State of College: 2008

Dr. Phelps presents his 2008 State of the College address at Maranatha.

On the 14^th of September in 1968, Dr. B. Myron Cedarholm stood before a congregation made up of over 1,200 men and women of faith and dedicated Maranatha Baptist Bible College to “The Praise of His Glory.” As we gather together just shy of forty years later, we ought to reflect on the goodness of our God. His faithfulness is truly great and His mercies are new every morning. There are assembled here today those who have experienced the “Miracle of Maranatha” from the very first day and others who are very new to this family of faith. From this campus nearly four thousand graduates have been sent forth as ambassadors of Heaven to a world in need of spiritual light. Soon we will say, “Welcome back,” to dozens of students who have participated in mission trips around the world. In just a few days, we will be introduced to several hundred new students who will arrive desiring to be shaped by the disciple-making process of Maranatha Baptist Bible College so that they can be successful in future service for the Savior Who loved them and gave Himself for them. It is appropriate and necessary, therefore, that we stand to thank the Lord for His blessings and to seek His power and provision for that which is before us this year. Will you please stand with me as we pray?

Holding Fast to Our Heritage--Focused by Faith on Our Future

The Thirty Years’ War was raging in 1636. Pastor Martin Rinkart was involved in the funerals of thousands that year—often as many as 15 each day. His church was being ravaged by death and economic disaster. As he sat at his desk, the sounds of war were all around him. With pen in hand, the faithful pastor wrote a table grace for his children, “Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices. Who wondrous things hath done, in Whom His world rejoices!” We have no sound of warfare outside of our windows and though our economy is brittle, we are yet a greatly blessed people. As we consider what God has done since we last convened for our State of the College Address, we have much for which we ought to be grateful. We are holding fast to our heritage and focused by faith on our future.

Joshua Chapter 1 begins with a statement of sad reality—“Moses my servant is dead” (1:2). For forty years the nation of Israel had known only the leadership of faithful Moses. The one who stood as a champion before Pharaoh and climbed Mt. Sinai to bring the very words of God to His countrymen was gone. A generation was now buried in the wilderness and a new generation stood at the Jordan with only Caleb and Joshua to personally remind them of God’s faithfulness in times past. The children of Israel were to “be strong and very courageous . . . to observe to do according to all the law” (1:7). In other words, they were required to hold fast to their heritage. But holding fast did not mean standing still. God commanded that they “pass over . . . Jordan . . . go in and possess the land” (1:11). While they held fast to their heritage they were to focus by faith on their future.

Because many of the champions who pioneered with the Lord in the “Miracle of Maranatha” are with Him today in Glory, it is necessary for us to declare openly that we still hold fast to our heritage.

• This is a ministry dedicated to the fundamentals of the faith. We believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of God’s Word. We affirm the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. We accept His vicarious sacrifice on the cross for our sins. We believe in the power of the resurrection, and we look for His coming, even as we say—“Maranatha—our Lord cometh!” While some are speaking of and seeking theological convergence, we at Maranatha most desire continued theological clarity.
• This is a Baptist college. There are those who believe denominational labels are passé. 21^st century churches and schools are celebrating a new, generic form of Christianity. Unlike such ministries, Maranatha holds to a Baptist heritage of individual soul liberty, affirming the Bible alone as our authority and appreciating the sacrifices of our forefathers in the faith who gave of themselves so that we could seek to “dwell peaceably with all men.”
• Those who lead, teach, and serve here affirm a dispensational hermeneutic. As biblical literalists, we see the difference between Israel and the church and thrill to live in the church age.

As we enter into the celebration of our 40^th year, we hold fast to our heritage. Thanks to the faithful labors of dedicated members of our faculty, staff, and administration, God has allowed us to see growth, stability, and increased opportunity. More undergraduate students attended Maranatha this past school year than ever in our history. The retention rates enjoyed from fall to spring were at historic levels, and our current data points to yet another exceptional rate of retention this fall. Student satisfaction surveys give evidence of a contented Christian community. Student applications for this fall cause us to expect a nearly 7% increase in our dormitory population.

At the risk of over-saturating you with statistics, let me share the following:

In the past 12 months, 468,278 visitors connected with our website. That’s an increase of nearly 100% in 24 months. Once our visitors connected to the website, they perused over 2½ million pages. Our electronic guests were from every state and 197 foreign countries. Over 19,000 sermons were downloaded, 22,000 videos were played, and over 70,000 curious guests looked at our photo albums.

Nearly 334,940 meals were served in our dining complex this year to students representing 44 states and nearly 460 churches. In addition, our food service ministers provided over 10,000 meals to campers who came to sharpen their skills in academics, sports, and church ministries.

Our motor vehicle fleet was not slowed by the increasing costs of gasoline! Our vehicles logged over 300,000 miles bringing choirs, ensembles, and special speakers to well over 400 churches.

