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      Highlands College takes a unique approach to higher education through a holistic, hands-on training experience. Students attending Highlands College will be trained in four areas, known as the four pillars, and graduates earn an Associate of Arts in Ministry Leadership.
    - Ministry Training
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      The Highlands College Professors-in-Residence is a group of esteemed, cross-functional innovators that bring their knowledge and experience to the students of Highlands College. The purpose of the program is to expose students to a wide breadth of different leadership approaches to better educate, equip, and empower them to be leaders in their chosen ministry fields.
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      Highlands College will work with you and your family to develop a financial plan that suits you. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are also pleased to offer several new scholarship opportunities for new and returning students.
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      Thanks to the generosity of our Eternal Impact Campaign donors, Highlands College scholarships are available to both incoming and returning Traditional students.
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      Your application and supporting documents tell the story of your accomplishments and your calling into ministry. Our admissions committee will fully and thoughtfully review what you submit as you apply for the Traditional or Evening student program.
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      Highlands College is located in the beautiful city of Birmingham, Alabama. With over 1 million people in the Birmingham-Metro area, there is always something to do! Learn more about our city.
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- Highlands College Evening is a program for adult learners who wish to explore their ministry calling and develop biblically-based leadership skills, while balancing other life commitments.
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      Highlands College graduates are serving as the hands and feet of Jesus in local churches all around the world.
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      Highlands College graduates are principled leaders ready to be part of your team. Trained in biblical theology and practical ministry, our students are thoughtful problem solvers who are making significant contributions to ministries across the globe.
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- - - Commitment to Improvement
      Since 2011, Highlands College continues to train ministry leaders with over 900 placed in over 250 ministries, impacting communities in 34 states in America, and 10 countries across the globe.
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      Our goal is to fund Endowed Student Scholarships for every student who attends, so their entire focus can be devoted to developing into world-renowned leaders who advance the Kingdom of God through the local church.
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      The Highlands College Strategic Plan follows the instruction of God in Habakkuk 2 to clarify our vision for all by writing it and making it plain. The College followed a rigorous, inclusive, consultant-led process, spanning six months, to develop its Strategic Plan.
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      Highlands College is supported by a dynamic and experienced group of leadership, instructors, and advisors.
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      Through our partnerships with GROW, ARC, and Church of the Highlands, we connect students with unprecedented opportunities to gain real-world experience and launch their careers in ministry.
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Category: Faculty Features

Faculty Feature: Trey Johnson

Trey Johnson is the Adjunct Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Highlands College. Students have the opportunity to learn from incredible faculty members, like Professor Johnson, who deliver engaging academic curriculum through innovative and relational […]

Faculty Feature: Dr. Chris Hanna

Dr. Chris Hanna is our Professor of Theological Studies. Dr. Hanna recently defended his Midwestern Baptist Theological SeminaryPhD dissertation, ‚ÄúRetrieval for the Sake of Renewal: Timothy George as a Historical Theologian.‚Äù His love of lifelong […]

Faculty Feature: Stacey Benson

Stacey Benson is the Foundational Studies Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Social Sciences. She works at the college alongside her husband and a few of her children! What makes Highlands College unique are faculty [...]

Faculty Feature: Gina Cox

Gina Cox is our Executive Vice President of Academics & Ministry Training and a professor at Highlands College. Before coming to Highlands College, Professor Cox was a nuclear regulatory lawyer. Professor Cox is now helping [...]

Faculty Feature: John Ball

John Ball serves as the Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and the Practicum Director at Highlands College. What makes Highlands College unique are faculty members like John Ball, who deliver engaging academic curriculum through innovative [...]

Faculty Feature: Dr. Kevin Bussey

Dr. Kevin Bussey, a lecturer at Highlands College, is our newest doctoral recipient on staff! What makes Highlands College unique are faculty members like Dr. Bussey, who deliver engaging academic curriculum through innovative and relational [...]

Dr. John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, speaker, coach, and leader who has sold more than 33 million books in fifty languages. He has been called the #1 leader in business and the most influential leadership expert in the world. His organizations-the John Maxwell Company, the John Maxwell Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation-have translated his teachings into seventy languages and used them to train millions of leaders from every country in the world. A recipient of the Horatio Alger Award and the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership from the Luminary Leadership Network, Dr. Maxwell influences Fortune 500 CEOs, the presidents of nations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. For more information about him visit JohnMaxwell.com.

