Report of the Study Committee on Higher Education

I.               The Importance of Higher Education

                  Christians, of all people, should be committed to the pursuit of truth and to excellence in every field of endeavor into which the Lord leads them. Formal education through institutions of learning is the most common method for the attainment of these goals. For this reason Christians should take a keen interest in the educational process and the institutions which provide it.

                  The Bible Fellowship Church ministers in a time and place in which levels of education have steadily increased. Higher education, that is formal education beyond high school, is common and is considered necessary in many fields of endeavor.

                  The committee believes that men and women with the ability, resources, and desire should consider the widest available opportunities of higher education, i.e. undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate education which provide personal development and specific skills to serve the Lord. Individuals, families and local churches are encouraged to make the sacrifices necessary to provide such higher education.

II.              The Importance of a Biblical World View in Higher Education

                  Jesus Christ is the Truth, the ultimate standard of reality. The Bible is an inerrant revelation of the infinitely intelligent and wise God. True education, therefore, is based upon and consistent with these objective standards of truth. Because all truth is God’s truth, Christians should pursue its discovery with confidence and enthusiasm. Though true knowledge of God’s Word and God’s world is harmonious, the reality of man’s fall and the subsequent devastation of his moral and intellectual faculties should create caution and cause us to measure all human discoveries against the standard of God’s revealed Word.

                  In the light of these considerations, the committee encourages members of the Bible Fellowship Church to exercise discernment in the selection of an educational institution. Every effort should be made to choose a school which provides excellence in specific job preparation, and, if possible, a biblical view in its educational philosophy. The committee believes that Christians may select secular institutions for their education with good and godly reasons, but that their primary concern must be the application of their faith in all of life.

III.             The Importance of the Bible Fellowship Church Being Committed to the Training of its Leadership

                  The Bible Fellowship Church has been committed to the training of its leaders since its early days. The Gospel Herald Society sought to combine practical training with a formal reading course to prepare men for pastoral ministry. This experience not only provided training but also built unity, harmony and trust among those who shared in it.

                  As time went on, the need was seen for a more formalized education provided through an institutional setting. Society was changing and the general population was increasingly committed to higher education. Out of this setting Berean Bible School was born. Later Pinebrook Junior College succeeded Berean as our school.

                  With the closing of Pinebrook, the Bible Fellowship Church is again at the crossroads. At this historic moment it is imperative that we ask ourselves several fundamental questions. How important is trained leadership to our church? Can we provide this training? If not, how can we see to the training of our leaders?

                  The answer to the first question would seem obvious. Since New Testament times the church has sought to follow the pattern of Jesus who not only taught and ministered to the crowds but also poured himself into training a few men who would succeed him in leadership. Certainly our brief history was shown the same commitment to this training and our experience has proved that trained leaders have been the source of real and lasting growth. In evangelism, discipleship, apologetics, development of doctrine, and other areas, formal training has enhanced the ministry of our pastors. The increasing sophistication of our society also calls for the preparation of leaders with the exegetical and pastoral tools to serve the church. Surely we need a trained leadership and must consider it of the highest importance for the future.

                  What then can we do? It is apparent that we need trained pastors, and it is a fact that our churches are seeking men with this type of educational experience. The committee believes that the only wise answer to this question is for the Bible Fellowship Church to seek to establish a formal affiliation with an educational institution which can provide training for our leaders.

IV.            Importance of the Type of an Educational Institution With Which a Denomination is to Affiliate

                  What type of educational institution should we affiliate with? Should we seek to affiliate with a liberal arts school, a Bible college, or a seminary? To answer these questions we must ask another one: What type of institution would most effectively serve our purpose? If the answer is to train leaders as thoroughly as possible to serve our churches, then the type of educational institution we should affiliate with must be a graduate (i.e. seminary) as opposed to an undergraduate (i.e. liberal arts or Bible college) institution.

                  The specific reasons for the committee’s recommendation of affiliation with a seminary are (1) the general level of education in our society. The pastor should be on a level with the members of his congregation, many of whom have graduate and post-graduate educations, (2) the necessity of defending and explaining the Christian faith among people of higher educational backgrounds, (3) the development of education in our church has been in the direction of seminary-trained pastors, (4) seminary is the final stage of a student’s training and is the most crucial in influencing his doctrine, life, church affiliation and commitment, and (5) the substance of seminary training — the study of original languages, the exegetical skills, the theological instruction, the thorough practical training, the homiletical preparation – which contributes to the level of excellence and dignity that the Christian ministry deserves.

                  In recommending affiliation with a seminary the committee is not disparaging other avenues of education. Local churches must be committed to discipleship and training of all members through instruction in Sunday school and evening institutes. Young people with the ability and desire should be encouraged and supported in their pursuit of higher education. But the goal of a strong future for the Bible Fellowship Church leads this committee to recommend denominational affiliation with a seminary.

