1952–1964 · event
Berlin Bible School and preparation for service
A winter Bible school at Pleasant View Mennonite Church became a continuing work of Bible study and preparation for Christian service at Rosedale, Ohio.
Also searchable as: Rosedale Bible College · Pleasant View Mennonite Church
In 1952, the Conservative Mennonite Conference began a winter Bible school at Pleasant View Mennonite Church near Berlin, Ohio. Its purpose was practical and spiritual: to give students an opportunity to study the Bible and prepare for Christian service. The church building served as its home for twelve years, placing the school’s beginnings within the life of a local congregation.
The school’s reach grew beyond its immediate setting. The photographed account reports that in 1963 it drew students from seventeen states and offered thirty-three courses. Those figures describe that historical moment rather than present enrollment or a current catalog. They indicate how a seasonal church-based school was becoming a shared educational work for a much wider constituency.
After the conference bought a vacant school building at Rosedale, Ohio, the Bible school moved there in 1964. The timeline follows this development into Rosedale Bible College. Read alongside the earlier Mennonite colleges, its history shows another form of church education: concentrated biblical study directed toward the work of Christian congregations and service.
Sources for this history: [1]
