Institute Staff attends 76th Annual Conference for ABHE
The Institute for GOD team in Orlando, Florida during this the 76th Annual Conference for the Association for Biblical Higher Education, the oldest and biggest accreditor of Bible colleges in North America.
The Cast
Last week a team of 19 attended the ABHE Annual Conference in Orlando. Alongside Institute staff and board members, we welcomed several alumni with Genovations Consulting (HR, Tech, Media & Accounting Departments) as vendors (and sponsors!) at this year's conference.
We also brought two students! In the fall, students at ABHE colleges across the country were invited to submit writing or graphic design samples, the best of which would be invited to participate in a special project facilitated by Reclaim Today (the youth division of "My Daily Bread" ministries). Walt Reynolds and Genesis Garner were chosen among hundreds of submissions to take 2 of 26 spots in this initiative.
For our team, The ABHE Annual Conference is more than a continued learning opportunity. We treat it as our yearly retreat, allowing us time to focus on our team dynamic, process struggles and successes, and have clear actionables as we return to work, making our college the best it can be, as the Lord guides!
The Goal
As a college, these annual conferences double as our staff retreat. President Gregg Garner does a fantastic job weaving together team-bonding and work as we process how to best use the tools ABHE gives us to help our college thrive.
Ephesians 4:2-3 comes to mind: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
This annual retreat is an effort to keep our unity of the Spirit. Without focused time to gain clarified vision, troubleshoot issues, and assess goals and objectives, it would be very difficult to continue to carry out our mission.
Reflecting on what we learned at the conference, staff and colleagues recorded several podcasts for our up-and-coming podcast, College Conversations. Pictured: Heather Maute, HR Specialist with Genovations Consulting, Gregg Garner, Institute Founder and President, Jennifer Nyago, Director of Community & Student Life, and Jeffrey Sherrod, Academic Dean.
What Happens There?
ABHE hosts three days of conferences on topics related to biblical higher education. We milk it for all its worth by diversifying which sessions we go to, talking through takeaways to help us deliver biblical teaching with even more efficiency or excellence, and considering what steps are needed to become what God wants us to be.
Staff member Katie Dunning, notes:
“Forward thinking and forward moving in higher Ed is halted when presidents, the board, and the staff don’t share vision. Praise the Lord our team is united, and is very aware that we represent more than ourselves. We carry our shared history with God. Together we demonstrate sincere friendship, agility, and hope.”
We were blessed to have Dr. David Gyertson coach them through the creation of five strategic initiatives and a final campus visit and evaluation. Dr. Gyertson was part of the founding team of Regent University (alongside Pat Robertson) and served as President of Asbury University and Taylor University, and has extensive experience in ministry, media, publications, nonprofits, and executive coaching.
Big Developments
Our board was awarded its Excellence in Board Training certification. ABHE facilitates this training, and we're happy to take full advantage of their resources to ensure we're employing all the necessary wisdom and legalities needed to run our school.
We recorded several podcasts for our up-and-coming podcast series, "College Conversations." Academic Dean Jeffrey Sherrod and Institute President Gregg Garner, and special guests, have been recording episodes for this podcast over the past several months. Its purpose is to serve prospective students and their families regarding Christian higher education. This conference allowed us to welcome some special guests to the show and make connections for more.
The ABHE allows our team to meet and glean from other biblical leaders within our field. These relationships have turned into friendships, mentorships, and even partners. One example is Josh Beers (pictured), President of OneLife Institute, a gap year program with whom The Institute for GOD is a partner. We loved interviewing Josh as a part of our up-and-coming College Conversations podcast.
Please Pray for Biblical Higher Education
If you’re unaware, there is a severe enrollment crisis facing many colleges, but Christian colleges in particular (largely due to the cost), and Bible colleges most specifically (largely due to a lack of desire for this subject matter). There's intense media attention regarding college not being "worth it" -- fewer students are interested in attending college than ever before. Extraordinary financial crises are commonplace in higher education. For the ABHE network of Bible colleges, many are shutting down, merging, or transitioning to solely online learning for adults.
In addition, there is an "enrollment cliff" coming in 2025/2026 that everyone is bracing for. This means an inevitable sharp decline in enrollment related to the declining birth rate due to the 2008/2009 recession.
Related, and on the topic of a decline in interest for biblical studies, consider this statistic:
Of the 175,000 high school seniors interested in a Christian college experience, only 1.1% want to study the Bible. If you include majors like ministry, missions, religion, and pastoral studies, it only increases to 1.4%.
We invite you to pray. We are working against the above stats and searching for laborers for God's harvest. Join us in this "earnest prayer," just as Jesus asks.
Matthew 9:37-38 'Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ASK the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
