QUEST is a gap year program designed to help you build a solid foundation for your life. Establish a Christ-centered identity and discover your calling as you learn, serve, and adventure in class and on outdoor trips.
QUEST Certificate
Combining outdoor adventure, accredited courses, mentoring, and international service opportunities, this gap year will help you grow in your faith and experience transformation.
What can you expect from QUEST?
Courses & Credits
You will go deep with God through Scripture and practical learning.
QUEST’s academic component includes 25 college level credits, including: Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Spiritual Formation, Healthy Relationships, Intro to Leadership, Self Management, Christian Decision Making, Service practicum and 1 Corinthians. Each of these classes is purposed to help you grow as a follower of Jesus and to live out your discipleship using assignments that help you put your learning into practice.
The QUEST Cohort Model
You will be connected in community from day one.
QUEST’s cohort model means you will be doing things together with your QUEST classmates, able to support one another as you learn and grow. You’ll be in class together, go on outdoor adventures together, serve together, and ultimately, do life together. All of this helps QUEST students to know one another deeply and form transformational relationships where they belong.
Intentional Mentorship
You will be mentored by an experienced and gifted team who will help you process your life, faith and future.
Each student has the opportunity to connect with QUEST leaders through on-going, intentional meetings during the year. We keep our leader-to-student ratio high so we have more opportunity to dive deep with students! Leaders are experienced listeners who are eager to meet students where they are at and journey with them in the direction God might be leading them.
Outdoor Trips
You will experience 35+ days of adventure that act as a lab for real-time learning and create memories for a lifetime.
Over eight months, you will spend over 35 days on trips. Some are single-day excursions, some are 4-5 days long. Some are with the whole program; some are split into smaller groups of 10-12 students. While activities are subject to change, they typically include backpacking, canoeing, canyoneering, tall-ship sailing, caving, snowboarding/skiing, snowshoeing, winter camping, cross-country skiing, and rock climbing. If you’re curious why we spend so much time outside, check out this blogpost written by our program director: Why does QUEST go outside?
Discipleship & Christ-Like Character
You will build habits that will help you follow Jesus and lead yourself well.
QUEST provides structure, opportunity, and training so that you can know how to cultivate positive Christ-like habits and replace the destructive ones you no longer want to rule your life. This promotes freedom and the kind of discipline you need for future endeavors.
Christ-Centred Identity
You will learn more about yourself and how to discern and steward God’s unique call for your life.
At every turn, the QUEST assignments, experiences, and community will help you determine what your strengths are, what you are passionate about, what you value, and what parts of God’s kingdom fire you up. You will be challenged to reflect and pay attention to how God has shaped you and what God is inviting you too next
International Service Opportunity
You will have an opportunity to apply for an international service opportunity.
Recent teams have spent 10 days in Costa Rica and 14 days in Rwanda where QUEST partners with local organizations committed to representing Jesus in a particular area. We do this as an additional learning opportunity that helps you to expand your worldview through a personal experience of participating in an entirely different culture while learning from, and working alongside, godly career missionaries and national Christian leaders.
Program Objectives
To view the Program Objectives for the Certificate in Quest, click here.
This program does not require approval by the Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU) of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training. As such, PTIRU did not review this program.
Connect with an Admissions Advisor
Ladder into Other Programs
QUEST and academic staff are happy to work with students to discern next steps if they reach the end of the program and are interested in further study at Columbia Bible College. Many QUEST grads continue on from their gap year program into one of Columbia’s diploma or degree programs.
Some QUEST credits may also be eligible for credit transfer to further education programs at various universities and colleges across North America.
Diplomas
Diploma options include the Diploma in Leadership and Business and the Diploma in Outdoor Leadership.
Degrees
Bachelor Degree options include a BA in Practical Theology, with a Major in Leadership and Business or a Major in Psychology.
Ladder into Other Programs
Interested in Other Options?
What Students & Parents Are Saying
“This semester has challenged my behavior as a disciple, deepened my knowledge of God, and reshaped my experience of His love. By embracing the vulnerability of being known, growing a love for scripture, slowing down, building intimacy with God and working through forgiveness, I am being formed into a deeper and more intentional follower.”
—JESSICA BOON
“My original reason for coming to QUEST was to develop my faith before looking to focus on a job. I did develop my faith, but in the process seem to have only deepened my longing for God. I am by no means satisfied and ready to move on. Rather, I discovered how in need I am, how inseparable God and my life are. Being a disciple means God permeates every aspect of my life.”
