Accreditation

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Before we get into the organizations that we are accredited by, we need to deal with accreditation itself.  Let’s first give the dictionary’s definition of accredit:

Accredit:

1.  Give official recognition to somebody: to officially recognize a person or organization as having met a standard or criterion.  2.  Appoint somebody as envoy: to appoint somebody as an envoy or ambassador to another country.  3.  Give someone authority: to give somebody the authority to perform a function.  4.  Attribute quality to somebody: to regard somebody as having a particular quality.  5.  Ascribe something to somebody: to consider something as belonging to or attributable to somebody. [1]

 

Well, that may or may not have cleared things up for our purposes.  Now let’s look at an educator’s definition of accredit or accreditation.  Noted educational expert, Dr. H.R. Kells, defines accreditation as:

 

“Accreditation is a voluntary process conducted by peers via nongovernmental agencies to accomplish at least two things – to attempt on a periodic basis to hold one another accountable to achieve stated, appropriate institutional or program goals; and to assess the extent to which the institution or program meets established standards.” [2]

 

Dr. Kell’s definition comes very close to the original purposes of accreditation.  Originally in the United States (where educational accreditation was birthed), accreditation was nongovernmental.  This simply means that the United States Government had no control or influence over accreditation.  Schools that joined together in an association held each other accountable to a published standard.  This changed after World War II and the establishment of the United States Department of Education.  The primary purpose of the USDOE was to oversee where American tax dollars went.  Where tax dollars go, bureaucracy is soon to follow.

 

In many areas, government approved accreditation is good.  We want to know that our medical doctors, attorneys, accountants, psychotherapists and even business administrators have been trained by schools that have been approved and certified by our government.  The question that we need to ask ourselves is:  “Is our government or the secular accrediting associations (filled with humanistic, liberal educators) qualified to accredit the spiritual preparation for ministers of the Gospel?”  Personally, I would have to answer “no.”  Into today’s political climate, pressure to maintain Federal monies by Christian schools can open the door to many tacit agendas.  Officials within these secular associations can pressure a school that has joined them to access the guaranteed student loan program, to make little changes here or there to keep their secular accreditation and the funds coming.  Slowly changes are made that can dull their students spiritually, and that is exactly what we at BLCS want to avoid.  We believe in the constitutional separation of Church and State.  We define it this way: “The state should keep its nose out of religion.”

 

This also does not mean that every “Christian” accreditation association is good either.  At Biblical Life College and Seminary, we look at the standards, at the beliefs held both by the association (or commission), and its leadership.  We have dropped one “worldwide” commission for accrediting Christian schools because we found that its leader embraced the Book of Mormon as the Word of God.  If we are striving for biblicity, we can no longer be a member of that association (even if it did look good in the catalog).

 

The associations that we belong to espouse solid Christian doctrine and educational practices.  You will find that as you examine even these fine organizations that the standards of Biblical Life College and Seminary surpass their requirements.

 

Biblical Life College and Seminary is accredited by:

 

Accrediting Commission International

P.O. Box 1030 | Beebe, AR  72012-1030 | 501-882-3361

 

American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions

P.O. Box 8939 | Rocky Mount, NC  27804-8939 | 252-451-0024

 

These associations have not applied for recognition from the U.S. Department of Education nor by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which is USDOE approved.  It is the conviction of these associations and their members that participation with secular agencies would bring Christian education under secular control.

A Final Note about Accreditation

As I have tried to stress in this catalog, the programs at Biblical Life College and Seminary are only for those that are called to a biblical ministry.  If you want a liberal arts or science degree for business or some other field, enroll in a school that is regionally accredited.  If you aspire to a Federal or State job, such as becoming military chaplain or to become a licensed therapist, go to a regionally accredited traditional college or university.  Be willing to invest in the high cost of that type of education to work in those fields.  If you are a believer, trying to work around the system is not biblical.  Pay the price, do the work and earn the right to function in those fields.

Other Memberships

BLCS is also a member of:

 

Western Collegium of Bible Schools

P.O. Box 912 | Kelso, WA  98626-0912  | 360-577-0586

 

Legal Standing

Biblical Life College & Seminary has received exempt standing as a religious educational institution in accordance with the Missouri Educational Code Provisions 173.600 through 173.618 RSMo from the Coordinating Board of Higher Education for the State of Missouri.  This exemption option is provided to religious schools in Missouri that are not regionally accredited.

The Church Affiliation of BLCS

Biblical Life College and Seminary is owned and operated by the United Full Gospel Church.  Its programs have been certified by the UFGC for those called to ordained ministry.  Although the school is a part of the United Full Gospel Church, it works freely with other Churches and Denominations around the world to bring high quality training to their ministers.

 

 

 

 

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