The Gospel Coalition: Can God Save a Fundamentalist School?

dlhanson, how many of those churches send students to Northland? A problem at MBBC is that the board controls the school, even though many of the board members do not send their students to MBBC. It is poor policy to run an institution based upon the whims of an indifferent peanut gallery. From a purely pragmatic perspective, Northland recognized that their market share of a shrinking demographic (independent, fundamental, dispensational Baptists) was becoming narrower. They could die a slow death of enrollment starvation or they could attempt to break out and find a stronger demographic.

I remember in the early 1990’s when Grand Rapids Baptist College/Cornerstone U made several of their changes. Most of those pastors and churches from certain conservative pockets of the GARBC that were in the greatest opposition to the changes had never supported the school or hadn’t supported the school for a couple decades with students and finances.

It was dying a slow death as its enrollment had diminished to a decade low of 600. After a series of changes, including merging with IFCA school GRSBM, launching a CCM station, starting a Professional Studies program, and taking over Mission Network News, Cornerstone U has over 3,000 students. Some of its older alumni did not like the direction. However, most have not only embraced it, but they have also encouraged the changes.

After I made my last posting, I learned that NIU made their latest change (or is it non-change?). NIU is going to do what they are going to do and we wouldn’t support them anyway. Both of our sons graduated from BJU (3 degrees each) and I taught there for 8 years. Now I have to get ready for a trip to the SBC seminary in Louisville where our older son will graduate with his 4th degree, an MDiv, on May 17. And my wife and I are soon to be members of a local SBC church. So the changing (or non-changing) times have affected us as well. (The local IFB churches are mostly Hyle’s influenced (and just as nutty) or affiliated with Baptist groups that are more to the left than the SBC. The music at our SBC church are traditional hymns accompanied by our 92 year old pianist.)