Maranatha Baptist Bible College athletes competed in 174 athletic events and tournaments with over 200 athletes participating. “To the Praise of His Glory,” our athletes were recognized by the North Central Athletic Association as the conference leaders in sportsmanship, and our coaches continued their significant work of disciple making through 11 varsity sports and numerous other athletic ministries.

During the 2007-2008 school year, our Financial Aid Office helped to facilitate nearly 4.5 million dollars of grants and loans.

• 12,664 student semester hours were offered on our undergraduate level with an additional 286 student semester hours offered to our graduate community. These are, once again, numbers that represent historic highs.

Our Registrar’s Office recorded 5,722 grades during the past school year.

• Over 1,500 online surveys were received this past year with an additional 1,000 paper surveys received during the spring semester.

By God’s grace, the undergraduate division of Maranatha has grown more than 30% in the past decade, and the graduate division has grown by 108% during that same period.

These statistics stand as tribute to the fact that our faculty, staff, and administration continue to be “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Rom. 12:11). Consider with me how God has provided for our finances and facilities in 2007-2008:

• The value of this campus (sold to us for under $150,000) is now over $18.5 million.
• Our 2007-2008 budget ended in the black with a modest cash reserve set aside after all the bills were paid.
• Maranatha was home to 676 employees this past school year.
• The ministry of Maranatha Baptist Bible College cost over $35,000 per day this past year, with health insurance costs alone exceeding one million dollars.
• The Business Office processed nearly 10,000 checks, 6,000 invoices, and over 5,000 direct deposits.
• With the purchase of property on Division Street, Kiddie Kampus expanded to include Kiddie Kradle and with the purchase of a small property on Depot Street, our Maintenance Office will soon be relocated and expanded.
• Our new Welcome Center desk provides a lovely first encounter for those who visit our campus, and recent upgrades to our landscaping provide a more appealing entrance from Main Street.
• The exterior renovations of Century House will soon be completed, and the new, more efficient boiler (a quarter million dollar project) in Old Main brought us comfortably through the last school year.
• Maintenance staff members logged nearly 10,000 hours keeping up with our facilities. They committed over 2,300 hours to snow and ice removal due to a record-breaking winter.

While we thank the Lord for His wonderful provisions, we are most grateful for what He continues to do spiritually in the lives of our students.

• 64% of the students enrolled at Maranatha Baptist Bible College are here to study for a life of vocational service.
• Revival services led by Evangelist Hal Hightower in January 2008 resulted in numerous decisions and brought spontaneous, ongoing prayer meetings to our campus during the second semester.
• This past year, one in eight of our students volunteered to participate in our Global Encounters summer missionary excursions with weekly prayer meetings leading up to the summer ministries often attended by 80 to 100 students.
• In the past 12 months, Maranatha students participated in ministry by partnering with over 80 local churches. While some schools speak of local church ministry and others model it in the laboratory of a singular experience, Maranatha involved students in a diverse selection of local church opportunities reflecting normative experiences that form lifelong skills.
• A new focus was placed on our ministerial class with the beginning of our “Ministerial Forum” under the direction of the president and Mr. John Davis.

During what was likely the second year of operation, the Standards and Principles Prepared for the Faculty, contained the words of Psalm 118:23, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” And then the observation, “Certainly this may be said of Maranatha Baptist Bible College. No man could create of his own power, at his own will, nor by his own hand that which has been entrusted to us here. This miracle was neither chosen nor sought; it was neither desired nor bought. It is truly a direct gift from the hand of the Lord; and therefore, we have counted it and dedicated it after the chosen motto from Ephesians 1:12, “To the Praise of His Glory.” We praise God that we have a heritage worth holding!

As we prepare to celebrate our 40^th anniversary, there are new mountains to claim and new victories for us to win for our Lord. We must be focused by faith on our future.

We have been called of God to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). In order to better prepare witnesses in a world of increasing knowledge and mobility, we are excited about our new minor in communications and our new major in cross-cultural studies (a major perfectly suited for those who desire to be involved in global ministry opportunities). The mission field is at our doorstep. There are now over 40 million Spanish-speaking people living in the United States. In fact, we are now the second largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. In order to help us better meet the needs of the Hispanic community, the Lord has brought Dr. Manuel Morales to Maranatha. Dr. Morales earned his doctorate in Spanish focusing on applied linguistics. With the mind of a scholar and the heart of a missionary, Dr. Morales desires to build a practical foreign language program that produces able communicators for Christ.

