Alberta Bible College - Church Ties

Church Ties

From its inception Alberta Bible College sought to be a catalyst for unity in the Stone-Campbell tradition in Canada. In the 1960s the College hosted an annual, week-long "Minister's Institute" for leadership of all three streams of the Movement, "to promote fellowship and understanding" transcending the Movement's divisions. Conciliatory speakers such as W. Carl Ketcherside were introduced to the Canadian West through this and other special events. A consensus of openness and goodwill has continued to evolve, with the College providing much of the leadership. In 1990, the College initiated the Western Canadian Christian Convention, a convention that included all three streams of the Stone-Campbell Movement. This led to a growing interface with the a capella Churches of Christ. A number from the latter churches have graduated from Alberta Bible College and either serve in or minister to Christian churches and churches of Christ or a capella Churches of Christ. The school hired its first instructor from the a capella Churches of Christ in 1997.