—CARL CHU
As parents of two children who have attended the QUEST Program, we can testify to the lifelong impact it has had and the foundation it provides to students from different paths and perspectives. This program, though impacting our children in different ways, has met each one where they were at and provided guidance and mentorship as they have grown in who God has created them to be.
—KRISTY PENNER
Meet the QUEST Staff
Jeremy Walker
QUEST Director
Matt Kliever
QUEST Program Associate
Kelsey Wiebe
QUEST Program Associate
Chloe Plett
Quest Intern
Kenzie Peters
Quest Intern
Jesse Peters
Quest Intern
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t have a ton of “outdoors” experience. Am I a good fit for QUEST?
Yes! QUEST is designed with both the experienced and less experienced in mind. If you have a desire to be outside, to experience God’s creation in a new way, and are willing to try new things alongside a supportive team – QUEST is a good fit. If you already have plenty of experience, you’ll build your skills even more with the help of our qualified instructors.
Do I need to live in residence to be in QUEST?
Not necessarily. We strongly urge you to consider it because we have seen students’ experience of community enhanced by living on campus. But you’re welcome to live off campus if you meet the necessary conditions. Talk with your admission advisor if you are looking to be a commuter.
How many students are in QUEST?
QUEST aims to cultivate a strong sense of belonging within an intentional body of believers. We have found that a group of 20-32 students is the sweet spot to foster this type of environment. QUEST has the capacity to run one or two of these tightknit groups within the program (capping total enrollment at 50 students) depending on enrollment.
How much does QUEST cost?
See our Tuition and Fees page for the cost breakdown for all programs. QUEST program amounts include tuition, and our program fee includes every outdoor trip (travel, group gear, meals, lodging). You’ll also be responsible to buy or borrow some personal outdoor equipment and there may be a few additional fees depending on your specific situation. Also, please see Financial Aid Options.
Can I play on a Columbia sports team if I do QUEST?
Unlikely, but not impossible! We consider this on a case-by-case basis, depending on whether it’s possible to coordinate the season schedule with the out-trip schedule. Keep in mind that playing on a sports team while doing QUEST requires a high level of commitment and self-discipline because of a very full schedule. Get in touch with Quest Director Jeremy Walker if you want to explore this possibility.
Will I be writing papers and exams in QUEST?
Learning saturates every part of QUEST in the form of outdoor trips, reflective exercises, and eight college-level academic courses (25 credits, 12.5 per semester). This means you’ll be reading textbooks, writing book reflections and research-based papers, creating solo and group projects, and studying for exams. Instructors are there to help and coach you as you adjust to college-level expectations, and additional academic support is available at a students’ initiative.
What does a normal week in QUEST look like?
A typical week in QUEST includes classes from Monday-Friday, with homework, socializing, rest, and CBC weekly rhythms (chapel, “Vespers” worship night, dorm unit meetings) interspersed throughout. This weekly pattern is interrupted with all the adventure days we fit in, so students can expect to sometimes be on a trip during weekdays, in addition to some weekends. The customized class and adventure schedule will be given to students at the start of each semester.
Do I need any special gear to participate?
QUEST provides the group gear (tents, stoves, water filters, etc.) and all trip-specific equipment (skis, snowshoes, harnesses, helmets, etc.). You are in charge of buying, renting, or borrowing the personal gear listed on our gear checklist. Feel free to use the list to acquire gear in advance, but for those new to these activities and unsure of what to purchase, there will be time at the start of the year for QUEST leaders to help guide you to ensure you acquire all necessary gear before our first trip. QUEST offers rentals for backpacks, sleeping pads, sleepings bags, and headlamps on a first-come, first-served basis. Rental requests can be submitted through our “Incoming Student Information Request” form that each student will fill out after being added to the QUEST Group in Microsoft Teams.
When does QUEST start and end?
QUEST is a full gap-year program that starts at the beginning of September and ends close to the end of April. Our optional cross-cultural trip sometimes runs after grad in April, adding an extra few weeks to the end of the year.
If I live in residence, will I have a QUEST roommate?
We do our best to put QUEST students in dorm rooms together for logistical reasons. You will have neighbours on your floor that will be in other programs, so you can get to know the rest of the CBC community too.
