MKC and EMU: Comparisons and Contrasts

Meserete Christos College, Ethiopia

Eastern Mennonite University, USA

Last evening Alma Jean and I attended a fund raising dinner at the Lindale Mennonite Church for the Meserete Christos College in Ethiopia, founded in 1994 and established at its present campus in 2007. It currently has nearly 200 men and women enrolled at its main campus, and over 200 at two satellite locations and in its distance education programs.

MKC was founded by Ethiopia's Meserete Kristos ("Christ the Foundation") Church, which has over 310,000 baptized members meeting at more than 2000 locations, and with a total attendance of well over 500,000. This means it now has well over five times the Sunday attendance of its mother church, Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA), which has 19 district conferences and a current 70,000 members.  

As a reflection of the huge disparity in wealth among worldwide Mennonites, MCUSA has a total of five colleges and two seminaries, each with budgets far surpassing that of this one fledgling Anabaptist-related college in Ethiopia, with an annual operating budget of around $450,000.

Tuition and room and board at MKC are just over $2000 a year in US dollars, but that is far more than most of its students can afford, Ethiopia being one of the poorest nations of the world. Thus much of last night's appeal was for more money for its scholarship fund. 

A year at EMU costs over $46,000, although significant financial aid is available. As a result of such factors as rising costs, a shrinking Mennonite constituency, and increased competition from other liberal arts colleges and universities, EMU is struggling to keep its enrollment numbers up, in spite of aggressive year-round recruitment efforts. Fewer than a third of its current students are Mennonites.

MKC, by contrast, almost exclusively serves its rapidly expanding mother church, Meserete Christos, which is hard pressed to train enough pastors and church leaders to serve its growing needs. It has absolutely no problem recruiting students, and would be able to greatly increase its enrollment if only more funds were available.

There is something wrong with this disparity. If we really believe that God shows no favoritism, and that we are all a part of one worldwide body of believers, how can we justify this embarrassing gap in distribution of resources?

At the very least, I would like to see us begin appointing believers from the Global South to serve as decision-making board members of each of our church institutions (via skype?). And meanwhile, should we consider a moratorium on new construction or expansion of our existing institutions until our world neighbors have more of their needs met? And should MCUSA have its colleges and seminaries become one "multiversity" (on separate campuses) to avoid competing with each other for needed dollars and adequate student enrollment?

A fascinating story, well told

I'm currently reading Don Kraybill's fascinating history of EMU's first 100 years. Some of the struggles and sacrifices associated with the early chapters of its story remind me of those of MKC's founding. 

I hope Meserete Christos College can learn from EMU's story, and that EMU can learn from theirs.

FYI, the total funds raised last night by the 70 or so of us attending was just under $7000. If you live in the US and want to contribute, please send your generous check to MK College Link, Box 1701, Harrisonburg, VA 22803.