Legacy

Moody's education ministry is all about applying God's transformative Word to life. From the day D.L. Moody founded Moody Bible Institute to today’s four different campuses, every student is richly equipped to study, understand, and teach the Bible in a clear, practical way. Our more than 50,000 alumni have and continue to share the gospel, serve people in need, and disciple believers all over the world!

D. L. Moody was deeply passionate about following God’s call to impact the world for Jesus Christ. His interest in education began in the summer of 1870, when he met Emma Dryer, who was a principal and teacher at Illinois State Normal University. The following year, she began ministering to the needs of thousands who were left homeless by the Chicago Fire with a program of Bible study, teaching, and home visitation for young women.

Moody persuaded Dryer to stay in Chicago and carry on her ministry under the banner of Moody Church. During the next decade, Moody expanded his involvement in evangelism around the country, and Dryer developed the training program among women in Chicago. At every opportunity she encouraged Moody to start a training school for both young men and women.

Early in 1883, several Chicago residents began meeting weekly with Dryer to pray that Moody would return to Chicago and develop a new school. During a meeting to discuss evangelization in Chicago in 1886, the subject of a training school again came up. By this time Dryer's persistent message had taken hold in Moody’s heart.

Moody addressed the gathering:

"I tell you what I want, and what I have on my heart. I believe we have got to have gap-men to stand between the laity and the ministers; men who are trained to do city mission work. Take men that have the gifts and train them for the work of reaching the people."

The Chicago Evangelization Society, later renamed Moody Bible Institute, was born.

In January 1901, the Moody Correspondence School was established for the benefit of those of both sexes who could not—for financial or other reasons—attend the Institute in person. The goal was to provide the same high-quality, biblical education that defines Moody Bible Institute.

The school started with two courses: Bible Doctrine and Practical Christian Work. Both courses were written by Moody's second president, R. A. Torrey. The number of courses grew steadily, and by the end of 1945, seventeen courses were available.

Nearly 125 years of distance learning led to today’s Moody Online program. Currently, we offer a wide range of different certificates, undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and areas of concentration to support our students’ calling, whether that is in biblical studies, applied theology, education, counseling, music and media arts, or intercultural studies.

Our online courses provide the same strong academics and biblical foundations taught by the world-class faculty who make Moody Bible Institute uniquely effective for ministry preparation.

In 1985, Moody Bible Institute founded Moody Graduate School to provide strong biblical leadership training for pastors, teachers, and missionaries. Then, Michigan Theological Seminary merged with Moody Graduate School and Seminary in 2010 to become Moody Theological Seminary in Michigan.

Our offerings have expanded greatly as we meet the educational needs of today’s students. Today, we provide more than ten master’s degrees, a Doctor of Ministry degree, and five graduate certificates. Each one offers in-depth academic, biblical, and theological training from top-notch faculty, as well as ministry internships that build practical skills and experience. Students are also able to attend Moody Theological Seminary at our Michigan campus, Chicago campus, and online—or via a combination of venues.

Our goal is for every graduate to be theologically prepared and spiritually mature, ready to serve as a strong ministry leader in the United States and throughout the world.

Moody Bible Institute founded Moody Aviation, our program focused on training missionary pilots, more than 75 years ago. In 2005, we relocated to our current site in Spokane, WA. We employ faculty from top mission aviation agencies to offer a Bachelor of Science in Missionary Aviation with an emphasis on Flight or Maintenance.

Our students receive the rigorous biblical and theological education that Moody Bible Institute is known for, as well as technical training using a wide variety of mission-specific equipment. Flight students earn their commercial pilot’s license, and Maintenance students complete their FAA certification as an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic.

Each graduate leaves prepared to communicate the gospel and serve on the mission field, impacting lives for God’s kingdom.

Only 15% of the nearly five million ministry leaders worldwide have any formal theological training that helps them to carry out God’s calling on their lives. Moody Bible Institute is uniquely positioned to equip international pastors and lay ministry leaders through biblical, theological, and practical education—especially in some of the most underserved regions in the world.

Since 2017, Moody School of the Bible and the Moody Global Campus Initiative has partnered with indigenous organizations to provide Bible-based education and training for students from all walks of life and ministry. Our unique model provides cutting-edge audio theological training in their native languages.

We are currently expanding this unique model to parts of Africa, Central Asia, and beyond.

Moody Bible Institute will continue to serve as the nation’s foremost Bible school, educating and equipping God’s people for effective ministry. We will also continue to weave together academic, biblical, and theological training with our Practical Christian Ministry requirement. Our students will continue to become uniquely qualified for life and ministry through the consistent application of their learning through service.

Above all, we will pursue the fulfillment of our God-given mission to proclaim the gospel through equipping people to be biblically grounded, practically trained, and engaged in the world through gospel-centered living.