Started in 1989, ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western University (TWU) has been a collaborative educational society with member schools and affiliates working together to provide specific graduate degree programs. MB Seminary has been one of the members since 1999, and its membership within ACTS has been measurably valuable (click here for a history of MB Seminary).

As you can imagine, an academic consortium like this is complex to manage and lead. As independent institutions, MB Seminary and other members have grown and expanded beyond the original intent and design of ACTS, and it has been difficult at times for the members to maintain effective ways to achieve our common goals. There have been many conversations during the last few years about discerning the best path ahead.

This letter from the ACTS Board summarizes the key outcomes of the most recent Board meeting. The ACTS Board intends to transition the core elements of the ACTS graduate programs to TWU, which will create its own School of Theology to provide continuity for current ACTS graduate students. The members of ACTS (which includes MB Seminary) will explore what new academic relationships with TWU could look like in the future.

You might be wondering, “What does this mean for MB Seminary and its mission to serve and equip MB pastors and leaders?” 

• While the joint programs that MB Seminary offers through its partnership in ACTS will change, MB Seminary will continue to exist and thrive as a separate institution.
• MB Seminary will continue as a national graduate theological school with its provincially granted degree-granting charter.
• Everything else MB Seminary does—educating and equipping pastors and leaders, offering academic courses toward certificates and a master’s degree at Teaching Churches and MB Seminary Online, resourcing learners through Navigate webinars and seasonal devotionals, etc.—will continue as before.
• We are blessed to have a strong board, faculty, and staff team, and we are grateful to have anticipated and prepared for a change such as this.

In terms of process, this proposed change of governance must be approved by the Association of Theological Schools (a credentialing body), and the members of ACTS must approve the transition plan, which is under development. If everything goes according to the expected timeline, this transition will occur in May 2026. Only the jointly managed graduate programs of ACTS will be affected by this transition.

As the landscape of Christian higher education continues to evolve, MB Seminary’s distributed model of ministry training and education positions us well to serve our Canadian and international constituencies. Even in the middle of change, these are exciting days.

Please pray for wisdom, vision, energy, creativity, favour, and resources so that MB Seminary can increase its ministry impact during the next 5, 10, 20, and even 50 years!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.