Accreditation is a developmental and reliable process of becoming valid and credible in an institution’s purported mission. It is a systematic and consistent validation of the proclaimed achievements and functions of an institution.

Accreditation is voluntary and has been so from its beginnings. All accrediting agencies in the United States are private, non-profit, nongovernmental bodies. As such, many of them are not linked to or functioning in accordance with the standards of any other group or governmental regulatory agencies.

In short, accreditation does not mean the same thing across the board. An institution or group of institutions can, in fact, develop or devise their own accreditation standards or organization simply to proclaim that they are accredited.

Likewise, there are accrediting associations which employ peer evaluations to exact the required standards of performance expected by the academic, professional, and technical communities. They provide comprehensive scrutiny of those institutions that voluntarily submit themselves to the accreditation process.

Maranatha Christian College and Theological Seminary (MCCTS) is not currently accredited by an accrediting organization, but has an application in process for affiliate status with the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). MCCTS also has plans underway to seek institutional accreditation through the ABHE, which is the agency recognized by the United States Department of Education as an official accrediting agency for undergraduate Biblical education.

The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) is a member of the Council on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation (CORPA) and is recognized by the council as the institutional accrediting agency for Bible Colleges.

ABHE enjoys equal standing in CORPA’s Assembly of Institutional Accrediting Bodies along with regional and other national accrediting agencies. The ABHE is also a constituent member of the American Council of Education.