About Our
President ~ Board ~ Administration ~ History ~ Mission ~ Accreditation ~ State of College Address
Our Founding
Maranatha Baptist Bible College, the "Miracle School," was founded by Dr. B. Myron and Thelma Cedarholm.
When the college opened in August of 1968, it had 175 students, 26 faculty, and 8 additional staff members. In God's providence, the Cedarholms were able to purchase Maranatha's property for $150,000 instead of the asking price of $250,000. In addition, the bank overturned an earlier denial for a loan request of $5,000 and actually granted the Cedarholms $70,000 for a down payment. As Dr. Cedarholm said, "This is proof that the Lord controls the affairs of men." More MBBC History.
Our Alumni
With nearly 4,000 alumni, the miracle of Maranatha continues. Maranatha has maintained its godly heritage (Mission and Statement of Faith) by providing training that is Bible-centered, baptistic, evangelistic, local church oriented, separated, and fundamental. The vision for the future is to continue the vision of the past--a Bible college dedicated to training young men and women for the Lord's service wherever He leads them.
The following facts from alumni surveys indicate that this vision is being accomplished:
- 92% of Maranatha graduates are actively involved in their local Baptist church ministry.
- 72% teach Sunday School.
- 70% of men are involved in church leadership.
- 60% are regularly involved in soulwinning/discipling.
- 89 alumni serve as missionaries in 42 different mission fields, not counting those on deputation.
- 50% of alumni are involved in full-time Christian service.
- 20% of graduates are in the pastorate, 2% are on the mission field, and 24% serve in Christian education.
Our Mission
Maranatha's mission is to train all students to serve the Lord, but not all are called to full-time Christian service. Maranatha's list of graduates includes accountants, administrative assistants, bankers, carpenters, chefs, chemical handlers, chemists, college administrators, commercial fishermen, comptrollers, computer system specialists, court reporters, doctors, entrepreneurs, factory workers, farmers, financial advisors, firemen, funeral directors, golf professionals, government employees, guidance counselors, homemakers, insurance agents, lawyers, nurses, office clerks, pilots, police officers, real estate agents, sales people, secretaries, Secret Service agents, and store managers.
The college is a non-profit institution, not part of any denominational hierarchy or structure. Maranatha maintains a strong set of spiritual and behavioral distinctives. Faculty members, though from diverse academic backgrounds, share a common core of biblical values and beliefs.
Old Main was the primary building of the 68-acre campus in 1968. Since then, the college has acquired 11 acres of land for athletic use and added nine dormitories, a gym, athletic fields, four modular classrooms, Hanneman Hall (a science lab), the Cedarholm Library and Resource Center, the Dining Complex, and expanded parking (Campus Tour). Because of its growing student population, Maranatha is still growing. See Capital Campaigns for more information about the master plan.