V.              Importance of a Denomination’s Affiliation With a Single Seminary

                  If seminary training is our desire, why not simply encourage prospective leaders to attend a seminary? What are the advantages to the Bible Fellowship Church’s affiliating with just one seminary as opposed to several?

                  The first reason is that it allows the Bible Fellowship Church to make the most of its limited resources. To affiliate with one seminary rather than to have an ubiquitous relationship with all conservative seminaries allows us to make the most of our finances, personnel, and assets, both material and immaterial. In short, we can have a significant impact on one institution that we cannot have on twenty, or ten, or even five.

                  The distinctives of the Bible Fellowship Church can be best preserved and propagated through one school. A smaller seminary that shares our general doctrinal approach could even be influenced through our affiliation by offering courses on the history and doctrine of the Bible Fellowship Church. A chaplaincy program could promote zeal and fervor and could help to integrate academic and practical training oriented towards the Bible Fellowship Church. We would be able not only to shape and equip future Bible Fellowship Church leadership but also to exert some positive influence on the larger Christian Church.

                  Another critical need that could be met through affiliation with one seminary is the common bond that is natural to those who share an educational experience. Friendships made at seminary can be nurtured and strengthened in the bond of mutual commitment to the ministry of the Bible Fellowship Church. The trust, appreciation, concern and devotion that continues even after the seminary experience will contribute to the unity of the denomination.

                  There is no question that this is a very real factor in our history. Those who labored, sacrificed, and matured together in the Gospel Herald Society share a mutual bond and commitment that the years and miles cannot destroy. Likewise those men who received their pastoral training at Berean Bible School share an appreciation for one another that goes deeper than the issues that occasionally divide us. Affiliating with one seminary would promote this spirit of camaraderie for our future leaders.

                  Unity among the leadership promotes unity among the churches. In a day in which many factors are pulling our churches away form one another, the common bond of trust among our pastors who share training from the same seminary could be a factor in preserving the Bible Fellowship Church itself.

VI.            Committee’s Recommendation of a Specific Seminary With Which to Affiliate

                  The committee unanimously recommends that the Bible Fellowship Church affiliate with Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania for the following reasons:

Doctrinal Harmony with the Bible Fellowship Church: “Biblical is committed to historic orthodox Christianity and affirms among equally biblical truths the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, the eternal deity and virgin birth of Christ, the reality of the miracles of Christ, and His substitutionary atonement, bodily resurrection, and personal return.

“Biblical is also committed to premillennialism, the doctrines of Scripture as set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the necessity of separation from unbelief and ungodliness” 

Thus is can be seen that Biblical is conservative, reformed, premillenial and separate from unbelief, the same distinctives which form the core of Bible Fellowship doctrine. One of the evidences of this doctrinal compatibility is the frequency with which Biblical faculty members minister in our churches.

Geographic Location: There are a number of good schools in the United States with which the Bible Fellowship Church might affiliate. But Biblical has the advantage of being close to the major concentration of Bible Fellowship churches. Located in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, Biblical is within one or two hours driving distance of a majority of Bible Fellowship churches.

Philosophy of Education: “The Seminary is called `Biblical’ because the Bible is the center of the curriculum. Since it is the word of God, and must be understood correctly, most students at Biblical study Hebrew and Greek and exegete passages from the major sections of the Bible. Instruction throughout much of the curriculum is therefore based on the exegetical study of Scriptures in the original languages.”  Thus a major attraction for Biblical is that the faculty approach the study of Scripture inductively, not deductively. The emphasis is on biblical theology, not systematic theology. Through a study of Scripture, students are led into an understanding of biblical teaching. Such an approach provides for the particular doctrinal differences of the Bible Fellowship Church.

Academic Standing and Offerings: Though Biblical was founded in 1971, they became fully accredited by the Middle States Association in 1990. They offer the following course of study: Certificate in Bible Studies, Master of Arts, Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Theology, and they are in the process of launching a program leading to the Doctor of Ministry. Thus a full range of graduate level programs could serve the Bible Fellowship Church.

Proven Record of Graduates from Biblical: During the past twenty years since Biblical opened in 1971, the Bible Fellowship Church has had many Biblical graduates serving in our denomination as pastors and assistant pastors (see appendix for the names of the 22 current pastors with Biblical degrees). This does not include many other graduates who have served as pastors or who currently are active as lay people. Because of our long-standing association and fellowship with these graduates, our experience assures us that the graduates of Biblical are compatible with the Faith and Order of the Bible Fellowship Church. Biblical prepares men who are capable pastors, preachers, and colleagues in the ministry of our church.

