The Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a Christian institution of higher education headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its inception, the main campus of the university has been located in the northern part of the city.
History
In 1883, Emma Dreyer, with Moody's permission, organized and headed the so-called May Institute. These were weekly meetings where church members gathered and prayed. Most important in this institution, however, was the tradition of open discussion of both religious and secular matters. After the closure of this institute, members of the local church began to ask Moody to open a new institution that would continue the good old traditions of the May Institute. It would serve as a training school for the youth of the church, where future evangelists would acquire the skills needed to continue the Protestant religious tradition.
Foundation
On January 22, 1886, the most revered preacher mentioned above addressed the members of the church ongeneral official assembly. A group was created on it, which became the harbinger of Moody University. Its goal was to train Christian workers, including teachers, ministers, missionaries, and musicians, who could effectively preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The school was renamed Moody Science Institute after the death of the founder in 1899.
Further destiny
Until his death, the creator of the university played a significant role in raising funds to support Christian educational institutions. However, after the founder died, the Moody Institute experienced financial difficulties. James M. Gray, its president, brought in Henry Parsons Crowell then to carry out a financial restructuring of the institution. Crowell ran the university on the principles of efficiency and maximum productivity. The institute's executive committee met almost every Tuesday for the next 40 years. Construction of the administration building, however, took years.
Our days
In November 2017, the institution announced the closure of the Spokane, Washington campus and the reduction of other programs and services due to the continued decline in enrollment. Two months later, the president and chief operating officer resigned, as did the provost. In announcing these changes, management cited very deep concerns about the direction the university is going to take.
