Liberty University students who receive their diplomas this weekend haven’t just mastered their chosen academic fields — they’ve been fully equipped to be a “Champion for Christ” who can take the hope of the Gospel to a lost and dying world.
This weekend, Liberty University will celebrate its 52nd commencement and the graduation of its largest class in school history.
The week will be highlighted by the main commencement ceremony on Friday night, May 10, when Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin addresses a record crowd of over 60,000, including nearly 30,000 graduates.
These smart, dedicated young people will also have their hard work recognized at over two dozen degree completion ceremonies taking place over three days, from May 8-10.
Still, Liberty’s commencement, a highlight of the university’s calendar, is more than a series of diploma presentations, campus tours, and other celebratory events for graduates, parents, and friends to enjoy.
It is also an annual recognition and rededication of the school’s unique mission of “Training Champions for Christ” and its enduring legacy of doing exactly that since its founding in 1971. This is more than just a motto but a core mission that permeates every aspect of academic and student life and sets Liberty apart from all other institutions of higher education in the world.
Our goal is simple: to equip and inspire Christians to transform society by boldly living out their faith, as Christ did.
For this reason, commencement is also a chance to anticipate and pray over the reality that many of this week’s graduates will one day be leaders and influencers in American life and around the world, whether in the church, business, government, healthcare, law, education, media, their local community, or — most importantly — their families.
Christians are called to apply their faith in all areas of life. Vertically, Christians grow in their walk with God through prayer and dedicated Bible reading and study. Horizontally, we adhere to the Christian call to spread the Gospel and serve others in our unique sphere of influence — from family to work to the local church to the community to the nation and to the world.
This willingness to humbly serve others echoes Christ’s own sacrifice for humanity. As Ephesians 4:11-13 reminds us,
“So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
The phrase “Training Champions for Christ” reflects the profound mission of Christian higher education at Liberty University. Founder Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. described Liberty as offering “the best of both worlds” — a top-tier education rooted in an unwavering belief in the Bible as God’s inspired Word. Liberty stands firm in its convictions, equipping graduates to engage an unbelieving culture without compromise.
At Liberty University, students are encouraged to integrate Christian principles into their coursework, from class discussions and papers to presentations and one-on-one mentorship with professors. Research shows a strong link between academic success and spiritual growth, with positive relationships forming the backbone of holistic education at Christian institutions. Liberty emphasizes spiritual development as key to student success, supported by an 18:1 student-to-professor ratio that fosters meaningful faculty mentorships.
Alongside their personal journey of Christian education is a parallel but distinctly separate dimension: the need to engage outwardly and apply the Christian faith in the local community and society at large.
Believers are called to bring their Biblical worldview directly into the professional “rat-race” that increasingly operates far from God’s precepts by elevating the individual needs of co-workers and supervisors above one’s own, collaborating on team tasks, and applying a servant leadership model in the professional setting. All of these are Christian approaches that are recognized by the secular culture and are therefore opportunities for students to bring their faith into places that may not know Christ’s grace and love.
Christians are called not only to grow personally and professionally but also to boldly bring their faith into the public square.
In his autobiography, Dr. Falwell recounted how as a young pastor he initially believed government could self-correct after embracing a misguided view of the church-state separation that began to take hold in the 1950s and 1960s. However, the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion shocked him into action. He urged Christians to apply Biblical principles to influence government and other areas of society, asserting that the nation’s founders never meant to divorce Christian truths from public life. This conviction led Dr. Falwell to form the Moral Majority, uniting diverse individuals to advance his vision of a faith-informed society.
Today, Liberty’s mission to train “Champions for Christ” extends to this vision as well as it also focuses on equipping graduates to stand firm in an increasingly secular culture and use their faith to help shift society from godlessness toward a recognition of God’s foundational role in American culture.
America’s founders affirmed that inalienable rights, including Christians’ freedom to live their faith publicly, come from God, not government, shaping society toward Biblical values. As 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon declared, “We shall not adjust our Bible to the age, but… we shall adjust the age to the Bible.”
Liberty graduates are called to embody this vision, from leading church groups in community cleanups to marching for the unborn across America to participating in the Freedom Center Society, where Liberty students are encouraged to dive deeper in their faith and apply their Biblical worldview when discussing pressing issues facing our nation today, such as religious liberty, the meaning of the U.S Constitution, defending life from conception onward, and more.
In all of this, they are being further equipped to not just deepen their Christian beliefs but to courageously apply them, transforming an unbelieving society to reflect Christ.
Liberty’s 52nd commencement is a proud recognition of this multi-dimensional, missional reality that Liberty has been pursuing since its inception. As Dr. Falwell once prayed with thousands of dedicated faculty and staff atop a snowy mountaintop in January 1977,
“We’re standing on the ground that for three years we have prayed will one day be the site of the greatest Christian school in the world. We prayed that way. We believe God gave us this mountain for that purpose…Lord, we want to train thousands of boys and girls who in the years ahead, will go out as pastors, evangelists, missionaries, media personnel. Oh God, we want to train a generation of giants who can indeed turn our nation around and change this world for Christ before the trumpet sounds.”
It is only because of the miracle of God’s grace, working through the tireless, unceasing labor of servants who, for years, have dedicated themselves to this mission, that Dr. Falwell’s vision has since been turned into a reality.
And so as we celebrate Liberty University’s 2025 Commencement and honor our newest graduates, we pray for God’s guidance, protection, and blessings over each one and ask that He give them the discernment and perseverance to know and fulfill His will wherever He may lead them.
For more information on Liberty’s commencement activities on May 8-10, click here.
PHOTO: Graduates celebrate at Liberty’s main commencement ceremony in May 2024 CREDIT: LU Marketing Department
Interested in pursuing a fully accredited, Biblically based education? Liberty University has been training students to serve as “Champions for Christ” in their respective professions across the industry spectrum for over 50 years. With over 350 residential academic concentrations, 20 NCAA Division 1 athletic programs, opportunities to serve domestically and abroad, and an unapologetic Christian worldview, your experience at Liberty University will provide an education that roots you in truth and allows you to learn, grow, and impact the culture for Christ. Apply now!
