Seminary Consolidation Statement

January 7, 2008

Since the launching of the joint consolidation task force on June 20, 2007, Western Seminary and Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary have engaged in a beneficial process of discovery and research, gathering information vital for making decisions about current cooperation as well a possible near-future consolidation of the two institutions.

As a result of this investigation, the boards of Western and Multnomah have mutually agreed to readjust the direction of their talks concerning potential consolidation. The boards have decided instead to focus for at least the next several years on less formal ways in which the two seminaries can cooperate to the benefit of their larger constituencies. These cooperative ventures will include the sharing of resources, expertise, and programs as well as strengthening the institutional relationships. This action means that the earlier goal of working toward a single, consolidated institution within a university model will be set aside for the indefinite future.

In the meantime, both Western and Multnomah will move ahead to fulfill their respective strategic initiatives and missions. For Western, one of those initiatives relates to presidential leadership. Because its president, Bert Downs, has announced his desire to retire from that role, the Western board has concluded that it needed to address this situation in order to assure the ongoing health of Western. A presidential search process has consequently been launched.

In keeping with a more simplified and informal collaboration process now affirmed by both boards, and in recognition that the discovery process has accomplished many of its goals, the original project task force structure with its five subgroups will be deactivated. The task force will likely be replaced with a single working group that can both explore and assess fruitful avenues of collaboration between the two schools. We believe this approach will lead to many of the potential benefits of greater cooperation being achieved without encountering the complications raised by an imminent consolidation.

Both boards remain prayerfully committed to making a mutual impact for the Kingdom of God in the Pacific Northwest, in the nation, and around the world. They believe, with the right timing and approach, that these two venerable evangelical institutions can leverage that impact through greater collaboration for the glory of God.