Unaccredited schools and theological training for ministers

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rightlydivide
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rightlydivide

Guest
On a recent thread, we began a conversation about unaccredited schools.
For the record, lets establish that an unaccredited school is not accreditor approved by the federal goverment.
Recently this “accreditor”, ACI, which is known for diploma mills, has come up.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accrediting_Commission_International
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unrecognized_accreditation_associations_of_higher_learning

So does it matter to your denomination or church if the minister went to a school that is not accredited?
In my particular church, none of the elders went to an unaccredited school but we do not have an official policy about it.
 
Rev JB
Father JB
Should a person be called Dr. anything or have credit for a graduate degree without some form of quality control?
 
Opps, looks like I am going to get Bishop JB first, love watching those green lights
 
Rightlydivide said:
Rev JB
Father JB
Should a person be called Dr. anything or have credit for a graduate degree without some form of quality control?
Click to expand...
Rightlydivide
With all due respect you are taking this too far.
Many smaller charter schools are accredited by ACI.
The following if from a blog in regard to this and is a list of ACI schools:
Atlantic International University (the bogus one)]International Theological Seminary]Wisconsin International University (WIU)]Freedom Bible College & Seminary]Emerson Theological Institute*]Biblical Foundations (now defunct)]Life Christian University]Friends International Christian University*]Faith Christian University*]Sancta Sophia Seminary*]Great Commission School of Ministry*]St. Elias Seminary*]Colorado Theological Seminary*]Jubilee Christian College*]Someplace called “IMI” (whatever that was)]Freedom Bible College & Seminary, Tokyo Branch]RMCM Ministries*]Pillsbury College and Seminary*]Darryl Brister Bible College and Theological Seminary*]Atlanta Bible College*]American Mission Teams or here*]National Private Schools Accreditation Alliance (see footnote)]Freedom Academy]Century University*]Korean Freedom Bible College & Seminary*]Freedom Bible College & Seminary, Amsterdam Campus*]Warfare Plus Ministries*]Carolina Bible College*]Faith and Victory Christian University*]Bethel College of Biblical Studies*]MBI Yeshiva (no longer seems to claim ACI)]Victory in the World Bible College (apparently defunct)]Andersonville Theological Seminary (not sure if still claims ACI)]Calvary Christian Academy and Bible College]River Bible Institute*]Bethesda Bible College*]More Than Conquerors School of Theology*]Teamwork Bible College International and its Giving Light Center*]International College of Bible Theology*]Graduate Theological Foundation (no longer claims ACI)]Acts International Bible School]World Faith Bible Institute (through FICU)]International Circle of Faith Colleges & Seminary]WorldShapers Academy*]Cornerstone University*]Ethline R. Williams Preparatory School*]Teamwork Bible College (South Africa)]Texas Graduate School of Theology]North Georgia Baptst Theological Seminary*]New Testament School of Ministry*]University of Christian Studies and Seminary*]Cornerstone Ministries and Christian School*]Covington Theological Seminary*]Robert C. Blakes, Sr. Bible College & Theological Seminary*]Universal Bible College, Inc.]University of Christian Studies and Seminary]Life Christian Bible School*]Messiah Ministries Bible College*]Word and Life Bible College*]Aenon Bible College*]Eastern North Carolina Theological Institute*]The Ezra Project School*]Chesapeake Bible College & Seminary ]Ministerial Training Institute Bible College]The Miracles of Deliverance Bible Institute*]The International University*]Lighthouse Christian Academy

The link you previously posted on another thread links to their site and I would ask you to look at.
accreditnow.com/
It answers many of your questions rather than going to those who do not want to accept anything but government run schools.

BTW if you do not like them file a complaint with the BBB that they are a member of.
 
