Cross-Provincial College Collaboration Means More Christian Leaders for Canada
In a bold move, Master’s College & Seminary (Ontario) and Horizon College & Seminary (Saskatchewan) are joining forces to make Christian leadership training more accessible and affordable, sharing costs, curriculum, and faculty in a lean and sustainable collaborative operating model.
Since the 1930s, Horizon and Master’s (known colloquially as MCS) have prepared lay and professional leaders for Christian ministry, each with historic ties to The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. The need for Christian leaders in Canada today is high. As Baby Boomers move rapidly into retirement, too few young leaders are emerging to replace them—and training institutions are struggling as a result.
The Association of Biblical Higher Education, the accrediting body for Christian colleges in Canada and the US, reports an alarming fifty-five per cent decline in enrolment among its accredited Canadian institutions since 2016, and news of closure or consolidations of historic Christian colleges and seminaries in the US continues to populate newsfeeds.
“The days of operating solo are no longer the best way to steward our resources or bring holistic education,” says Jason Small, MCS Board Chair. “Today calls for collaboration.” For Horizon and MCS, collaboration looks something like the creation of Toy Story.
Thursday, November 23, 2023: HCS President and MCS Transitional President sign the Partnership Letter of Intent, in Mississauga, Ontario.
Back row (left to right) PAOC District Superintendents Rev. Paul Israelson (SK and HCS Board Chair), Rev. Andrew Porterfield (MB-NW ON), Rev. Jason Small (Western ON and MCS Board Chair), Rev. Jason Luscombe (Eastern Ontario and Nunavut), Rev. Michel Bisaillon (Quebec), Rev. Kevin Johnson (Maritime).
Front row (left to right): Dr. Jeromey Martini (HCS President) and Dr. Bill Morrow (MCS Transitional President).
Photo by Zakaria Ahada on Unsplash
In 1991, independent animation studios Pixar and Disney entered a strategic partnership with the aim to produce a computer animated movie. Pixar was developing new methods of animation, but the small company lacked scalability to take it to the big screen. Disney, meanwhile, was looking for new ways to engage its considerable customer base. The partnership resulted in Toy Story, the first feature-length computer animated film and highest grossing movie of 1995. Collaboratively, they redefined movie animation.
In similar fashion, MCS and Horizon envision collaboration as a catalyst for changing Christian leadership training in Canada. Founded in 1939, MCS has been serving the largest church constituency in The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada as Eastern Pentecostal Bible College since 1949 and MCS since 2000. For the past decade, Horizon has been pioneering new models of Christian leadership education. These include introducing a competency-based curriculum, partnering with community and business colleges to offer co-vocational programming, investing in technology to deliver quality online learning to individuals and church hubs, and expanding accredited seminary options.
“We’ve seen success,” says Horizon President, Jeromey Martini, noting Horizon’s sixty-five per cent enrolment growth since 2016. “But with our lower population on the prairies, our challenge is scalability.”
In May 2023, MCS Transitional President Bill Morrow was tasked with finding the best options for the future of MCS. Morrow weighed input from visioning groups, pastors, district and section leaders, board members, and alumni. When Morrow and Martini connected in early summer, a dynamic solution quickly appeared.
“It’s a great thing,” says Morrow. “What Horizon is doing is what Master’s wants and needs. This is an incredible opportunity for both colleges and our constituencies.” Martini concurs, “This is exactly what Horizon needs. Master’s has so much strength and scale to bring to the collaboration.”
MCS and Horizon will continue operating in Ontario and Saskatchewan respectively, granting degrees under their distinct names. Martini will begin as President of both institutions in January, serving alongside Morrow at MCS until Morrow finishes in June. Together, they will coordinate and consolidate curriculum, resources, faculty, and staff cross-provincially, and set up church-based learning hubs.
“There’s a lot of overlap between our organizations,” Martini says. “And with technology to erase the distance between us, we can be much more effective together at preparing Christian leaders to serve Canada and beyond.”
As Horizon and MCS step into this historic new phase, they invite the Christian community to join them in celebration. An FAQ page is available on each institution’s website. A schedule of events for constituents to ask questions and learn more will be posted.
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