Institute Staff attends ABHE’s 74th Annual Conference
From left to right: Jeffrey Sherrod (Academic Dean & VP for Institutional Effectiveness) with his wife Jenny, Rebekah Davis (Board Member), Jason Carpenter (Board Member), Laurie Kagay (VP of Advancement), Jaimee Arroyo (Board Member), Gregg Garner (Founder and President) with his wife Tara, Jen Nyago (Director of Student Life), Michael Johnson (CFO), Adam Loeffler (Board Chairman), Candace Galford with husband Shaun (Registrar), Rosemary and Scott Sherrod (G.O.D. Int’l Board Chairwoman, alumni and biggest fans).
The Institute for G.O.D. brought a team of 15 to the 74th annual meeting of our accrediting agency, the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) in Orlando, FL.
A handful of administrative faculty, board members, and Founder/President Gregg Garner attended the conference, gaining insight and experience and sharing our own with the hundreds of other colleges and seminaries at the ABHE.
In the words of our friend and colleague Aaron Proffit, VP of Academic Affairs of God's Bible School in Cincinnati, "Bible schools always start with a move of God." He's right. Whether the school started 12 or 120 years ago, they all begin by a move of the spirit and obedient servants who prioritize biblical education for generations to come. The Institute is proud to be a part of a group like this, whose beginnings started with a word from God!
When our team arrived in Orlando, President Garner told us about a real "diamond" in attendance: Wintley Phipps, a Trinidadian-American singer, songwriter, academic, and minister. Phipps spoke on the Character of Christ and the Reality of Racism. He was an answer to prayers and requests from our team (and others) who recognized Bible colleges need better equipped to confront racial strongholds on their campuses and communities. Phipps was also the featured performer at the Celebration Banquet on the final night. Sharing stories from his ministry experience with Mandela, Oprah, Mother Teresa, and thousands of prisoners, his hymns and spirituals had our team deeply moved.
We attended sessions on board governance, fundraising, academic and financial concerns, and more. During every break, President Garner would gather us on the hotel balcony to discuss takeaways and actionables, bridging what we learned with feasible implementation at our school. President Garner also encouraged our team to share who WE are with others in our sessions. As we did, several individuals took note of implementing things unique to our school. This kind of collaboration and dialogue is what makes these conferences so unique, indeed "iron sharpening iron" (Prov. 27:17) and "spurring one another on to love and good deeds" (Heb. 10:24).
We loved hearing from Kris Palmer, the President of Heartland Christian College, which started just one year before the Institute. Our colleges have some similarities related to a connected college, nonprofit, church community, K-12 school, and businesses with a mission focus. He was able to advise us on an upcoming goal related to receiving international students. Several conference sponsors and vendors engaged in lengthy conversations with us on insurance, health care, sustainable energy, financial aid, and human resource management, all of which have us continuing to brainstorm how to serve our students and employees best.
At the final Celebration Banquet, Kevin Hester, Chairman of the Commission of Accreditation for the ABHE, gave a moving tribute to the Commission's retiring President, Ron Kroll. Kroll has visited our campus twice and has so generously given us advice and recommendations over the past three years. The room was palpably overwhelmed in gratitude for Kroll, who has helped the ABHE to even greater standards of excellence and lobbied for Bible colleges' rights before the U.S. Department of Education. As Kroll accepted a gift of appreciation, he told the room that we were "his heart." Thank the Lord; he will continue to be a resource to counsel schools even after leaving his post.
President Dearborn, the newest President of the ABHE (2020), ended the evening encouraging colleges to do what the Institute staff has been doing -- treating this conference as a leadership retreat. He encouraged coming a day early and staying a day late, discussing the material together, and setting the time apart for prayer and projections related to improving our schools. We smiled, thankful for the benefit we’d found in doing this very thing, now promoted as what should be done.
Jesus said, "They'll know we are his disciples by the love we have for one another" (Jn. 13:35). That love is demonstrated in our teams at each of our Bible colleges and in generosity and care, shown towards others carrying out the same mission for biblical literacy across North America.
As we were leaving the banquet hall, we were stopped by several commissioners and key leaders. One commissioner noted the incredible creativity we've demonstrated. President Dearborn pointed out the Institute's remarkable innovation and the heart for our city, about which he's heard others testify. He told us when he thinks about the future of the ABHE, he thinks of us.
There is good news, everyone! The Bible colleges started by a move of God are continuing today -- training young people to preach and teach, minister, administer, and love in the same way we've learned from our Lord. He's still moving, and we are thankful to be included in the story he is writing.
