Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a Christian institution of higher education that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its founding, MBI's main campus has been located in the Near North Side of Chicago. Moody also operates an undergraduate campus in Spokane, Washington, and a graduate campus in Plymouth, MI.
Early years
In early 1886 D. L. Moody established the Chicago Evangelization Society for the "education and training of Christian workers, including teachers, ministers, missionaries, and musicians who may completely and effectively proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ".
In 1883, Emma Dryer, with Moody's permission, organized and headed what was known as the "May Institute". These were weekly meetings in which church members would meet and pray. Most important however, would be the open discussions among the church members. Many of the church members began to request that Moody open up a new school. This school would serve as a training school for the youth of the Church, a place where future evangelists could learn the skills necessary to carry on in the Revivalist tradition. On January 22, 1886, Moody addressed church members as follows: "I tell you what, and what I have on my heart I believe we have got to have gap-men, men to stand between the laity and the ministers; men who are trained to do city mission work. Take men that have the gifts and train them for the work of reaching the people." This formal meeting, held at Farwell Hall, resulted in the group founding the Chicago Evangelization Society, which was later renamed the Moody Bible Institute after Moody died in 1899.
Before 1900 Moody played a significant role in fund-raising to support MBI. After Moody died, however, the Institute struggled financially. James M. Gray, the president of the school, invited Henry Parsons Crowell to financially restructure the Institute. Crowell established the school on business principles of productivity and performance. The MBI Executive Committee met nearly every Tuesday for the next 40 years. An administration building took years to complete, but when the building was dedicated there was no mortgage and only $50,000 left to pay.
Educational programs
MBI's stated mission is to train students for full-time ministry in churches and parachurch organizations. Since 1989 it has been accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It is also accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education and the National Association of Schools of Music.
Undergraduate
In addition to the Bachelor of Arts degree, which is available in over two dozen fields including theology, the Bible, and missions of various emphases, MBI offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical Studies, a two-year Associates of Biblical Studies degree (ABS), and a five-year Bachelor of Music degree (BMus) in Sacred Music. Furthermore, non-degree TESOL and Biblical Studies one-year certificates are offered.
Graduate
The graduate school of Moody Bible Institute offers degrees at the seminary level. The school offers the following degrees: Master of Arts in several fields, Master of Ministry, and Master of Divinity with several fields of emphasis, and a Master of Counseling/Psychology., as well as a one-year graduate certificate.
All graduate degrees are offered through traditional courses on the Chicago campus, or through distance education models by combining online and modular courses.
In November 2009, Moody Bible Institute and Michigan Theological Seminary jointly announced plans for Michigan Theological Seminary to merge with Moody Bible Institute's Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School. In January 2010, Michigan Theological Seminary became Moody Theological Seminaryâ€"Michigan located in Plymouth, Michigan.
Media Ministries
In addition to its educational programs, Moody runs two major Christian media ministries: Moody Radio and Moody Publishers. In 1894, Moody Publishers was founded under the name Bible Institute Colportage Association. This publishing house publishes books targeted at Christians and non-Christians. In 1926 the Institute expanded its reach beyond education and publishing by sponsoring the first non-commercial Christian radio station in America, WMBI. Over time, MBI’s radio outreach grew to the Moody Broadcasting Network, which now owns and operates 36 commercial-free stations and provides programming via satellite to more than 700 outlets.
The former Moody magazine ceased publication in 2003 as part of a larger restructuring of Moody in an effort to buttress the institution's core education mission.
See also
- List of Moody Bible Institute people
References
Further reading
- Gloege, Timothy E. W. Guaranteed Pure: The Moody Bible Institute, Business, and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism (University of North Carolina Press, 2015) xviii, 307 pp.
External links
- Moody Bible Institute
- Moody Bible Institute at DMOZ