Wheaton College Community Covenant
February 2026
Wheaton College pursues the life of the mind, heart, body, and soul under the lordship of Jesus Christ. As a community of grace that is loved by the Father, redeemed by the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of the Son, and empowered by the life-giving Spirit, we wholeheartedly promise before God to live “For Christ and His Kingdom.”
Along with the privileges and blessings of belonging to Wheaton come sacred responsibilities. In freely joining this rigorous, Christ-centered community of higher learning, we make covenant promises (see Deut. 29-31; Josh. 23-24; 2 Kgs. 22-23; Neh. 8-10) to one another with the full intention of keeping our word, growing in faithfulness, and living with integrity before God (Matt. 5:33-37).
Recognizing that we all fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and acknowledging our utter dependence on his power and grace, ***we humbly covenant to follow the commands of Christ*** summarized in his two great commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-40 NIV).
As an expression of Christian love, the purposes of our Community Covenant are to cultivate a campus atmosphere that encourages spiritual, moral, social, and intellectual growth; to ground our identity securely in Jesus Christ; to pursue healthy practices of spiritual formation in our life with God together; to remove whatever may hinder us from our calling as a Christ-centered academic community; and to encourage one another to live in dependence on God’s Spirit, rather than simply conforming to the surrounding culture (Rom. 12:1-2).
Believing that “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16 NIV), ***we affirm basic biblical standards*** for Christian character and God-honoring behavior ***and promise to put them into practice.*** Our calling includes:
acknowledging the Lordship of Christ over all of life and thought, with wholehearted obedience to Jesus and careful stewardship in all dimensions of life: our time, possessions, opportunities, and God-given capacities (Deut. 6:5-6;1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 1:18; 3:17);
loving God with our whole being, including our minds, and loving our neighbors as ourselves (1 Cor. 13:1-13), pursuing Christ-like love in all decisions, actions, and relationships (Matt. 22:37-40; Rom. 13:8-10; 1 John 4:7-12);
pursuing holiness in every aspect of our thought and behavior (2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 4:7; Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:15-16);
humbly submitting ourselves to one another (1 Pet. 5:5; Eph. 5:21) with loving regard for the needs of others (Phil. 2:3-11; Rom. 14:1-23; 1 Thess. 4:9);
honoring our own bodies, and the bodies of others, as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17-20); and
participating in the worship and ministry of the local church, which forms the basic, biblically mandated context for Christian living (Acts 2:42-47; Heb. 10:25; 1 Tim. 3:14-15).
We believe these biblical standards will be displayed in a distinctive way of life, which embodies biblical virtues and avoids anything the Bible says is sinful. Therefore, as followers of Jesus Christ, ***we promise to:***
clothe ourselves with compassion, humility, and forgiveness, and to bear the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Col. 3:12-14; Gal. 5:22-23);
seek righteousness, mercy and justice, particularly for the poor, the helpless, and the oppressed (Prov. 21:3; 31:8-9; Micah 6:8; Matt. 23:23; Acts 20:35; Gal. 6:10; Jas. 1:27);
love and defend what is good and hate what is evil in God’s eyes (Amos 5:15; Rom. 12:9, 16:19);
uphold the God-given worth of every man, woman, and child—from conception to natural death—as a unique and equal image-bearer of God (Gen. 1:27; 5:2; Psalm 8:3-8; 139:13-16; Mark 10:6);
pursue Christian unity and embrace ethnic diversity as part of God’s design for humanity and practice righteous racial reconciliation as one of his redemptive purposes in Christ (Isa. 56:6-7; John 17:20-23; Acts 17:26; Eph. 2:11-18; Col. 3:11; Rev. 7:9-10);
uphold purity and chastity (1 Cor. 6:18), honoring the holiness of singleness and the sanctity of covenant marriage between one man and one woman (1 Cor. 7:3-5; Heb. 13:4);
practice hospitality (Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2), carry each other’s burdens (Gal. 6:2), and confess our sins to one another, praying for God’s healing grace (1 John 1:9; Jas. 5:16);
show mutual respect and maintain “the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3 NIV) in all discussions and disputes by being “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (Jas. 1:19 NIV),
give faithful witness to the gospel (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Pet. 3:15-16), practice good works toward all (Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:10; Heb. 10:24; 1 Pet. 2:11), care for creation (Gen. 1:28), and live by prayer and thanksgiving (1 Thess. 5:16-18; Titus 2:7-8).