Chris Tomlin

TIME magazine heralded Chris Tomlin as the ‚Äúmost often sung artist in the world‚Äù as his music has inspired and uplifted an entire generation of believers. Along the way, Chris has scored 17 #1 one singles at radio, placed 29 top ten hits (more than any other Christian artist), sold more than 12 million albums with 5.6 Billion career global streams, earned a Grammy, three Billboard Music Awards, 28 Dove Awards, became a two-time BMI Songwriter of the Year honoree and an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year. In 2016, he was named one of only four artists ever to receive the Sound Exchange Digital Radio Award for over 1 Billion digital radio streams, alongside Justin Timberlake, Pitbull and Garth Brooks. Chris is also the first Christian artist to reach the Billion streams threshold on Pandora and was presented with their BILLIONAIRE award. As one of the most successful Christian touring artists today, Chris has sold-out venues everywhere including New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Red Rocks in Denver and more. Chris recently set a career attendance record with an unprecedented concert at LA’s Banc of California Stadium.

Andy Andrews

Andy Andrews is an internationally known New York Times bestselling author, leadership consultant, speaker, and coach whose books have positively impacted millions of people’s lives and have been translated into over 40 languages. He regularly consults with leaders from the world’s top organizations-including four U.S. presidents, elite military personnel, intelligence agencies, and a diverse group of executive teams. His story-driven principles add value and drive positive change in corporate climate, culture, and revenue. Andy has consulted with nine college football national championship teams-Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Florida State, Auburn, and Florida-that have used Andy’s books and personal strategies to maximize their performance. His bestselling books include The Traveler’s Gift, The Seven Decisions, The Butterfly Effect, The Little Things, The Noticer, and many more. Individuals and teams seek out Andy’s power of storytelling to gain greater insight into life’s most powerful principles.

Bobby Gruenewald

Bobby Gruenewald is passionate about exploring new ideas and finding practical ways to leverage them for the global Church. He serves as Pastor, Innovation Leader at Life.Church, a multi-site church based in Oklahoma. Meeting in 42 different physical locations and globally online, the church is devoted to helping people around the world become fully devoted followers of Christ. Gruenewald is also the founder and CEO of the YouVersion Bible App, which has been installed on more than 500 million devices. Working with Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel, Gruenewald has helped shape Life.Church’s missional approach to technology, reaching people in every country in the world through initiatives like Church Online, the YouVersion Bible App, and the Bible App for Kids. Rooted in a strong belief that churches can accomplish more working together, Life.Church has created a suite of free tools for church leaders including Open resources, an online library of sermons, ministry resources, and ideas. Prior to joining the Life.Church team in 2001, he started and sold two technology companies as well as served in advisory capacities for various startups and venture capital funds. He was also named to Fast Company’s list of the Most Creative People in Business. His focus now is completely on Life.Church and the incredible things God is doing in lives of people each day. Gruenewald and his wife, Melissa, live in Edmond, Oklahoma with their four children.

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Cece Winans

The best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time, CeCe Winans has long since cemented her status as one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in music history. It would be easy to look back and rest on such illustrious honors, but Winans has always had her eyes fixed firmly on the future and constantly evolving. Her latest chart-topping musical offering, Believe For It, is her first live recording featuring some of the biggest songs in Christian music today.

The award-winning trailblazer delivers two new cuts ‚ÄúNo Greater‚Äù and the title track, ‚ÄúBelieve For It‚Äù which was penned by the collaborative efforts of Mitch Wong, Kyle Lee, Dwan Hill and Winans.
Additional tracks such as, ‚ÄúNever Lost‚Äù, ‚ÄúHunger‚Äù ‚ÄúShepherd‚Äù and ‚ÄúWorthy of It All,‚Äù leads worshipers straight to the throne room where their strength is surely to be renewed.

Believe For It dominated the Billboard Gospel charts with four number one spots in the same week:
#1 Top Gospel album, #1 Total Current Gospel Album, #1 Gospel Digital Song and #1 Top Christian/Gospel Album. Winans also made her mark at key Christian radio stations and networks holding a Top 10 presence on Billboard Christian charts. The US On-Demand streams for the single, ‚ÄúBelieve For It‚Äù surpassed the 13 million cyber count and the album went beyond the 41 million mark.
The national media coverage and reviews included appearances on the TODAY Show, Entertainment Tonight and popular regionals morning shows in the Top 10 US markets.