Potential of the Seminary: Biblical Theological Seminary has been steadily growing. As of the 1991/92 fall quarter 237 men and women were students at the seminary. The incoming class of 1992 numbered larger than other better known schools in the vicinity.

Innovative Methodology: Another attraction for the Bible Fellowship Church is that Biblical is open to change. They are not doctrinaire about methodology. They recognize the need to adapt theological training to the needs of current candidates for ministry. They are open to the unique needs of the Bible Fellowship Church men studying for ministry. Biblical also offers possibility of training lay people through their Institute for Biblical Leadership. Biblical is young enough and small enough so that the Bible Fellowship Church can have an impact on the training given there.

VII.           Recommendation of the Nature of Affiliation Between the Bible Fellowship Church and Biblical Theological Seminary

                  There are a number of ways in which affiliation could be manifest. The actual details would have to be negotiated by an authorized body and ratified by both our church and the seminary. Nevertheless it is valuable to present some of the forms that this affiliation could take, based on initial discussion with the president of Biblical.

                  On the denominational level, it could be agreed that the Bible Fellowship Church would be represented on the Seminary Board of Trustees by one or more persons. This would provide input for the overall direction of the school. A chaplaincy might be provided by the Bible Fellowship Church for Biblical students. This could take many forms – part-time or full-time, on-campus or off-campus. Together with this a student center may be considered. The goal of the chaplaincy program would be to encourage Bible Fellowship students at Biblical, present the Bible Fellowship Church as a viable sphere of ministry to other students at Biblical, and to strengthen the fellowship of Bible Fellowship students with one another and the church. A course or courses on Bible Fellowship history and doctrine could be offered on occasion. This could be taught by Seminary faculty and/or qualified instructors from the Bible Fellowship Church. An endowed faculty chair could be provided by the Bible Fellowship Church. This endowed faculty chair could be direct or indirect, and could provide salary and housing from the earnings of the endowment or contributions from the churches. This faculty chair would provide a Bible Fellowship emphasis throughout the seminary’s instruction. Finally, scholarships for qualified Bible Fellowship students could be awarded through a foundation established for that purpose. These scholarships might be grants or loans, and loans might have forgiveness clauses for each year served in the Bible Fellowship Church.

                  Local Bible Fellowship Churches could be involved in the affiliation through an internship program (possibly overseen by the chaplain). This would provide a close link between the academic and practical aspects of preparation for Bible Fellowship service. Local churches could also establish their own scholarship funds if they so choose. They might also consider direct contributions to the seminary or to an educational trust fund established to support the affiliation. Churches could also be encouraged to use Biblical faculty for preaching and teaching assignments.

                  Finally, individuals in our churches could benefit from formal courses, from the Biblical evening institute, from seminars and counselling training offered at the seminary, and from use of the seminary library.

VIII.          Recommendations

                  The Committee met on three occasions with the Pinebrook Foundation Committee, seeking to understand its concerns and address its interests in the light of the agreement of this report. As a result the Committee presents the following resolutions to Annual Conference:

RESOLVED, that a Committee be appointed, including representation from the Higher Education Study Committee and the Pinebrook Foundation Committee, to prepare legislation for an ongoing Board of Higher Education, which will provide for the support of higher education on both the undergraduate and graduate level through the establishment of the Pinebrook Educational foundation, and be it further

RESOLVED, that the same committee be authorized by Annual Conference to enter into an affiliation with Biblical Theological Seminary which may initially include no more than board of trustees representation, Bible Fellowship Church course offerings, and a chaplaincy program. This affiliation shall be further developed by the Board of Higher Education, subject to the approval of Annual Conference. And be it further

RESOLVED, that any remaining assets of Pinebrook Junior College, as determined by the Board of Directors of the Bible Fellowship Church, be reserved until the establishment of the Pinebrook Educational foundation, and be it further,

RESOLVED, that particular churches be encouraged to consider redirecting their giving to higher education toward the Pinebrook Educational Foundation.

Appendix – Names of men who have a degree from Biblical Seminary and are currently serving as a pastors of a Bible Fellowship Church.

W. David Armstrong

James R. Batchler

Dennis M. Cahill

Robert S. Commerford

Carl J. Fischer, Jr.

Randall A. Grossman

W. Neil Harding

Richard D. Harris

David H. Jones

Carl T. Martin

Chris Morrison

Philip E. Morrison

James E. Neher

Richard B. Ravis

Calvin T. Reed

Robert A. Sloan, Jr.

Dennis Souder

Dennis W. Spinney

John C. Studenroth

Richard E. Taylor

Howard N. Wells

James A. Wickstead

Study Committee on Higher Education: William Schlonecker, Chairman; Randall A. Grossman, Secretary; Richard J. Gehman, George K. Monroe, Calvin T. Reed