keep
student loans far below national averages.

Student Debt is Killing the Church:

From Home-Brewed Christianity

One Trillion Dollars! U.S. student loans have reached a new high at the same time the economic prospects are reaching a new low for graduates. This isn’t just bad news for the students, their families, and future children – it is a serious problem for the church. Our students who are increasingly graduating with more and more debt will shape the future of the church. It seems that this issue needs to be treated as a justice issue across the country and as a genuine concern for our future risk-taking church leaders.  Here are five reasons school debt is threatening the future of the church.

1. School Debt is Vocational Slavery. When you have a student loan payment of 300 dollars a month a bunch of jobs are off the table. It shouldn’t be a surprise that working for and with ‘the least of these’ are rarely financially lucrative. For example, if you just finished law school and gotta start payments you don’t get to advocate for immigrants or work for environmental justice, you gotta pay the bills.
2. School Debt Kills Tithing. I know the math is obvious BUT if you are writing a big check every month for your student loans until you are 45 years old that is a bunch of money that previous generations had available to give to the church and its ministries. When fewer and fewer people have money available to give to a church certain people and their needs get priority and internally focused expenditures get priority over externally focused spending.
3. School Debt Tames Prophets. You can have a conviction, a calling, and a platform but if you don’t have economic security for you and your family you can stay quiet, vague, and distracted from your convictions. In this past year I have received over 20 emails from ministers who said “I wish I was in a situation financially where I could say and work towards X.” X = some social justice issue God says we should care about. What is their main burden? Student loans and health care.
4. School Debt Destroys Community. If you have to get a job that supports your family and your loans then you are more likely to have your check dictate where you move, when you work, and how long you work. This extra financial burden has led many of my friends to move away from their family and faith communities and take a job they hate at hours that eliminate growing new relationships in a new town. As a church this type of relational oppression is problematic and shouldn’t be accepted as part of the ‘game.’  The saddest part about this is our students are already indentured to the system before they are aware of what they are choosing.
5. Student Debt Squelches Ecclesial Entrepreneurship. What stops a gifted and called minister from taking the risk and planting a new missional community? Purchasing her own health insurance and having to write student loan checks. When taking the risk of starting a community that connects and serves the generations most impacted by student debt it doesn’t help the church for both the planters and the congregants to be riddled with exorbitant student loans. If you are deciding between a risky entrepreneurial move and jumping through the hoops of your denominational superstructure for a benefit secure job it’s easy to see how student debt could turn the tide away from ecclesial entrepreneurship.

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