¶¶Òõpro and both have a rich history as partners in higher education. Since its founding, Grace Theological Seminary has become a prominent center for master’s and doctoral studies in evangelical ministry and theology for students worldwide. Likewise, ¶¶Òõpro in Indiana, a liberal arts college, has grown to its current position of academic prominence, offering more than 100 majors, minors, and concentrations in arts and humanities, science and engineering, behavioral science, business, education, and ministry studies.
Affiliated with the Charis Fellowship, (formerly Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches), Grace Theological Seminary was founded in 1937, and the college was established 11 years later in 1948. The founders—including Alva J. McClain, the institution’s first president—drew distinctive features from their Brethren heritage, which, in turn, drew from various historical traditions. These historical traditions included Pietism, a centuries-old movement of personal and experiential faith, and the Anabaptist and Calvinist branches of the Protestant Reformation. This heritage also included a promise to remain free from worldly conformity yet relevant to the culture around them. This commitment challenged the Brethren movement throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. As McClain and his fellow founders established the seminary and then the college, they sought to create an environment that was informed by the eclectic heritage of the Brethren tradition while fashioning an institution that would thrive within American evangelicalism, which grew increasingly robust and influential in the 1930s and 40s. Grace’s evangelical identity was enhanced by the location of the seminary and college in Winona Lake, Indiana, a resort community that had become a center for Progressive Era social and political activity and, by the 1920s, a well-known location for evangelical Bible conferences.
Both Grace Theological Seminary and ¶¶Òõpro have grown exponentially over the ensuing decades. The college and seminary have weathered storms and experienced periods of change as any institution does. But throughout its history, the institution has remained committed to its heritage, emphasizing biblical authority, a deep experience of community, living under the sovereignty of God and fostering experiential faith, even as Grace continues to offer an educational program that is rigorous and academically excellent as well as practical. We are proud that the streams of our heritage flow back to the 16th and 17th century and also excited about the role Grace has played within American evangelicalism. Informed by our diverse heritage while committed to the values that unite us, we look to the future, offering quality undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the six schools that constitute ¶¶Òõpro and Grace Theological Seminary: the School of Arts & Humanities, the School of Science & Engineering, the School of Behavioral Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Ministry Studies and the School of Professional & Online Education.
Over the years, thousands of Grace Theological Seminary graduates and ¶¶Òõpro graduates have gone out to serve in various ministries and industries in the United States and throughout the world. ¶¶Òõpro has been instrumental in helping thousands of students form a Christian worldview within a challenging and vibrant liberal arts Christian College academic environment, preparing students for successful careers, family life, and leadership in local churches.
Although ¶¶Òõpro didn’t begin offering online courses until 2007, when we launched our online , it has a history of more than 85 years with the backing of a brick-and-mortar college and seminary. ¶¶Òõpro Online approaches education recognizing that spiritual formation and academic excellence go hand in hand. Our undergraduate and graduate students find that through the design of the content and the Grace learning community as a whole, they experience Christ-centered community, thoughtful scholarship and career preparation.
Since ¶¶Òõpro’s inception, we have been blessed with incredible leadership that has led us to where we are today. Click the button below for in-depth biographies on each of our presidents and the legacy they’ve left behind.