Padrej said:
Rightlydivide
With all due respect you are taking this too far.
Many smaller charter schools are accredited by ACI.
The following if from a blog in regard to this and is a list of ACI schools:
Atlantic International University (the bogus one)]International Theological Seminary]Wisconsin International University (WIU)]Freedom Bible College & Seminary]Emerson Theological Institute*]Biblical Foundations (now defunct)]Life Christian University]Friends International Christian University*]Faith Christian University*]Sancta Sophia Seminary*]Great Commission School of Ministry*]St. Elias Seminary*]Colorado Theological Seminary*]Jubilee Christian College*]Someplace called “IMI” (whatever that was)]Freedom Bible College & Seminary, Tokyo Branch]RMCM Ministries*]Pillsbury College and Seminary*]Darryl Brister Bible College and Theological Seminary*]Atlanta Bible College*]American Mission Teams or here*]National Private Schools Accreditation Alliance (see footnote)]Freedom Academy]Century University*]Korean Freedom Bible College & Seminary*]Freedom Bible College & Seminary, Amsterdam Campus*]Warfare Plus Ministries*]Carolina Bible College*]Faith and Victory Christian University*]Bethel College of Biblical Studies*]MBI Yeshiva (no longer seems to claim ACI)]Victory in the World Bible College (apparently defunct)]Andersonville Theological Seminary (not sure if still claims ACI)]Calvary Christian Academy and Bible College]River Bible Institute*]Bethesda Bible College*]More Than Conquerors School of Theology*]Teamwork Bible College International and its Giving Light Center*]International College of Bible Theology*]Graduate Theological Foundation (no longer claims ACI)]Acts International Bible School]World Faith Bible Institute (through FICU)]International Circle of Faith Colleges & Seminary]WorldShapers Academy*]Cornerstone University*]Ethline R. Williams Preparatory School*]Teamwork Bible College (South Africa)]Texas Graduate School of Theology]North Georgia Baptst Theological Seminary*]New Testament School of Ministry*]University of Christian Studies and Seminary*]Cornerstone Ministries and Christian School*]Covington Theological Seminary*]Robert C. Blakes, Sr. Bible College & Theological Seminary*]Universal Bible College, Inc.]University of Christian Studies and Seminary]Life Christian Bible School*]Messiah Ministries Bible College*]Word and Life Bible College*]Aenon Bible College*]Eastern North Carolina Theological Institute*]The Ezra Project School*]Chesapeake Bible College & Seminary ]Ministerial Training Institute Bible College]The Miracles of Deliverance Bible Institute*]The International University*]Lighthouse Christian Academy

The link you previously posted on another thread links to their site and I would ask you to look at.
accreditnow.com/
It answers many of your questions rather than going to those who do not want to accept anything but government run schools.
Click to expand...
Bishop JB

But you do not HAVE to go to a bogus accreditor. Take BJU for example. They were a stand up school for not going that route until they went TRACS. They were UA and proud. It means no quality control. Look, its the easy way out.
No, its fraud in my view. Give each other a diploma but a doctorate or graduate degree has to have some form of quality control or I can open a school in my basement and call myself anything…which is exactly what most of these school are.
Now that Presbyterian school that has a ACI grad is what?
 
Assemblies of God doesn’t specify what formal education is required for ordination, other than that there must be some. I guess it’s left to the discretion of the ordination boards. However, all the AG pastors I know graduated from accredited schools, and most have post-graduate degrees, again all from accredited schools.
 
Izdaari said:
Assemblies of God doesn’t specify what formal education is required for ordination, other than that there must be some. I guess it’s left to the discretion of the ordination boards. However, all the AG pastors I know graduated from accredited schools, and most have post-graduate degrees.
Click to expand...
The majority are Global grads and Global is DETC which is recognized as a legitimate accreditor although almost no DETC grads could teach at ATS or RA seminaries with that qualification alone.
 
Rightlydivide said:
The majority are Global grads and Global is DETC which is recognized as a legitimate accreditor although almost no DETC grads could teach at ATS or RA seminaries with that qualification alone.
Click to expand...
In my area (Seattle), many graduated from Northwest University, an AG college with accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). That’s probably where I’ll go myself, to finish up my BA in their adult degree completion program.
 
Rightlydivide said:
Bishop JB

But you do not HAVE to go to a bogus accreditor. Take BJU for example. They were a stand up school for not going that route until they went TRACS. They were UA and proud. It means no quality control. Look, its the easy way out.
No, its fraud in my view. Give each other a diploma but a doctorate or graduate degree has to have some form of quality control or I can open a school in my basement and call myself anything…which is exactly what most of these school are.
Now that Presbyterian school that has a ACI grad is what?
Click to expand...
Who said I HAVE a Bogus accreditor? YOU DID. I told you my accreditation of my degrees is through Oxford. I did tell you that my school is affiliated with schools that are through ACI. It is YOU that is going off on a tangent over this. You cannot believe that there are denominations that accept an ACI graduate. Yet on the other thread this started from, two other members of the clergy have personal knowledge of such in addition to myself.

As the Baptist pastor Rev Joe said on the other thread: “I also know some Baptist pastors who went to ACI schools. Some are what you could call “diploma mills” but the ones I have run into have been pretty on the level with the Eastern Baptist in Philly that I went to. I have also known some of these Bible colleges to accept the ACI education towards another degree.”

The School that has an ACI grad is
wts.edu/
Westminster Theological Seminary.
 
Izdaari said:
Assemblies of God doesn’t specify what formal education is required for ordination, other than that there must be some. I guess it’s left to the discretion of the ordination boards. However, all the AG pastors I know graduated from accredited schools, and most have post-graduate degrees, again all from accredited schools.
Click to expand...
Some of the Assemblies of God pastors in my area of Maryland and Delaware go to a ACI school.
delmarvaevangelistic.com/Rev.+Dr.+Raymond+L.+Chamberlain

I might add that this school has educated a couple of Methodist pastors in my area and a Wesleyan.
 
Padrej said:
Who said I HAVE a Bogus accreditor? YOU DID. I told you my accreditation of my degrees is through Oxford. I did tell you that my school is affiliated with schools that are through ACI. It is YOU that is going off on a tangent over this. You cannot believe that there are denominations that accept an ACI graduate. Yet on the other thread this started from, two other members of the clergy have personal knowledge of such in addition to myself.

