University Statement from Board of Trustees

Dear APU Community,

Today, as a board, we reaffirm our responsibility to steward the Christ-centered mission of Azusa Pacific University. We commit the following to each member of the APU community and to all who share in the 2,000-year legacy of Christianity that forms our bedrock:

• We remain unequivocally biblical and orthodox in our evangelical Christian identity. The Bible serves as our anchor.
• We stand firm in our convictions, never willing to capitulate to outside pressures, be they legal, political, or social.
• We affirm God’s perfect will and design for humankind with the biblical understanding of the marriage covenant as between one man and one woman. Outside of marriage, He calls His people to abstinence.
• We advocate for holy living within the university in support of our Christian values.
• We declare that our clear mission to equip disciples and scholars to advance the work of God in the world is more necessary today than ever before.

Last week, reports circulated about a change to the undergraduate student standards of conduct. That action concerning romanticized relationships was never approved by the board and the original wording has been reinstated.

We see every student as a gift from God, infinitely valuable and worthy in the eyes of our Creator and as members of our campus community. We believe our university is the best place for earnest and guided conversation to unfold with all students about every facet of life, including faith and sexuality. We embrace all students who seek a rigorous Christian higher education and voluntarily join us in mission.

We pledge to boldly uphold biblical values and not waver in our Christ-centered mission. We will examine how we live up to these high ideals and enact measures that prevent us from swaying from that sure footing.

Through prayerful obedience to God’s Word, we believe APU’s best days lie ahead.

Grace and peace,

APU Board of Trustees