Thread: Who accredits seminaries?

I was wondering if any of the well-known reformed seminaries are accreditted by the state, or if because of the religious nature of those institutions, the degrees of "Master of Divinity" or "Doctor of Divinity" means nothing outside the church or Reformed community?

Personally, I think it would make more sense for a seminary to be accreditted by one or more denominations or church federations (like the OPC, URCNA, PCA, etc), since pastors who are trained in those seminaries receive employment through those churches.

Or is there an association of Reformed Seminaries that accredits those seminaries? I came across the website of a free Reformed Seminary on monergism.com where one can do an entire degree online under the supervision from a local church. However, it said that it was not accreditted due to the religious nature of the institution. That just got me wondering if any of the other Reformed Seminaries are "accreditted" and by whom?

I myself might be interested in doing some biblical studies in order to become an overseas missionary one day, however, I would like to find something that does not require moving far away to a place like Escondido, and that allows me to learn at my own paste while I work part or full time.

It seems that Westminster at least is indeed accreditted by the State according to the following Westminster Theological Seminary - Accreditation.

When Concordia Seminary split 20 or 30 years ago a proposal was floated by conservative Lutherans to start a reformational theological accredidation society for conservative reformed, lutheran and presbyterian bodies. sadly nothing ever came of it

Mid-America Reformed Seminary is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, as noted on their homepage.

http://midamerica.edu/

From what I understand, this is a recognized/respected accrediting body.

Personally, I wouldn't give a hoot if a seminary receives accreditation by any GOVERNMENT body. In fact, it might make me suspicious of what principles needed to be compromised in order to receive the state's blessing!

It's not about compromising spiritual principles. It's about maintaining academic standards. If you want to publish and have your opinion taken seriously in both liberal and Evangelical academia you need to have something to hold both of them accountable academically. The state happens to do that. Trinity Divinity in Deerfield is great and its accredited. The problem is that those who teach or receive their degrees from a non-accredited school have a great problem being taken seriously by the world and other academics thus they cannot make an impact for Christ in the Same way. Thats why its great to have a man like DA Carson.

I agree that accreditation is about maintaining academic standards, and it does not NECESSARILY mean that state accreditation requires one to compromise their spiritual principles. The rub comes when one begins to define what those "academic standards" are, which can vary depending on what agency is doing the accrediting. I would say though, that being respected by liberal academia should be the least of our concerns, as that desire has lead to all sorts of problems in the history of the church {eg. Machen's fight against liberalism}. With the highest respect due to D.A. Carson, nonetheless I find it interesting that Trinity as a school has a state accred while Westminster and Mid-America do not. It would be interesting to explore the reasons for that.

I like Greenville's approach:

In order to guarantee complete freedom for Greenville Seminary to operate under the Lord of the church, without subjection to outside influences, the Seminary does not plan to apply for accreditation with any of the regional or national agencies.

The Seminary is committed to maintaining academic standards equal to or higher than those set by accrediting agencies. Accreditation cannot guarantee that any school indeed provides a quality education. To a great extent, the quality of education delivered by a school depends on intangibles—things that cannot be measured, such as the teaching ability of the professors, their dedication to their task, and the commitment of the students to profit from the education they are offered. Accreditation, however, depends on measurability— such things as the percentage of professors with an earned doctorate in their field; the number of books and journals housed in the library; the availability of computers to the students.

After reviewing the academic programs of Greenville Seminary, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has recognized its M.Div. curriculum as being in compliance with the PCA’s Uniform Curriculum without exception, and at least one Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) presbytery has consented to enter into an oversight relationship with the Seminary. After several campus visits by a reviewing committee, the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) denomination has put Greenville Seminary on its list of approved seminaries. It is the conviction of the Seminary that, as her graduates receive acceptance with the church, this is the ultimate accreditation for a seminary.

The Seminary will receive regular accrediting visits by Ruling and Teaching Elders sent by their presbyteries and sessions. The purpose of the visitation is to examine the Seminary as to how faithful she has been in achieving her stated goals. The visitation committees have full access to all Seminary records and may interview any member of the faculty, staff, or student body.

Accreditation is done by a variety of bodies. Technically, the six regional accrediting agencies are not part of the "state." They are, however, listed in the CHEA book and therefore recognized by the U.S. government. Some other reputable accrediting agencies also have their spoon in the soup. ATS accredits seminaries. ABHE used to accredit mainly Bible colleges (aka AABC) and is also listed in the CHEA book.

Many professions have their own accrediting agencies. So, it matters whether a school is only "regionally" accredited (MSCHE, NEASC-CIHE, NCA-HLC, NWCCU, SACS, WASC-ACCJC) or if it has a trade accreditation as well. For instance, quality business programs often elect to be accredited by ACBSP in addition to the regional accreditation of the school where they are nested. Seminaries typically look for an ATS specialized accreditation in addition to the regional accreditation.

Some schools eschew accreditation (typically because they have little $, utilize a high percentage of adjuncts, or have inadequate on-site library facilities). Some quality (but small) Reformed seminaries elect to be accredited by the ARTS group (Birmingham Theological Seminary, FAREL Reformed Theological Seminary, Geneva Reformed Seminary,
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, New Geneva Theological Seminary, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Sangre de Cristo Seminary, and Western Reformed Seminary).

And, some other credible schools elect to fly bare (e.g., Whitefield).

So, the question for the student is: what kind of seminary experience do I want and for what end? If you are planning on getting a PhD and teaching, ONLY go to an accredited school (esp. ATS accredited). However, if your goal is to be trained for ministry, I have a VERY difficult time thinking that PRTS gives anything other than a quality education and preparation for ministry.

James White, Kenneth Gentry, and R.C. Sproul Sr. didn't do too badly with their terminal degrees from unaccredited seminaries. However, I do notice that Catholics sometimes carp about White's educational pedigree.