Briercrest College and Seminary is a private

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

post-secondary educational institution located in

Caronport Caronport ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Caron No. 162 and Census Division No. 7. The village is west of the City of Moose Jaw on the Trans-Canada Highway. Histor ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Canada. It comprises a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

and a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, and operates the Briercrest Christian Academy.

History

Its precursor was a home Bible study in the village of Briercrest, Saskatchewan, which grew to include several members of the community. Eventually the group formed a new church, the Briercrest Gospel Assembly. The people needed a pastor to lead the church and wanted to open a Bible school.

Henry Hildebrand Henry Hildebrand (November 16, 1911 – February 7, 2006) is most known for being the founding principal (later called president) of Briercrest Bible Institute for 42 years; the school is now known as Briercrest Family of Schools or Briercrest C ...

was a student at Winnipeg Bible Institute and a circuit riding preacher with Canadian Sunday School Mission (CSSM). Sinclair Whittaker, one of the believers at Briercrest, was a businessman and a former Conservative member of the provincial legislature. He contacted Henry, informing him of their need for a pastor and their desire to open a Bible school. Eventually Hildebrand agreed to join them at Briercrest.Guenther, Bruce L. "Briercrest Schools" in ''The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan''. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Centre, 2005. Briercrest Bible Institute opened its doors on October 19, 1935, with 11 students enrolled. A rented house served as dormitory, classroom, and office for the school. Hildebrand was principal and Annie Hillson, Isabel Whittaker, Jean Whittaker, and Margaret Rusk helped with teaching and administration. Donald McMillan joined them in the second term as assistant principal. By 1946, they had outgrown their facility, and Whittaker arranged the purchase of

RCAF Station Caron RCAF Station Caron was a Second World War British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) station located near Caron, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was operated and administered by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). History World War II The Station h ...

(a former

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...

facility which trained aircrew in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

) for $50,000. The new facility was dedicated on July 1, 1946, and the task of converting the airbase into dormitories, classrooms, offices, and staff housing began. Briercrest Christian Academy, formerly Caronport High School opened in September 1946. A grade school also began that year. Enrolment grew in all of the schools and many new buildings were constructed to accommodate the growing student body. In the early 1970s, the schools began to recognize the need for academic credibility. Briercrest became a candidate for accreditation with the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (now the Association for Biblical Higher Education) in 1973, and became accredited in 1976. The school was given authority to grant degrees in 1974. In 1979, a distance learning program was launched. In 1982, the name Briercrest Bible Institute was changed to Briercrest Bible College. The seminary began in 1983, and receive accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools in 1998. College enrolment grew from 285 in 1970 to 775 in 1985 and peaked in 2002 with 869 students in the College and 247 in the Seminary, before changing names to Briercrest College in 200

More recently, enrolment has been in decline. As of 2019, enrolment at Briercrest Christian Academy (formerly Caronport High School) is at 141 students, Briercrest College has 489 students, and Briercrest Seminary with 286 students. The decline in student enrolment has also caused financial instability with a budget deficit of $2.17 million in 2019, $2.26 million in 2018 and $1.18 million in 2017.

Academics

Briercrest College and Seminary offers one-year certificates,

Associate of Arts An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

degrees,

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

, and

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degrees. Each program includes courses in

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

, and the

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...

along with many electives. The college has been

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

The Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the International Cou ...

since 1976. The

Government of Saskatchewan The Government of Saskatchewan (french: Gouvernement de la Saskatchewan) refers to the provincial government of the province of Saskatchewan. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term "g ...

authorizes Briercrest to grant degrees in "Bachelor of Arts in English/English (Honours)", "Bachelor of Arts in History/History (Honours)", Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and "Bachelor of Arts in Humanities". A number of other programs are currently grandfathered in and will have until 2020 to meet quality assurance criteria under the province's 2012 ''Degree Authorization Act''. The seminary is accredited by the

Association of Theological Schools The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...

. The seminary employs a modular format (typically one course in one week) for most of its courses. Briercrest also offers

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

courses at both the college and

levels. The college is associated with the

Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology Saskatchewan Polytechnic (formerly the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology or SIAST) is Saskatchewan's primary public institution for post-secondary technical education and skills training, recognized nationally and internati ...

(

SIAST Saskatchewan Polytechnic (formerly the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology or SIAST) is Saskatchewan's primary public institution for post-secondary technical education and skills training, recognized nationally and internati ...

