Wadsworth Institute
Encyclopedia
Wadsworth Institute was a Mennonite
seminary
in Wadsworth, Ohio
, from 1868 to 1878. Officially named Christian Educational Institution of the Mennonite Denomination, it accepted men aged 18 to 35 for a three-year program centering around biblical studies and other topics relevant to training pastors and mission workers. Starting in 1876, women were accepted as day students. Classes were primarily taught in German and some in English.
Instruction was divided among three departments: theology
, German and English. The theology department classes covered biblical and church history, biblical theology, doctrine symbolics, catechism
instruction and homiletics
. Classes in the German department included reading, writing, grammar, spelling, composition and world history. The English department taught a wide variety of subjects including reading, writing, orthography, grammar, geography, arithmetic, analysis of sentences, rhetoric
, logic, elementary algebra, higher algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physical geography, natural philosophy, physiology, botany, chemistry, history of the United States plus other branches usually found in academies and colleges.
The principal, Carl Justus van der Smissen (1811-1890), was a hired from among European Mennonites, who generally had more education than North American Mennonites. Enrollment averaged 34 students annually over its eleven year history, somewhat over half of whom were Mennonites. The institute produced a generation of Mennonite leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In spite of its short history, the institute was a significant development among North American Mennonites. It was the first major cooperative project, involving like-minded Mennonites from Ontario, Pennsylvania, Ohio and states west to Iowa. The process of promoting, raising funds and building the school was one of the uniting points of the fledging General Conference Mennonite Church
. It represented a significant departure from an anti-education tradition and opened the way for trained and paid ministers within the church. The school broadened the views of its students who, in turn, helped move their congregations away from insular practices of the past. The promotion of missions generated the first Mennonite mission workers from North America.
Conflicts between van der Smissen and other key staff members developed, but the school's end was largely a result of low attendance, financial difficulty and debt. The supporting churches had two other concerns dividing their resources: new mission projects
and eighteen thousand Russian Mennonite immigrants who were arriving in North America. In 1878 the building and property were sold in order to meet the institute's financial obligations. Wadsworth laid the groundwork for future General Conference Mennonite Church seminaries: Halstead Seminary (1883) the forerunner of Bethel College
, Witmarsum Theological Seminary (1914–1931) part of Bluffton College
and Mennonite Biblical Seminary (1945) now Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
.
The building site eventually became the location of Isham Elementary School, part of the Wadsworth public school system. The original 360 kg bell from the building's cupola was moved to Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in 2002.
General Conference Mennonite Church
The General Conference Mennonite Church was an association of Mennonite congregations based in North America from 1860 to 2002. The conference was formed in 1860 when congregations in Iowa invited North American Mennonites to join together in order to pursue common goals such as higher education...
seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Wadsworth, Ohio
Wadsworth, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,437 people, 7,276 households, and 5,144 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,940.5 people per square mile . There were 7,613 housing units at an average density of 801.3/sq mi...
, from 1868 to 1878. Officially named Christian Educational Institution of the Mennonite Denomination, it accepted men aged 18 to 35 for a three-year program centering around biblical studies and other topics relevant to training pastors and mission workers. Starting in 1876, women were accepted as day students. Classes were primarily taught in German and some in English.
Instruction was divided among three departments: theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, German and English. The theology department classes covered biblical and church history, biblical theology, doctrine symbolics, catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
instruction and homiletics
Homiletics
Homiletics , in theology the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist....
. Classes in the German department included reading, writing, grammar, spelling, composition and world history. The English department taught a wide variety of subjects including reading, writing, orthography, grammar, geography, arithmetic, analysis of sentences, rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
, logic, elementary algebra, higher algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physical geography, natural philosophy, physiology, botany, chemistry, history of the United States plus other branches usually found in academies and colleges.
The principal, Carl Justus van der Smissen (1811-1890), was a hired from among European Mennonites, who generally had more education than North American Mennonites. Enrollment averaged 34 students annually over its eleven year history, somewhat over half of whom were Mennonites. The institute produced a generation of Mennonite leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In spite of its short history, the institute was a significant development among North American Mennonites. It was the first major cooperative project, involving like-minded Mennonites from Ontario, Pennsylvania, Ohio and states west to Iowa. The process of promoting, raising funds and building the school was one of the uniting points of the fledging General Conference Mennonite Church
General Conference Mennonite Church
The General Conference Mennonite Church was an association of Mennonite congregations based in North America from 1860 to 2002. The conference was formed in 1860 when congregations in Iowa invited North American Mennonites to join together in order to pursue common goals such as higher education...
. It represented a significant departure from an anti-education tradition and opened the way for trained and paid ministers within the church. The school broadened the views of its students who, in turn, helped move their congregations away from insular practices of the past. The promotion of missions generated the first Mennonite mission workers from North America.
Conflicts between van der Smissen and other key staff members developed, but the school's end was largely a result of low attendance, financial difficulty and debt. The supporting churches had two other concerns dividing their resources: new mission projects
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
and eighteen thousand Russian Mennonite immigrants who were arriving in North America. In 1878 the building and property were sold in order to meet the institute's financial obligations. Wadsworth laid the groundwork for future General Conference Mennonite Church seminaries: Halstead Seminary (1883) the forerunner of Bethel College
Bethel College (Kansas)
Bethel College is a private college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. The college is located on the edge of the Flint Hills and the vast wheat fields of south central Kansas in the town of North Newton...
, Witmarsum Theological Seminary (1914–1931) part of Bluffton College
Bluffton University
Bluffton University, located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States, is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913...
and Mennonite Biblical Seminary (1945) now Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary is an accredited Christian seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, affiliated with Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA....
.
The building site eventually became the location of Isham Elementary School, part of the Wadsworth public school system. The original 360 kg bell from the building's cupola was moved to Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in 2002.