A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

especially in the United States, became seriously concerned about a denominational seminary for the training of pastors. The first official expression toward meeting this need was made in 1948 at the M.B. General Conference in Mountain Lake, Minnesota. At that convention the conference elected a Seminary Commission which was instructed "to consider and study the practical aspect of a seminary." 5 ' The Seminary Commission reported its findings at the next General Conference which was held in 1951 in Winkler, Manitoba. The commission also outlined certain procedures for establishing a theological seminary. 58 The conference at this time submitted the seminary question to the Educational Coordination Committee, which was to study the question further together with the Board of Reference and Counsel of the General Conference. At the same time the conference suggested that the Bible and Theology Department of Tabor College strengthen its B.D. program. 280 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH At the General Conference sessions in Hillsboro, Kansas, in 1954 the whole educational program of the conference was reviewed with the result that far-reaching changes were effected. With the acceptance of Pacific Bible Institute as a General Conference school, the Board of Education proceeded to coordinate the educational program of the institute and Tabor College. 69 One result of this program of coordination was the establishment of the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno. In the fall of 1955 the seminary opened its doors for instruction in the administration building of Pacific Bible Institute with five instructors, fifteen full-time and three part-time students, and G. W. Peters, former president of P.B.I., as first dean of the seminary. D. Edmond Hiebert and P. R. Lange of the Tabor College Bible Depart- ment joined the seminary staff at the beginning, as well as Arthur G. Willems. In addition several part-time teachers assisted in the program. From the beginning the B.D. and M.R.E. programs were offered on a graduate level. 6 " In 1956 the seminary relocated on a six-acre campus on the corner of Chestnut and Butler streets in southeast Fresno. The seminary building has adequate facilities to accommodate a student body of seventy-five. The close proximity of Pacific College to the seminary makes it possible to share institutional personnel and facilities for the mutual benefit of both schools. In the late fifties and early sixties the seminary went through several administrative changes. In 1959 G. W. Peters resigned from the school and was succeeded as dean of the seminary by R. M. Baerg. When B. J. Braun resigned as president in 1962, Baerg also served as acting president for two years (1962-64). In 1964 J. B. Toews was called to the presidency of the school. Toews had joined the faculty a year earlier, after serving as General Secretary of the Board of Missions for ten years (19