U.S. Department of Education Accreditation

• There is secular education and there is religious education.
• Religious schools are not legally required to become accredited.
• Secular schools pursue secular education, and sacred schools receive sacred or ecclesiastical accreditation—each by their own peers.
• Religious institutions need no secular accreditation because they offer no secular degrees.
• Secular accrediting associations are recognized by governmental agencies. They trace their authority back to the civil government of a nation.
• Religious accrediting associations are recognized by the Church of Jesus Christ, which has no supreme central office on earth. Our authority is derived directly from Heaven.
• Civil and religious interests are different and have separate realms of jurisdiction.
• The State is not superior to the Church. The Church need not wait for approval from the secular world.
• Civil agencies should not dictate standards of Christian education, any more than a police officer should direct the worship of God.
• Theological seminaries should not be accredited by accrediting associations that are recognized by an agency of the federal government if such recognition compromises the biblical principle of “separation of church and state,” as indicated by Christ when He said, “…Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s…” (Mark 12:17).
• Christian educators should carefully consider whether seeking recognition from unbelieving systems is consistent with biblical separation and spiritual integrity (2 Corinthians 6:14).
• A Christian educational institution securing accreditation from an association attached to a governmental agency must be evaluated carefully in light of biblical convictions and institutional calling.

Why not become accredited by the Department of Education? In many cases the government’s Department of Education is not qualified to accredit a private religious school, such as a Bible school or theological seminary, because the DOE is secular while Bible and Christian schools are spiritual. Therefore, our standards are not secular and cannot be fully judged by secular standards.

As we find in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Therefore, a state agency is not able to determine fully whether a spiritually directed learning institution is meeting the mandates of Scripture.

Accreditation has many benefits for both educational institutions and students, but it is neither a guarantee nor the sole criterion of an excellent education. Every accredited institution was once unaccredited. For example, Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) was founded in 1924 but was not accredited by SACS until 1969, long after the graduation of notable individuals such as Dwight Pentecost, Charles Ryrie, and Chuck Swindoll. Dallas Theological Seminary was not accredited by ATS until 1994, yet the quality of its earlier education remains unquestioned.

Here are several seminaries (besides Dallas Theological Seminary) that operated for years—sometimes decades—before later receiving ATS accreditation:

1. Liberty Theological Seminary
   • Founded (as Lynchburg Baptist Theological Seminary): 1973
   • ATS accredited since: 2020
   • Gap: 47 years
2. Denver Seminary
   • Established: 1950
   • ATS accredited since: 1970
   • Gap: 20 years
3. Talbot School of Theology
   • Seminary established: 1952
   • ATS accredited since: 1978
   • Gap: 26 years
4. Eastern Mennonite Seminary
   • Launched: 1965
   • ATS accredited since: 1986
   • Gap: 21 years
5. Logos Evangelical Seminary
   • Founded: 1989
   • ATS accredited since: 1999
   • Gap: 10 years

Where promotional material for an unaccredited institution consists of an advertisement in a periodical published by a person or entity that is not affiliated with the unaccredited institution, the disclosure required may be abbreviated to state as follows: NOT ACCREDITED BY AN AGENCY RECOGNIZED BY THE U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION. The disclosure should be made in a type size as large as or larger than any other text in the advertisement.

Great Commission Theological Seminary of America serves under the leadership of the governing Board of The Bethel Pentecostal Temple International. This unique relationship between the seminary and the church organization has been the basis for its strength and effectiveness. Currently, the appropriate accrediting associations do not make sufficient provision for local church-governed seminaries; thus, GCTSA has not been able to pursue accreditation. It is, however, committed to instructional and academic excellence and therefore enjoys many of the benefits associated with accredited institutions.

GCTSA is endeavoring to maintain its commitment to its ecclesiastical standards while nurturing a growing academic reputation. As a ministry of The Bethel Pentecostal Temple International, seminary faculty and administrators believe the school is uniquely equipped to train students for lifelong service in the context of their local church community.

TO ENSURE ITS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, GREAT COMMISSION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IS NOT ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING AGENCY RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

Several fully accredited schools have accepted students with credits and/or degrees from Great Commission Theological Seminary of America. Transfer of credit cannot be guaranteed, as all credit transfers are at the discretion of the receiving institution. ATS currently is not seeking accreditation from any regional accrediting agency.

Regional accreditation is a voluntary process that is not required of religious schools. Ministers and Christian workers rarely need a degree from a regionally accredited school.

Regional accrediting associations:

1. Do not require regionally accredited schools to accept transfer students from other regionally accredited schools.
2. Do not require regionally accredited schools to accept transfer credits from other regionally accredited schools.
3. Do not require all classes to be taught by full professors instead of teaching assistants or graduate students.
4. Do not require all grading to be done by full professors instead of teaching assistants or graduate students.
5. Often attempt to dictate hiring practices, influence guidelines for faculty selection, and interfere with academic freedom on many levels.

As a religious institution, GCTSA does not wish to give any outside group governing power over its curriculum, faculty, tuition, or other policies.

Although seeking accreditation is a voluntary process not required of religious schools, GCTSA desires for its students to have confidence in the quality of the Great Commission curriculum and degree programs.