A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

tain more M.B. students and/or attract more non-M.B. stu- dents our schools will not maintain quality programs. 6. Escalating costs. The escalating costs of higher educa- tion in a time of economic constraints present ever greater demands upon our resources. It is no longer economical- ly feasible to maintain quality programs as student enroll- ment declines. We must realign our educational offerings to reflect the fiscal realities of our times, and to develop greater cost effectiveness in our programs. 7. Human resources. Our institutions also compete for scarce human resources. We cannot provide appropriate staffing for duplicate programs at our institutions, 8. Regional loyalties, In many respects, higher education 184 MENNQNTTE BRETHREN EDUCATION has become a national issue in Canada; none of our schools regards its boundaries in narrow regional terms. At the same time, however, regional loyalties to institu- tions provide a substantial part of the student and Fiscal support base of an institution." The conclusions, while addressed to the Canadian confer- ence educational program, also summarize problems of the U.S. Mennonite Brethren Conference schools. The Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches stands at the threshold of a new era in higher education, particularly now that MBBC has changed its focus and adopted a new name (Concord College), Will Canada learn from the history of the U.S, Conference? The future of the program of higher educa- tion will to a large extent determine the future of the Menno- nite Brethren Church in Canada and the U.S, MENNONITE BRETHREN BIBLICAL SEMINARY The beginnings of the seminary in the ILS. parallels other Mennonite Brethren struggles to find a theological identity. The initial curriculum was modeled after existing seminary programs in which the founding faculty members had been trained. The identity of the school for the initial years, 1956-1965, was described as followsfMennonite Brethren Biblical Semi- nary is a denominational school . . - and makes no apology for its evangelical position. It seeks to preserve and interpret the great truths of Christianity as revealed in the scriptures and understood by the sponsoring conference."4* The lack of a clear Mennonite Brethren identity for the first ten years may have been partly due to the fact that until 1964 the seminary was considered a provisional program awaiting endorsement as a graduate school under Mennonite Brethren General Conference sponsorship. Beginning in the 1964-1965 academic year, when the Mennonite Brethren Con- ference commitment sol