IHOPU Update

One of my greatest joys is leading the International House of Prayer University. It is such a privilege to steward the hearts and minds of the generation the Lord has called to prepare the earth for his return. As the days in which we find ourselves grow darker, God is establishing centers of equipping for the future leaders of the body of Christ. IHOPU is in the midst of an astonishing season of growth. The Lord is truly pouring out His favor on our school and blessing us exponentially. As we prepare for the beginning of a new school year, I’d like to share a few recent IHOPU milestones.

On May 8^th, 2010, the school celebrated its largest graduating class with a formal commencement ceremony. Forty-eight students completed four years of study in the Ministry and Music schools, and an additional eighty-two students received certificates of completion. These students have embraced the rigors of studying the Word in the context of consecrated community and within the boundaries of a fasted lifestyle. They have dedicated their youth to pursuing true and intimate knowledge of God, and I think every friend and family member at the ceremony sensed the pleasure of heaven over their lives.

The IHOPU Student Awakening continues to grow in our midst. Each week, testimonies of the Lord’s healing and deliverance flood in from across the country and even the nations. Due to this move of the Spirit, many prospective students are applying for admission to IHOPU. Our Bible school is growing rapidly this year – in fact, our student body has increased by over fifty percent as new applications have poured into our ministry, music, and media schools. And this growth should only accelerate in the coming months. This summer the government bestowed on IHOPU the license to accept international students. For the first time in the history of our school, we will be able to matriculate students from the nations. In a given academic year, the school typically receives several hundred inquiries from internationals who wish to apply. Now, after a lengthy legal process, we will be able to accept every student the Lord sends our way!

Due to this unprecedented growth, we have outgrown our old facilities. Miraculously, however, a new campus property that can accommodate the school’s expansion has been acquired through a generous donation. Grandview Plaza – a former shopping center located just a few minutes from the old campus – is debt-free and will soon become the new home of IHOPU. In addition to the gift of the property itself, the Lord stirred the heart of a generous donor this spring and we were able to raise three million dollars through a matching grant to renovate the property. Crews have been laboring all summer to prepare the new campus, which will include two 500-seat classrooms, three 150-seat classrooms, a library, a cafeteria, a recording studio, and office space as well. The first phase of the renovation will be completed just before the start of the fall semester: the final day of clean-up is scheduled for August 15^th, and classes begin August 16^th!

This growth in numbers and in property is but an external manifestation of the work of the Spirit. God is doing a new thing in this generation, and He is committed to preparing the youth of our nation for the days ahead. I truly expect the growth of the individual students to far exceed the more visible growth of the school itself – growth in their character, their calling and their love for Jesus. In the end, it this individual growth that will mark the academic year of 2010-2011 as a milestone year for IHOPU and for the kingdom.