As the Baptist pastor Rev Joe said on the other thread: “I also know some Baptist pastors who went to ACI schools. Some are what you could call “diploma mills” but the ones I have run into have been pretty on the level with the Eastern Baptist in Philly that I went to. I have also known some of these Bible colleges to accept the ACI education towards another degree.”

The School that has an ACI grad is
wts.edu/
Westminster Theological Seminary.
Click to expand...
I wasn’t going to bring up the Oxford thing until I get all my emails back. This partnership is looking rather interesting so far. Perhaps you would like to elaborate more. Please elaborate more.
No, you do not have a degree through Oxford Bishop. You have a school that does not make that statement on its website but it is said on the Wikipedia page. Oxford so far as no record of it. But that is so far. Your partnership, as it may exist, needs to be clarified. I cannot take your word or a websites word for it. I need them to confirm that somehow and so far…well the only person to reply has never heard of it but they are getting back with me.
ACI schools are diploma mills. They have no standards we can verify. They are not challenging enough or legit enough to even get TRACS or AHBE.
 
Have you contacted the Catholic Church about whether they would accept your unaccredited degree?
 
I think all of this depends on the denomination. For some, only certain schools will do. For others, it does not seem to matter.

I remember when I was a kid, picking strawberries with the hillbillies here in the Ozarks. Most were fundamentalists of one kind or another. I remember the discussions and arguments various ones had with another about schooling for preachers. It did seem to me the consensus was that schooling was pointless at best, harmful at worst. The question for them was whether one had “the call” or not. If one had “the call” he could preach, and should. If he didn’t have “the call”, no schooling would make up for it. What it really came down to, ultimately, was whether the congregation liked his preaching or not. If he “went by the Bible” as they understood it, he had “the call”. If not, he didn’t.

I have noticed that while some denominations require some kind of schooling or other, it still comes down to whether the congregation likes his preaching or not. I am aware that even some of the mainline churches have committees to select preachers and the committee’s judgment is paramount. Usually, that is a matter of whether the congregation agrees with the potential preacher’s message or not.

So, for many of them, it’s still not too far removed from what the strawberry pickers of my childhood argued.
 
I think the importance ridgerunner is to be upfront about it. Do not associate with a bogus accreditor. I agree that it is not essential to have a degree for some groups at all
 
Ridgerunner said:
I think all of this depends on the denomination. For some, only certain schools will do. For others, it does not seem to matter.

I remember when I was a kid, picking strawberries with the hillbillies here in the Ozarks. Most were fundamentalists of one kind or another. I remember the discussions and arguments various ones had with another about schooling for preachers. It did seem to me the consensus was that schooling was pointless at best, harmful at worst. The question for them was whether one had “the call” or not. If one had “the call” he could preach, and should. If he didn’t have “the call”, no schooling would make up for it. What it really came down to, ultimately, was whether the congregation liked his preaching or not. If he “went by the Bible” as they understood it, he had “the call”. If not, he didn’t.

I have noticed that while some denominations require some kind of schooling or other, it still comes down to whether the congregation likes his preaching or not. I am aware that even some of the mainline churches have committees to select preachers and the committee’s judgment is paramount. Usually, that is a matter of whether the congregation agrees with the potential preacher’s message or not.

So, for many of them, it’s still not too far removed from what the strawberry pickers of my childhood argued.
Click to expand...
 
Rightlydivide said:
I think the importance ridgerunner is to be upfront about it. Do not associate with a bogus accreditor. I agree that it is not essential to have a degree for some groups at all
Click to expand...
I am unlikely to ever associate with a bogus accreditor of any kind. Still, since every denomination (or non-denominational group) determines what the qualifications for its preachers are, I am not sure it’s all that important an issue. If one can simply send in money and get a DD certification from someplace, I agree it’s a scam. But where does one draw the line? If, for instance, the accreditor simply requires me to affirm, for instance, my fidelity to the Southern Baptist declaration (I think it’s one page, as I recall) does that mean it’s a scam, or not?
 
Ridgerunner said:
I am unlikely to ever associate with a bogus accreditor of any kind. Still, since every denomination (or non-denominational group) determines what the qualifications for its preachers are, I am not sure it’s all that important an issue. If one can simply send in money and get a DD certification from someplace, I agree it’s a scam. But where does one draw the line? If, for instance, the accreditor simply requires me to affirm, for instance, my fidelity to the Southern Baptist declaration (I think it’s one page, as I recall) does that mean it’s a scam, or not?
Click to expand...
I think it is important because it speaks to the overinflation of credentials and that is determental for all work environments. A legitimiate accreditor has an extensive process that receives approval from the federal government. Even the most funamental universities in this country know that this does not detract from doctrinal truth. Its an extensive process but well worth it. Christians should not be engaged in claiming something that was not earned. I agree that for the few legit UA schools they have a tough row to hoe to show they are legit. NationsU is an example of that.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top