) and has transfer agreements with the universities of Regina and

. In early 2011 Briercrest and

Minot State University Minot State University (MSU or MiSU) is a public university in Minot, North Dakota. Founded in 1913 as a normal school, Minot State University is the third-largest university in North Dakota, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. ...

announced a partnership allowing students to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from both schools in five years. The program requires students to complete their Bachelor of Arts degree during the first three years at Briercrest college and the final two at Minot State earning the Education degree. Minot State offers five different concentrations for its B.S.E. As such a students completing this program may select earning a Bachelor of Science in: *Elementary Education *English *History *Music *Physical Education Briercrest also offers other concurrent degrees with

such as: *Addiction Studies *Communication Disorders *Social Work

Student life

The majority of Briercrest College students live in residence and participate in a school meal plan in a dining hall operated by

Sodexo Sodexo (formerly Sodexho Alliance) is a French food services and facilities management company headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux. It has 412,088 employees as of 2021, operates in 55 countries and serves 100 million custome ...

. Unmarried students aged 22 years and under (as of the first semester of the school year) in their first three years of study are required to live in residence while enrolled.https://www.briercrestcollege.ca/doc/?ID=218 The college

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

have a history of being named after people who have had significant impact throughout the history of the schools. Current dormitories at Briercrest include: :Isabel Whittaker (women), known as "Whit" :Sinclair Whittaker (men), known as "Whit" :Hillson Hall (men, high school) :Glen Manor (women, high school) :Bergren Place (women) :Eliason Manor (men) built in 2005 :Sundbo Place (married students, women, and men over 21 years of age) The last of the war-building dormitories, known most recently as Gable Heights, was demolished in summer 2005. The college explicitly bans the consumption of

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

by its students (both on and off campus) as well as using

profanity Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, rud ...

, watching

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

, or

cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...

. Social

dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

is also not permitted except at college-sponsored events. The college also prohibits students from engaging in

premarital sex Premarital sex is Human sexual activity, sexual activity which is practiced by people before they are Marriage, married. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a Sexual mores, moral issue which is taboo i ...

or engaging in

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

.Student Responsibilities and Expectations
/ref> The school mandates attendance at daily

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

services and other events. These and other expectations are outlined in th
Student Responsibilities and Expectations
manual.

Facilities

The campus landmark is the 2,000-seat Hildebrand Chapel. Facilities also include a library, nine student dormitories, a 42-room inn, a modern dining hall, a double-court gymnasium, a hockey arena, tennis courts, numerous sports fields, and a recording studio. During the year of 2020-21, the gas station/coffee shop formerly known as "The Point", was acquired by new ownership and underwent renovations to open as "The Beacon". This newly renovated facility consists of a Husky gas station, Subway, and Coffee Shop while also having space for students and townsfolk to come to view acactv streams of the school's various sports teams or purchase athletics apparel to show support. As of September 2021, the campus features a brand new Athletics facility. This is the Can West Performance Center that consists of; artificial turf, various workout equipment, a film room, and an athletic therapy room.

Athletics

Briercrest College and Seminary's athletic teams are known as the Clippers. Varsity sports include men's and women's basketball and volleyball, and men's hockey. They compete in the

Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is the governing body for collegiate sports in Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1964, as the Western Inter-College Conference, the ACAC is represented by eighteen schools, including one in Saskatchewan, t ...

, part of the

Canadian Colleges Athletic Association The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is the national governing body for organized sports at the collegiate level in Canada. Its name in French is l'Association canadienne du sport collégial (ACSC). National championships CCAA m ...

. They also have Junior Varsity teams for men's and women's basketball, volleyball, and outdoor soccer that compete in the

Prairie Athletic Conference The Prairie Athletic Conference (PAC) is the governing body for collegiate sports in Saskatchewan and it was founded in 1969. The PAC is currently represented by five schools, three in Saskatchewan, and two in Alberta, that compete in four sports. ...

