Who We Are
Institutional Identity
Truett McConnell University is a private Christian liberal arts and sciences university, offering baccalaureate and master’s degrees, operated under the auspices of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and controlled by a Board of Trustees elected by the Convention.
Mission Statement
Truett McConnell University prepares students to walk faithfully with Christ in their calling and career
Vision Statement
Generations of faithful graduates serving Christ and advancing His Kingdom wherever He calls them.
Four Pillars
Biblical Fidelity. Every classroom, every chapel service, every conversation on this campus rests on the unchanging authority of God’s Word. We will not drift from it, we will not apologize for it.
Servanthood. Truett McConnell exists to produce graduates who lead by kneeling first, who understand that greatness in Christ’s kingdom looks like a towel and a basin, not a position or title.
The Great Commission. We are training students to go and make disciples of all nations, whether that takes them to a boardroom, a classroom, a hospital, or the ends of the earth.
The Great Commandment. Love for God and love for neighbor are not sentiments we teach as theory. They are the daily discipline this campus is meant to form in every student who walks across it.
Core Values
Biblical Sufficiency
TMU Values Scripture as its Centerpiece.
TMU values Scripture as its centerpiece (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Article 1 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). TMU emphasizes a Biblically-centered education because of its affirmation of Biblical Sufficiency, the belief that the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God necessary to know God and understand His plan for mankind (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Personal Transformation
TMU Values Discovering and Fulfilling God’s Call in One’s Life.
TMU values discovering and fulfilling God’s call in one’s life (Ephesians 4:1; Articles 3 and 4 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). TMU believes that God has a unique and specific call for each person (Eph. 4:1). Being made alive because of His great love for us (Eph. 2:4), believers are subsequently commanded to live for Christ and to serve others through talents and gifts God bestows upon us.
Authentic Relationships
TMU Values Relationships Based on Christ’s Unconditional Love.
TMU values relationships based on Christ’s unconditional love. (Ephesians 4:2; Articles 3 and 14 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). TMU recognizes that authentic relationships will flow from living out a Christian worldview (Phil. 2:5). A true Christian worldview will exemplify Paul’s admonition to walk “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (Eph. 4:2).
A Missional Community
TMU Values Equipping Believers to Fulfill the Great Commission.
TMU values equipping believers to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Articles 4, 5, 6 and 11 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). TMU acknowledges that salvation is found only in the person and work of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Knowing that God loves the world (John 3:16) and desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), TMU strives to equip students to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Family
TMU Values a Biblical Model of Family.
TMU values a Biblical model of family (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:21-6:4; and Article 18 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). Family is the foundational institution of society. Ordained by God, family is composed of persons related through marriage, blood, and adoption. Marriage is a covenant relationship between one man and one woman in a lifetime commitment (Gen. 2:24). TMU will maintain a family friendly environment by creating an atmosphere where families are welcome and where biblical families are modeled (Eph. 5:21-6:4). TMU views all staff and students, united through Christ, as family (Eph. 2:19).
History
Eighty years after its founding in 1946, the mission of Truett McConnell remains unchanged. Once focused on preparing “mountain preachers” in North Georgia, the university now equips students through more than 70 programs of study, all grounded in the same commitment to Christian higher education.
The vision took shape when the Georgia Baptist Convention chartered Truett McConnell College, responding to the need for a Baptist institution in North Georgia. Classes began in 1947 in downtown Cleveland, with construction soon underway on the current campus. By 1956, Miller Hall opened its doors, setting the stage for decades of steady academic growth. In the seventy years since Miller’s completion, TMU’s campus has expanded greatly with new programs, facilities, and athletics.
What began as a junior college has grown into a fully accredited university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees. On the playing field, TMU began with just a handful of sports and has since expanded to include 24 athletic programs committed to shaping student-athletes who honor Christ.
Over the last eight decades, TMU has served thousands of students from Georgia, across the nation, and around the world. From its humble beginnings to the present day, Truett McConnell University remains committed to equipping each new class to live out their calling – wherever the Lord leads.