It is the support of God’s people and the tradition of accountability that has kept Moody Bible Institute strong for over a century of service to Christ’s kingdom.
Choosing
Within just a few decades after D. L. Moody’s death, Moody Bible Institute
was a thriving, growing school: missionaries trained at Moody were going
around the world, and the Institute was beginning a dynamic radio
broadcasting ministry. The impact of Moody was worldwide–and supporters
across the country joined in with prayers and financial gifts.
At this point Henry Parsons Crowell was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Crowell had founded the Quaker Oats Cereal Company and had a personal fortune worth millions. With his substantial financial backing, the Institute could afford to open an endowment like most other educational institutions. Yet Crowell specifically rejected this option. He wasn’t being financially short-sighted–he had significant and strategic spiritual reasons for this choice.
As Henry Crowell surveyed other colleges and universities, he recognized that many of them had drifted far from their original foundation in biblical truth. He identified the cause of this shift as financial independence: as academic institutions gathered larger endowments, they needed to rely less on the support of churches and godly people. As a result, colleges and universities became less and less connected to their founding principles and wandered further from their Christian heritage.
Crowell wanted to ensure that Moody Bible Institute would remain biblically strong and faithful to its founding purpose. He decided that it was critically important, therefore, that Moody remain accountable to God’s people for its continued ministry and even existence. And not just a few wealthy people who could control policy–Moody would depend on the support of hundreds of thousands of people. Moody would never be able to comfortably rely on a large endowment; instead, the Institute would always need the financial backing of Christians to continue its ministries.
Partnership
The relationship between Moody Bible Institute and our financial supporters
continues today. Moody still operates without an endowment, and we still
rely on the partnership of over 100,000 donors. Is there an easier way to
fund our ministries? Maybe–but we also value our legacy of 115 years of
faithfully producing graduates who transform our world for Christ and
Christian broadcasting that brings light to dark corners all around the
globe. This legacy is due to our accountability to God’s people for support.
Unlike other organizations that seek only wealthy supporters, Moody welcomes financial partners at any level. We invite those with significant resources to join us, and we invite those with limited resources to join us. If people believe in the work that God has done and will do through Moody Bible Institute, then they are valuable–actually, indispensable–partners in our ministry.
What Our Partners
Moody Bible Institute now has several ministries that are part of our
organization, including Moody Press, MOODY Magazine, Conference
Ministries, and Moody Book Stores. But the primary ministries that depend on
our partners are our heart: education and broadcasting.
Our Undergraduate School currently enrolls about 1,500 students who are all training for full-time vocational Christian service–and not a single student pays any tuition. The dollars for their tuition come from donations from our partners. This financial support makes it possible for students to train here that otherwise would not be able to afford this level of biblical education. The financial support for students’ tuition also means that students are able to graduate from Moody without overwhelming college loans that hamper their ability to translate their training into ministry.
Moody Broadcasting Network provides Christian radio to over 30 owned and operated stations and dozens more affiliate stations–without a single minute of commercial advertising or sponsorship. Donations from our partners make it possible for Moody to provide biblical teaching and Christian music by beaming across the country and streaming through the Internet around the world. Because of their financial support of Moody Radio, our donors have touched lives in Korea, Nigeria, and even Muslim countries that are closed to the gospel, as well as encouraged and evangelized hundreds of thousands of radio listeners in the United States.
It is the support of God’s people and the tradition of accountability that has kept Moody Bible Institute strong for over a century of service to Christ’s kingdom.
If you would like more information about supporting any of our other ministries or would like to be a partner in the work of Moody Bible Institute, please call us at 1-800-DL MOODY or simply return the envelope included in Today in the Word.
Reprinted from the September 2002 issue of TODAY IN THE WORD
Moody
Bible Institute, Stewardship Department,
820 N. LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60610
All material is copyrighted by Moody Bible Institute and its contributors.
Published by Moody Bible
Institute.