Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary has been honored with the longest possible reaccreditation period by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
The board of commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting voted during meetings February 7-8, 2019, to reaffirm the accreditation of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary for a period of 10 years. Included among the recommendations was the continuation of approval to offer comprehensive distance education.
The ATS praised FPBS for the following strengths in its notification letter:
- “A faculty that embodies the ethos of the school and demonstrates remarkable resilience, cohesion and commitment to students.
- A biblically formed determination to “seek the welfare of the city” that has resulted in extraordinary attention to the school’s context within the Central Valley of California, one evidence of which is how the recent curricular review of the M.Div. program was conducted.
- A Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy program whose influence for social good and healing throughout the community is outstanding.”
Only about half of ATS schools receive the full 10 years, according to Valerie Rempel, Ph.D., interim dean of the seminary. “I’m very pleased with this vote of confidence in the mission and vitality of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary. A 10-year reaccreditation period is a significant accomplishment that speaks well of the work faculty and staff have done to extend the influence of the seminary,” she said.
FPBS was created in 1955 as Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. It was first accredited by ATS in 1977 and has maintained accreditation ever since.