‚ÄúI’m thrilled with the success of Believe For It because I think the message of the song is more important today than ever before. I celebrate reaching Top 10 and the millions of views the videos have received, not because it elevates me in any way, but because the songs promote the truth of the Gospel and the hope we have in Christ,‚Äù says Winans.

In her record-breaking 2021, Winans garnered five additional Dove Award nominations to her ever increasing resume: Gospel Artist of the Year, Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year ‚ÄúNever Lost,‚Äù Gospel Album of the Year, ‚ÄúBelieve For It‚Äù and Gospel Worship Song of the Year, ‚ÄúBelieve For It.‚Äù The fifth nomination, Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year came via her collaboration with country superstar singer, Carrie Underwood on the classic hymn, ‚ÄúGreat is Thy Faithfulness.‚Äù

Winans’ melodic journey spans over 40 years recording and performing as both a solo artist and as a duo with her brother BeBe, she has influenced a generation of gospel and secular vocalists over the course of her astonishing career. Her mantel today holds a staggering 12 GRAMMY Awards, 23 Dove Awards, and 7 Stellar Awards. She’s been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Nashville Music City Walk of Fame, in addition to being named a Trailblazer of Soul by BMI and garnering multiple NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Awards, Essence Awards, and more. She’s sold in excess of 5 million albums in the US, topping the Gospel charts repeatedly while crossing over with smashes like “Count On Me,” her stunning duet with Whitney Houston from the multi-platinum ‘Waiting To Exhale’ soundtrack, which sold 2 million copies and cracked the Top 10 on the Pop, R&B, and Adult Contemporary charts. She touched millions more with inspirational performances everywhere from Oprah to The White House, including The American Music Awards and The Kennedy Center Honors paying tribute to the late legendary actress, Cicely Tyson.

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CAREER GUIDE

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Pastor Craig’s Bio

Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, an innovative multi-site church based in Edmond, Oklahoma. As one of the most respected leaders in the Church, Craig speaks frequently at leadership events and conferences worldwide, is a New York Times bestselling author, and serves as champion for the Global Leadership Summit. Through the top-ranking Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, he prompts innovative thinking in leaders at every level within any organization. Glassdoor has also named him in the top 10 CEOs in the U.S. (small and midsize companies) and named Life.Church as the #1 Place to Work under his leadership. Craig lives in the Edmond, Oklahoma area with his wife Amy and their six children. To learn more about Craig, visit www.craiggroeschel.com.

Pastor Louie’s Bio

Louie Giglio is Pastor of Passion City Church and the Original Visionary of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus. Since 1997, Passion Conference has gathered collegiate-aged young people in events across the US and around the world. Most recently, Passion hosted over 700,000 people from over 150 countries online at Passion 2021. Louie is the national bestselling author of over a dozen books including his newest release, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table, as well as Goliath Must Fall, Indescribable: 100 Devotions about God & Science, The Comeback, The Air I Breathe, I Am Not But I Know I Am, and others. Louie and Shelley make their home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Dharius Daniels

One of the most prolific communicators of our day, Dr. Dharius Daniels is on a mission to help as many people as possible become their best selves while doing their best work. Speaker, coach, and certified emotional intelligence specialist, Dharius specializes in helping others self optimize without self destructing. He acquired his passion to add value to the lives of others at an early age growing up in a small town, Kilmichael, MS. Although the population was less than 700 residents, he was taught by his father that your enlightenment, not your environment, determines your outcomes. He was inspired to unleash his untapped potential while gaining his undergraduate degree from Millsaps College and post graduate degrees from Princeton and Fuller.

With over 20 years of leadership experience, Dharius understands that right information can cause a comprehensive revolution. This passion for transformation inspired him to continue his writing career by releasing his most recent published book Relational Intelligence: The People Skills You Need For The Life Of Purpose You Want. Dr. Dharius also emerged in the mentoring and coaching arena with the release of the Daniels Den Mentoring & Coaching Program which serves thousands of members.

In addition to his contributions in the field of speaking and coaching, Dharius continues to serve as Lead Pastor of the multi-site, and multi-regional, Change Church. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Princeton. He enjoys downtime with activities such as playing a round of golf or weight training. Dharius is married to his college sweetheart, Shameka, and they are the proud parents of two sons, Seth and Gabriel.