With the Spirit’s help, ***we also promise to avoid*** what Scripture condemns. Therefore,
we turn away from pride, dishonesty, plagiarism, theft, immodesty, slander, gossip, obscene language, blasphemy, greed, gambling, covetousness, destruction of property, taking innocent life, and any illegal activity (Prov. 16:16-19; 1 Cor. 6:10; Exod. 20:7; Luke 12:15; Rom. 13:9; Col. 3:8-9; James 2:1-13; Gal. 3:26-29; Rom. 13:1-2; 1 Tim. 2:8-10; Heb. 13:5-6);
we reject hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and legalism, which is the imposition of extra-biblical standards by one person or group upon another (Acts 15:5-11; Matt. 16:6; 23:13-36; Rom. 14:20-23; 1 Cor. 9:19-23);
we repudiate attitudes and actions that divide or corrupt the body of Christ, such as impurity, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, envy, and drunkenness (Gal. 5:19-21);
we put away sexual immorality, including pre-marital or same-sex sexual intimacy, adultery, the use of pornography (Matt. 5:27-28), and all sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage between one man and one woman (Rom. 1:21-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gen. 2:24; 1 Cor. 6:18; Eph. 5:31);
we renounce prejudice and injustice, including racism, sexism, and all forms of abuse (Ps. 9:7-8; Prov. 22:8, 4:23; Ezek. 18:25-26; Luke 20:21; Rom. 2:11; 1 John 4:20).
Beyond these biblical imperatives, ***we promise to exercise responsible Christian freedom*** (Gal. 5:13-14; 1 Pet. 2:16-17)—not doing whatever we please, but imitating the sacrifice of Christ as we honor God and serve others. This requires wise and generous stewardship of our minds, bodies, time, abilities, and resources (Deut. 6:5; 1 Cor. 6:20; Eph. 5:15-16).
Responsible freedom also requires thoughtful, biblically guided choices in practicing Sabbath rest and renewal and in matters of entertainment and cultural engagement, such as television, movies, theater, concerts, dancing, social media, and artificial intelligence. All members of this community will avoid any entertainment, on or off campus, which may be sexually inappropriate or harmfully violent (Eph. 4:1-2, 17-24; Phil. 4:8; 1 Tim. 5:1-2; Gal. 5:22-23).
To foster the spiritual vitality most conducive to Wheaton’s learning and living community, the College has adopted institutional standards that embody self-control, avoid harmful practices, and respect the convictions of other Christians.
For example, the College and all its properties, events, and programs will be drug- and alcohol-free. While enrolled in Wheaton College, undergraduate members of the community will refrain in all settings from possessing or consuming of alcohol, nicotine, and all illegal or recreational drugs. Other adult members of the College will use careful discretion and refrain from serving or consuming alcohol wherever undergraduates are present or likely to be present.
Our covenant community is marked by faithful discipleship, responsible freedom, and dynamic, Christ-like love. This requires each of us to take our promises seriously, whatever pressures we may face to do otherwise (Ps. 15:4).
On occasion, we may need to confess our broken promises, turn away from our sins, and seek restoration. We may also need to take formal or informal steps to confront one another with the loving goal of living together in faithfulness to God’s Word and our own word. When such accountability is pursued with a gracious spirit (Gal. 6:1), it leads to repentance, opens the door to forgiveness, and fosters reconciliation for the people involved and our community as a whole (Matt. 18:15-17).
The goal of life at Wheaton College is to live, learn, work, rest, play, serve, and worship together as an educational community centered around the Lord Jesus Christ. Our mission is to educate whole persons who build the church and benefit society worldwide. Whatever we do, “whether in word or deed,” by the power of the Holy Spirit, we “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:16-17 NIV).
Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version.
Wheaton College intends for the text and spirit of its Community Covenant to also serve as a resource for other institutions. As such, the Community Covenant may be used, adapted, or reproduced entirely or in part. In so doing, please cite Wheaton College as the author of the original document.