Nazarene International Education Association
Encyclopedia
The Nazarene International Education Association (NIEA) is a part of the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...

. The Church of the Nazarene owns and operates 11 liberal arts institutions in Africa, Canada, Korea, and the United States, as well as 3 graduate seminaries, 37 undergraduate Bible/theological colleges, 3 nurses training colleges, 1 junior college, and 1 education college worldwide. At least in terms of the American institutions, the Church of the Nazarene seems to have changed its original official philosophy of abandoning academies, bible colleges, and universities to focus on liberal arts colleges, as 7 of the 8 "liberal arts colleges" call themselves universities, and there is now a bible college
Bible college
Bible colleges are institutions of higher education that specialize in biblical studies. Curriculum is Bible-based and differs from that of liberal arts colleges or research universities. Bible colleges generally exclude the study of philosophy, unlike seminaries and theological colleges...

 in Colorado Springs. The early-twentieth-century philosophy, as expressed by J.B. Chapman:
It was originally the plan to call every school we started a “university” ... It was our ultimate aim to have universities and our schools were named according to our vision of future developments. But I am, personally, convinced that we should definitely abandon the idea of building any universities, that we should drop these names from our schools... [Moreover,] it is my conclusion that we ... cannot permanently maintain academies and they do not meet our need, that a special Bible school does not meet our needs and that we should express ourselves on this conviction.... That the College, with the necessary fitting school and Bible department[,] is the school that we need and will build."

History

The Nazarene International Education Association (NIEA) was born out of the concern of Nazarene educators for a support network to strengthen their educational ministries. The Association of Nazarene Christian Schools (ANCS) was the first grass roots response to this need.

In 1980, the General Assembly placed responsibility for Christian Schools in Children's Ministries. In a 1982 report to ANCS, Miriam Hall, director of Children's Ministries, proposed a denominationally-sponsored organization. ANCS voluntarily disbanded in favor of the new organization. After two years of planning, the Christian School Steering Committee adopted the concept and name of NIEA on April 17, 1984.

In June 1984, the new NIEA Executive Council proposed a Constitution and Bylaws. In February 1985, the General Board of the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...

 approved the documents paving the way for ratification by NIEA membership.

Organization and membership

The members and organization of NIEA consists of the grassroots educators, schools, and churches.

Membership is open to all educators associated with the Church of the Nazarene, whether by actual membership, employment, or regular attendance, and others interested in supporting the purposes of this organization.

Organization consists of the Executive Committee and Regional Chairs/Representatives, The Office of Christian Schools, nine current Educational Regions (associated with the Nazarene Churches Institutions of Higher Learning) and the individual members and schools or childcare centers.

NIEA Executive Committee: General Chair; Vice-Chair, Early Childhood; Vice-Chair, Elementary Education; Vice-Chair, Secondary Education; Director of Children's Ministries; Coordinator of Christian Schools; Assistant Coordinator of Christian Schools; Regional Chairs.

Educational Regions

The NIEA Educational Regions are Nazarene college regions. The United States, for example, is divided into eight educational regions, each linked with one of the eight liberal arts colleges. A gentlemen's agreement
Gentlemen's agreement
A gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette. The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties...

 exists between the liberal arts colleges, which stipulates that they are not to actively recruit outside their respective regions.
  • Eastern USA Region for Eastern Nazarene College
    Eastern Nazarene College
    The Eastern Nazarene College is a private, coeducational college of the liberal arts and sciences in Quincy, Massachusetts near Boston, in the New England region of the United States. Known for its strong religious affiliation, distinctive liberal arts core curriculum, and excellence in science...

     (ENC) in Quincy, Massachusetts
    Quincy, Massachusetts
    Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...

  • North Central USA Region for MidAmerica Nazarene University
    MidAmerica Nazarene University
    MidAmerica Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college in Olathe, Kansas. It was established in 1966 by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:Mid-America Nazarene College was founded in 1966...

     (MNU) in Olathe, Kansas
    Olathe, Kansas
    Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...

  • East Central USA Region for Mount Vernon Nazarene University
    Mount Vernon Nazarene University
    Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college located in Mount Vernon, Ohio.-History:The result of a 1960 education commission, Mount Vernon Nazarene was first chartered as the Zone A College of the Church of the Nazarene in 1964 by the church's General Assembly...

     (MVNU) in Mount Vernon, Ohio
    Mount Vernon, Ohio
    Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is named after Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George Washington.-History:...

  • Northwest USA Region for Northwest Nazarene University
    Northwest Nazarene University
    Northwest Nazarene University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Nampa, Idaho.-History:Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School...

     (NNU) in Nampa, Idaho
    Nampa, Idaho
    Nampa is the largest and the fastest growing city in Canyon County, Idaho, USA. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census. Nampa is located about west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is part of the Boise metropolitan area...

  • Central USA Region for Olivet Nazarene University
    Olivet Nazarene University
    Olivet Nazarene University is a Christian institution of higher education located in the Kankakee, Illinois village of Bourbonnais. Named for Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907...

     (ONU) in Bourbonnais, Illinois
    Bourbonnais, Illinois
    Bourbonnais is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,256 at the 2000 census, but it was estimated to have grown to 19,119 in 2009...

  • Southwest USA Region for Point Loma Nazarene University
    Point Loma Nazarene University
    Point Loma Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college. Its main campus is located on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:...

     (PLNU) in San Diego, California
    San Diego, California
    San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

  • South Central USA Region for Southern Nazarene University
    Southern Nazarene University
    Southern Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college located in Bethany, Oklahoma, United States.-History:The history of the institution is one of various mergers and, therefore, one of differing institutions. While SNU claims its founding date as 1899, that founding date refers to an...

     (SNU) in Bethany, Oklahoma
    Bethany, Oklahoma
    Bethany is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population was 20,307 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bethany is located at ....

  • Southeast USA Region for Trevecca Nazarene University
    Trevecca Nazarene University
    Trevecca Nazarene University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Nashville, Tennessee.-History:TNU was founded in 1901 by Cumberland Presbyterian minister J. O. McClurkan as the "Pentecostal Literary and Bible Training School"...

     (TNU) in Nashville, Tennessee
    Nashville, Tennessee
    Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...


Affiliations

Over the years, NIEA has developed strategic relationships with other Christian Schools associations that have helped the development of Christian schooling within the Nazarene church. One such relationship is with The Association of Christian Schools International
Association of Christian Schools International
The Association of Christian Schools International is an association of evangelical Protestant Christian schools.-Purposes:ACSI, a protestant association for Christian schools, impacts nearly 23,000 schools and transforms the lives of more than 3.9 million students worldwide...

 (ACSI). The standards for certification with ACSI have been meet through Nazarene Bible College
Nazarene Bible College
Nazarene Bible College is a Bible College located on in Colorado Springs, Colorado founded in 1964, chartered in 1967, and approved by the Colorado Department of Education to grant degrees in 1970.NBC has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio...

(NBC).

External links

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