The beginning of BYU–Idaho’s fall semester marks the 25th anniversary of the school’s change from the two-year junior Ricks College to a four-year institution.
“Since that day 25 years ago, the Lord has blessed this university with remarkable growth and progress,” said BYU–Idaho President Alvin F. Meredith III in the first campus devotional of the semester Tuesday, Sept. 15. “I believe one important reason for those blessings is that we have remained resolutely focused on the mission the Lord established for us.”
President Meredith was joined in speaking by his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith.
The mission of BYU–Idaho is “to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church and their communities.”
President Meredith invited everyone in the BYU–Idaho community to memorize the statement. “I hope they will become a constant reminder of why the Lord established this university and of the people He is inviting us to become,” he said.
He then took a deeper look at two words in the statement: “disciple” and “leader.”
Disciple
Everything in the BYU–Idaho mission statement flows from becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, President Meredith said.
A disciple is one who follows for the purpose of learning. During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ had many who followed Him as He went about teaching, preaching and healing.
But He needed fellow laborers in His work. “And so Jesus called the twelve [disciples], and he gave them power and authority to do what they had watched Him do,” President Meredith said.
This pattern teaches something important about Christlike discipleship, he said. “We follow Him so that we can learn from Him, and we learn from Him so that we can become more like Him. As we become more like Him, He invites us to love and serve God’s children as He does.”
The kind of disciple sought to be developed at BYU–Idaho is one who not only learns about Jesus but becomes like Him and loves as He loved, President Meredith said.
Leader
This kind of discipleship also prepares one to lead, which ties into another important word in the BYU–Idaho mission: “leader.”
One might picture a leader as the person in charge, someone who has responsibility for others. While that type of leadership is important, it’s not the only way to be a leader. “Just as there is more to discipleship than following, there is more to leadership than holding formal authority,” President Meredith said. “We lead whenever our example, service or influence helps another person move toward what is good.”
This kind of leadership is quiet and personal, he taught.
“Most of the important leadership you will ever exercise will come without a title or position, and perhaps without anyone recognizing that you were leading at all,” President Meredith said.
Disciple leader
President Meredith then considered the two words together: “disciple leader.” After all, the BYU–Idaho mission statement describes the two words creating one outcome. A disciple leader is, he said, “a disciple of Jesus Christ whose discipleship shapes the way he or she leads and influences others.”
Just as students should be scholars of learning and teaching, they should also seek to become scholars of disciple leadership, President Meredith said. “We should deepen our understanding of effective and Christlike leadership, practice it in our own responsibilities and help one another recognize and develop the capacity to lead.”
The Savior’s example of leadership differs greatly from one the world offers, President Meredith said. “He did not define greatness or leadership by position, power or prominence.”
Instead, Jesus Christ taught, “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11).
In closing, President Meredith expressed gratitude for all the Lord has done for BYU–Idaho. “I know that He will continue to guide BYU–Idaho and each of us as we remain faithful to the mission He has given us,” he said.
3 principles
In her remarks, Sister Meredith also recognized the university’s 25th anniversary and spoke about three principles delivered in that inaugural fall semester in 2001 in devotionals.
These principles are to remember who one is and where he or she is, to seek revelation line upon line and to prepare to change.
“Please remember your three most important identifiers: You are a child of God, a child of the covenant and a disciple of Jesus Christ,” Sister Meredith said.
She also invited listeners to remember that they are in a sacred place at BYU–Idaho, “built through sacrifice and dedicated to the Lord.”
