Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary

Need for pastors being addressed

The Board of Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary grappled with two major issues during the past biennium, according to chair Ron Toews. The first concerned establishing a Seminary presence in more than just the Fresno, Calif. location. The Seminary has become a partner in the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) consortium in Langley, B.C. The consortium consists of five denominations working together to provide training for their students within their own theological context. This is looked upon as a win-win situation in that it is cost effective for the school as well as for students who no longer will need to move to Fresno to complete their training. Projections are for three full-time faculty plus local adjunct professors.

Plans to have a second centre in Winnipeg are in the negotiation stage. Pierre Gilbert, newly appointed faculty member at Concord College in Winnipeg, will also be offering seminary courses in Manitoba and exploring potential models for MBBS's partnership in the emerging Mennonite College Federation.

The second issue was discovering how the Seminary would look if responsibility for it was passed to the national conferences and how it could best continue to fulfill its mandate of providing theological training for the Conference. To respond to this, a task force was established by the Board. The task force reiterated that the task of the Seminary is to call out and train leaders and to help maintain the theological identity of the Conference. The strengths of the Seminary include its faculty, its financial base and its strong leadership. The main challenge is that not enough MB pastors are being trained for the churches of the Conference. It is hoped that the ACTS partnership will help correct this problem.

Five alumni, one from each of the five decades of the Seminary's existence, were asked "What did you appreciate about your training?" and "What is your hope for the future of the Seminary?" Elmer Martens quoted first president B.J. Braun: "I am not dogmatic about issues like the virgin birth and atonement through the cross; I am bulldog-matic!" Former missionary Ernie Friesen appreciated being able to test mission principles with former president J.B. Toews. Herb Kopp was glad to have invested his life in more than having "sold brown sugar water for a living". Lorraine Dick indicated she missed the reading she had been compelled to do. Gerald Hildebrand opined that a residential education was a positive in that it pulled people out of the familiar, thrust them into new waters and taught them to think evaluatively.

Jim Holm, dean of students and director of constituency relations, said that the Seminary is developing a plan for churches to use to discern potential leaders who should be sent to the Seminary for ministry training. Potential leaders are those who have a vision for the future; a commitment to Jesus Christ and the church; passion; compassion; and competence.

Delores Friesen, associate professor of pastoral counselling, indicated that counselling graduates need the Bible training they receive in Seminary, as well as counselling training, in order to counsel effectively both in the church and outside the church.

Valerie Rempel, assistant professor of history and theology, expressed her enjoyment in helping students become pastors by teaching history so they can stand back and get the bigger picture.

Academic dean James Pankratz introduced a new church planting residency program in partnership with MBMS International, and the national boards of evangelism.

President Henry Schmidt announced that, in addition to the already announced appointment of Mark Baker, Nzash Lumeya of Kinshasa, Congo would be coming to the Seminary a year from now to be associate professor of missions. Rebekah Basinger, a financial consultant, has been contracted to help with donor development, and is working with the donor development team of Henry Schmidt, Ed Nachtigall, Fred Wiens and Herb Neufeld.

Affirmation was given by delegates for the direction MBBS is taking in joining ACTS and the leadership training that is happening. SBB

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