. Briercrest also has a club women's softball team that plays in the Western Collegiate Softball Association. Court sports play in the Margaret P. Reimer Memorial Gymnasium and the hockey team plays in Barkman Arena, named in honour of past president and current chancellor John Barkman. The 500-seat NHL-sized rink officially opened on February 7, 2009. Briercrest teams have medaled in CCAA national championships four times, winning its only gold at the 1977 Men's Basketball Championship, silver at the 1991 Men's Basketball Championship, bronze at the 2012 Men's Volleyball Championship and silver at the 2014 Men's Volleyball Championship. The school has produced one CCAA National Player of the Year (Gradyn Childerhose, men's Basketball, 2012), three CCAA Coach of the Year recipients, (Carl Hinderager, men's Basketball, 1983; Stan Peters, men's Basketball, 1993; and Nigel Mullan, men's volleyball, 2012) and numerous CCAA All-Canadians. In 2019-20, three Clippers Women's Volleyball players earned ACAC All-Conference awards: Rebecca Garner (Outside Hiitter), Mikayla Benterud (Middle Blocker), and Ashley Erickson (Setter). Erickson was also named Player of the Year for the ACAC South. Women's Volleyball Coach, Nolan Weinmaster won ACAC Coach of the Year for the South Conference. The Women's Basketball team also received an award with Angenay Williams getting a 1st Team All-Conference nod. Men's Volleyball teammates, Bryton Codd and Karym Coleman (both Outside Hitters), were named to the ACAC South All-Conference Team. Coleman also won ACAC Player of the Year. Brandon Tolentino was the sole Men's Basketball player to get an award as he made 2nd Team All-Conference. In 2021-22, Briercrest sent their Men's Basketball, Men's Hockey, Men's Volleyball, and Women's Volleyball teams to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) playoffs. The Men's Volleyball team medaled with a third place finish, defeating The King's University Eagles in the Bronze medal game in a tight five-set match. In addition to sending four out of five teams to the ACAC playoffs during the 2021-22 winter season, there were also numerous ACAC awards handed out to Clipper athletes. Reece Sorensen made the ACAC Women's Volleyball All-Conference team for the South as an Outside Hitter, and Faith Buhler made it as a Middle Blocker. Briercrest Women's Volleyball Head Coach, Nolan Weinmaster, also brought home some hardware as he was awarded the Coach of the Year for the ACAC South Conference. Brady Watchel made the ACAC Men's Volleyball All-Conference Team as a Libero, and Karym Coleman made it as an Outside Hitter. Coleman was also awarded as the ACAC Men's Volleyball Player of the Year. Coleman also won the award in 2019-20 before the 2020-21 athletic season was cancelled due to COVID-19. Briercrest hosted the 1993 CCAA Women's Basketball Championships on campus and the 2014 CCAA Men's Volleyball Championships at the Yara Centre in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. ;CCAA National Championships: *Men's Basketball (1) (1977) ;ACAC Championships: *Men's Volleyball (1) (2011) *Women's Volleyball (2) (2016, 2020) ;PAC Provincial Championships: *Men's Basketball (19) (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995) *Women's Basketball (7) (1981, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) *Men's Volleyball (12) (1970, 1976, 1977, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2018) *Women's Volleyball (8) (1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2017) *Men's Ice Hockey (2) (1971, 1980) *Men's Indoor Soccer/Futsal (1) (2010) *Women's Indoor Soccer/Futsal (3) (2000, 2005, 2006) *Men's Outdoor Soccer (4) (2006, 2009, 2017, 2018) *Women's Outdoor Soccer (5) (2006, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Presidents

Throughout its history, Briercrest has had six presidents: Henry Hildebrand (1935–1977); Henry Budd (1977–1990); John Barkman (1990–1996); Paul Magnus (1996–2004); Dwayne Uglem (2004–2013); and Michael Pawelke (2013–present) — Sinclair Whittaker served as president of the board until 1950.

Histories of the College

* Budd, Henry. ''Wind in the Wheatfields: A Pictorial History of Briercrest Bible College, 1935-1985''. Caronport, SK: Briercrest Bible College, 1985. * Hildebrand, Henry. ''In His Loving Service''. Caronport, SK: Briercrest Bible College, 1985. * Palmer, Bernard and Marjorie Palmer. ''Beacon on the Prairies: The Men God Uses in the Building of Briercrest Bible Institute''. Caronport, SK: Briercrest Bible Institute, 1970. * Palmer, Bernard. ''Miracle on the Prairies: The Story of Briercrest Bible Institute''. Caronport, SK: Briercrest Bible Institute, 960?

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Briercrest College And Seminary Association for Biblical Higher Education Educational institutions established in 1935 Colleges in Saskatchewan Bible colleges Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges in Canada 1935 establishments in Saskatchewan