ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the historical and contemporary contexts of Mennonite seminaries, colleges, and Bible institutes in the United States. The story of Mennonite higher education in the United States reveals an authentic search by capable church leaders and enterprising individuals to either preserve or shape community life and the mission of the church through higher education. Mennonite institutions of higher education began as preparatory schools or Bible schools that emphasized Biblical studies, general studies, and vocational preparation. The German-speaking Dutch-Russian Mennonites, who founded Bethel and Tabor Colleges, educated to preserve German culture, enhance community life, and develop spiritual discipline. From 1893 to 1917 when most of the Mennonite colleges were founded, college faculty and church constituencies were caught in a web of controversy surrounding theological fundamentalism and liberalism. In 1994 approximately 8,000 students are enrolled in Mennonite-related colleges, seminaries, and Bible institutes. The Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries is an inter-Mennonite cooperative program of the Mennonite and General Conference Churches.