The Bible requires that we “study to show ourselves approved of God” (2 Tim. 2:15). For a generation that is “ever learning, and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7), we believe that focused, biblical training is absolutely essential. We are, therefore, pleased to announce the enlargement and renaming of our graduate studies division. Maranatha Baptist Seminary has been granted approval by the North Central Accrediting agency to offer both an online Masters of Arts in English Bible and the Master of Divinity Degree. Dr. Larry Oats is given the title “Dean of the Seminary.” By embedding a full-fledged seminary on our campus, we anticipate a synergetic opportunity to advance our graduate assistantship programs and attract young leaders in the making. This will allow energetic mentoring and assist in the development of well-trained Christian workers locally and throughout the world. Maranatha’s Master of Divinity is being designed to allow advanced placement in the undergraduate division so that a Maranatha senior can take up to 24 graduate hours and apply the hours taken to both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Further, those with Bible degrees from recognized schools will be given the opportunity to come into the Master of Divinity with advanced placement that will allow them to complete this traditional 96-hour graduate study in 80 hours.

Those who study the sciences touch the mysteries of God’s design (Ps. 19). In recent years the Lord has brought increasing attention to training in the field of science here at Maranatha. We are pleased to announce that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has approved our proposal for a Biology Education major.

With the new arrival of Dr. Scott Holley to our Special Education division, we intend to assist students in the field of education as they seek to touch even “the least of these” (Matt. 25:45).

The enlargement of our educational offerings is made possible by the tireless efforts of those who serve in our library and on our institutional technology staff. A new integrated library system supported by increased internet bandwidth will allow greater access to research materials as our students enter this school year. We are pleased to announce that under the guidance of Mike Bartman, our new IT director, there are now more electronically enhanced classrooms and better wireless connections campus-wide.

Maranatha’s commitment to the Fine Arts is longstanding. Last year saw the creation of a strings pedagogy program, as both a major and a minor, and Maranatha Baptist Academy was successfully involved in arts and academic competition on a national level. As we look forward to the future by faith, it is our desire to build upon our solid foundation in the Arts. The theatrical lighting system in the gymnatorium has been completely overhauled and we are, once-again, requiring that our students participate in Fall Festival, Messiah, the artist series, and spring play. Our Academy is being challenged to focus on the continued development of Fine Arts venues. In a generation of cultural desensitization, we seek to send out servants ready to impact culture for the cause of Christ (John 17:14-16).

Traditional, campus-based education allows students to develop lifelong friendships. In order to allow for “iron sharpening iron” (Prov. 27:17) relationships, our student-life experience is being retooled. Dorm societies , which will include our off-campus students, will be replacing ministry societies without cutting back on ministry opportunities. Each dorm society will elect officers, oversee outreach ministries, and intramural competitions allowing far greater student involvement and far more opportunities for leadership development.

Bringing the gospel “to the regions beyond” (2 Cor. 10:16) is more readily achievable today than in any prior generation. The worldwide web is an affordable, accessible tool that must be an ever-greater part of Maranatha’s future. With this in mind, Naomi Ledgerwood has been named director of distance education. We consider our M.A. in English Bible to be the first of many programs we wish to offer online. Increased resource allocation toward online education is absolutely essential as we seek to bring the resources of our campus to an increasingly, diverse audience.

Because the believer’s body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” (1 Cor. 6:19), every one of us must be diligent in our care of the “outward man” (2 Cor. 4:16). Mr. Jeff Pill, the new director of lifetime fitness, will be coordinating a program entitled, PHIT, (Personal Health Improvement Training). Venues for fellowship-based, life fitness will be presented throughout the school year with incentives offered to those who remain faithful.

At the May meeting of our Board of Trustees, a new strategic planning initiative was undertaken. This will be an institution-wide effort. We are not abandoning our commitment to quality processes, but rather intertwining the existing processes into a global, purposeful, annual focus that moves us together toward outcome objectives. Our mission is “to develop leaders for ministry in the local church and the world “To the Praise of His Glory.” Today I am challenging the head of each department to help us think strategically. Your offices will be receiving assignments that will assist the Strategic Planning Committee as it works with me to develop a goal-oriented, assessment-verified strategic plan. While it is our desire to remain inflexible in our mission, we must recognize, assess, select, and exploit every opportunity that God has given us to advance the cause of Christ in our generation. We must not be satisfied with the status quo. Ours is to understand that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6).

Because this is our 40^th year, we will be hosting a 40^th anniversary Fall Festival, October 23-24, 2008. Our goal is to enjoy a time of reunion with as many alumni as possible. We will gather to celebrate the faithfulness of our God and seek His power as we continue to be part of the “Miracle of Maranatha.” Special anniversary reunions are being planned. Our intent is that this will be an annual occasion of invitation to our alumni to join us as we rejoice in His goodness year by year. Mr. John Davis, the director of our Ministry and Alumni Services is playing a vital part in the direction of this year’s activities.

While there is no Thirty Years’ War raging outside our window, we must not forget that we are in a war. We are to be counted with those who are “sober and vigilant for . . . our . . . adversary is a roaring lion” (1 Pet. 5:8). As we hold fast to our heritage, we focus by faith on our future seeking to hear “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23).