The Master's Seminary Library as a part of The Master's Seminary operates under the mission statement of the seminary, which reads:
"The Master's Seminary exists to advance the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping godly men to be pastors and/or trainers of pastors for excellence in service to Christ in strategic fields of Christian ministry. This is to be accomplished through an educational program and an environment of spiritual fellowship and relationships which emphasize unreserved commitment to the worship of God, submission to the authority of the Scriptures, a life of personal holiness, the priority of teh local church, and teh mission of penetrating the world with the Truth."
The Master's Seminary Library, in order to fulfill its part in the overall mission of the seminary, can define its mission as follows:
As the resource, reference, and research arm of The Master's Seminary, The Master's Seminary Library exists to support the academic and scholarly programs of the seminary with holdings that reflect depth, excellence, and diversity; serving to develop knowledge and stimulate thought. While these holdings will by necessity encompass a wide spectrum of human opinion, we acknowledge that all such wisdom must be in submission to the Chief Holding of the library: God's Word.
Beyond the academic pursuits, the library exists to serve students, alumni, faculty and GCC members with efficiency, competency, and amiability. This mission is accomplished by a commitment to the following foundational principles of service:
- A staff committed to excellence in service, accuracy in detail, and tenacity in assistance.
- A facility designed and organized for efficient use by all patrons, with generous hours of service.
- Holdings which reflect and support the curriculum, a comprehensive reference collection, a wide spectrum of periodical literature.
- Availability of accessible bibliographic tools including online catalog, indexes, bibliographies, and various database resources to enhance patron use.
- An aggressive and coordinated acquisition program designed to develop collection growth in terms of depth and breadth, both in print and non-print media.
- Cooperation with other libraries to provide inter-library loan reciprocal borrowing privileges.
- A posture which is sensitive to technical advancement in education and research.
- While it is true that The Master's Seminary Library also functions as the "church library" for Grace Community Church, its primary direction and reason for existence is in fact derived from the seminary. Service to the general church membership, while important, is ancillary to the main purposes of the library.
Last updated January, 2018.