Emmanuel Bible College

History

         In January of 1940, the first classes of Emmanuel Bible School began in the basement of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ (MBC) church in Stouffville, Ontario. Soon, the growing school needed larger quarters. Originally held in the basements of the Stouffville and Gormley Mennonite Brethren in Christ Churches, Emmanuel purchased a house on Ahrens St. in Kitchener, Ontario in 1943. The college met on Ahrens St. until 1964, when it moved to its location on Fergus Ave. with a newly constructed administration building. The Faith Missionary Church building was also sold to Emmanuel around this time.
In the 1960s additional dorms were built to house students on campus. 

Before changes to the campus began in 2018, the college used several buildings on its Fergus Ave. property.

    Ward M. Shantz Chapel – named for the founding President of the college.

    Ellis A. Lageer Administration Building – named for the college’s fourth President

    Emmanuel Campus Centre – originally named Edgewood Hall

    Lehman Hall – named for an original member of the college’s faculty

    Wideman Hall – named for the college’s second President.

After the sale of the property the campus consisted of three main buildings.

     J.H. Sherk Education Centre – named for Rev. J. Harold Sherk, a member of the college’s original faculty.

     Edna Pridham Memorial Library – named for the college’s first missionary, who died while serving in Nigeria.

     Warder Hall – named for Mrs. Maude Warder, a member of the college’s original staff

In 2023/24 the library was converted back into an auditorium and classes continued to be held in the attached building.

By 1948, the need was felt to formalize the programs of the institution and to increase its academic emphasis. As a result, degree programs began to be offered at the new Emmanuel Bible College. Another period of growth led to the school’s move in 1964 to the site of the denominational conference grounds in SE Kitchener, where it remains today. Accreditation followed in 1982.

The MBC, later called the United Missionary Church and, by 1969, the Missionary Church, was one of a constellation of related denominations of immigrant Mennonite heritage who were influenced by the revival movements of the 19th century and who held a desire to find their place in developing society. In 1993 the Missionary Church in Canada merged with the Evangelical Church in Canada to form the Evangelical Missionary Church in Canada.

Beliefs and Governance

The founding denominations of the college granted to it an Anabaptist perspective along with a strong missionary zeal and a keen emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the individual. Emmanuel maintains an organic connection with the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada and also partners with a number of denominations including “Be In Christ” Church of Canada, Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Congregational Christian Churches of Canada, Mennonite Brethren, and the United Brethren in Christ Canada.

The majority of the Board of Governors came from the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada (EMCC) with the balance of members drawn from our denominational partners. Governors serve for a maximum of three, three-year terms and bring a variety of professional expertise and experience to the board table. Emmanuel adopted the statement of faith of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada so that the broader Christian community has access to the teaching and heritage of the College. The breadth of enrolment at the school attests to its openness to accommodate those from other traditions, and up to 30 denominations are represented in our student body.

You may be interested in some additional content we have available.

Music and Media of EBC

      Deputation Teams have been an important link between Emmanuel Bible College and the churches in Ontario. Often the team will consist of a musical group, one of the students who will preach and an EBC staff member to represent the college. Here is a collection of music by choirs, quartets and trios from the college that you can listen to.

Click here to go to the Music by deputation Choirs, Quartets and Trios.

The Pilot Yearbooks

Here are 3 of the Pilot Year Books to look through.