Messiah College is committed to an embracing evangelical spirit rooted in the Anabaptist, Pietist, and Wesleyan traditions of the Christian Church. The three traditions come together in the college's founding denomination, the Brethren in Christ. Collectively, these traditions balance an emphasis on right Christian living and right Christian thinking, encourage a commitment to personal purity and service to others, and advance the significance of communal discernment of the Christian life. Individually, they also bring unique emphases to the college. Anabaptism adds a commitment to peace, reconciliation, and radical discipleship.
Pietism stresses warm-hearted religious experience.
And Wesleyanism holds a special view of God and understanding of the Christian pilgrimage. While the student body and faculty is intentionally diverse in church tradition, the college continues to be shaped by the heritage of its founding denomination. Messiah College is both an institution of higher education and a community of Christian believers. As a community of faith, the college seeks to create an atmosphere that encourages truthful worship of God, aids members of the community to mature in their understanding of Christian faith and life, enhances the development of both women and men for leadership in the church, and supports those in need of pastoral care and consolation. The Office of College Ministries sponsors programs of worship, which include a multifaceted schedule of chapel services.