Become a Student of Honor

Discipleship Model

In order to support and fulfill our holistic philosophy and program, Rivendell introduces IN-COMM education where learning takes place withIN an authentic biblical COMMunity. This is an ancient form of education patterned after Jesus’ discipleship model where students are apprenticed in the art of living and learning.

To summarize, Jesus was the sole professor responsible for the formation of twelve students, all of whom remained together as one unit for three years. In other words, His students never changed classes, classmates or professors. They lived, ate, traveled, worked, studied, prayed, suffered, rejoiced and grew together as one community.

Why did we choose this model? If transformation is the end goal, then it requires a different kind of education than what is currently offered. By its nature, transformation demands a deeper level of commitment and intentionality. This IN-COMMunity apprenticeship model gave Christ:

The concentrated and sustained time necessary to transform a life.

The personal contact Jesus had with His students was not limited to one-hour class segments three days a week, nor was it interrupted by a three-month summer break. Jesus was on a mission to transform the lives of twelve students and He understood the time commitment needed to alter their worldview.

The necessary relational environment built on mutual love, trust and respect whereby He could speak truth into the lives of His students.

Closely connected to the previous point, Jesus did not simply know His students in passing. Because of a deep relational bond, Jesus was able to go to a level with His students that today’s form of education will not allow.

The platform to merge conceptual knowledge and application.

Jesus’ classes transcended a four-walled classroom, which enabled Him to move knowledge beyond the theoretical realm. If faculty members are privileged to have their students all day and not be held captive to a bell, then they are free to move learning beyond the classroom.

The daily opportunity to see how his students lived in relation to what He was teaching.

This is the ultimate test for evaluating true learning. Jesus was more interested in how his students were living than how much information they could memorize and regurgitate.

The opportunity to use the daily challenges of life to teach and model the Kingdom of God.

This was a common practice for Jesus. His teaching transcended a textbook, and a great amount of student learning occurred by watching how He lived and responded to difficult situations.

Because Rivendell emphasizes transformation, we have chosen Jesus’ apprenticeship model as a strategy to carry out our mission, vision and objectives. We understand that this requires a greater commitment on our part, but it is one we are willing to make. Therefore, at Rivendell, all incoming students are placed in groups of 30 and are joined by 4 exceptional faculty, all of whom remain together as one unit for their entire Rivendell education.

Please note that while students have the opportunity to experience their own intimate community of thirty classmates, they do so in the context of living on a beautiful college campus housing several hundred more students and faculty. Rivendell students, therefore, have ample opportunities to interact and have fellowship with those outside their smaller learning communities and are strongly encouraged to do so.