Goshen College also joins ninety-five Christ-centered colleges as a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. For this reason, the college environment intends to "[help] each student toward intellectual, social, moral and spiritual maturity" in which "questions of faith can be explored and alternative lifestyles can be tested in thought and experience" (Goshen College Handbook 166). .
With 556 Mennonite full-time students, overhearing the Mennonite game in which students and faculty rejoice about finding an unknown third cousin once removed becomes a natural part of the campus atmosphere. Nonetheless, the campus programs remember the remaining 334 students whose backgrounds range from atheist to other denominations like Roman Catholic, Brethren, and Nazarene to different religions such as Eastern Orthodox, Hindu, and Islam. Sylvia Shirk Charles, the campus pastor, hopes that Goshen College can remain strong in their Christian identity while welcoming those who struggle with their faith or believe in other religions. The accepting, considerate atmosphere as well as the Christian values of this small, liberal arts school attracts students year after year. In a small survey of seven freshmen and sophomores, five out of the seven included Christianity on their list of criteria for choosing a college. A deeper investigation into the on-campus programs and the activities that students attend off campus reveal specific ways that Goshen College serves as a Christian college.
In an effort to integrate Christian instruction into all areas of the academic realm, Goshen College provides many educational opportunities that help students and professors explore Christianity together. The college curriculum includes numerous Bible, religion, and philosophy courses in which students study the Bible's literature, specific Biblical figures, Christian faith, mission of the church or spiritual care and healing.