Accreditation

Standards of Accreditation

Policies, Procedures, & Commission Bylaws

Petitions and Notifications

Interim Reports

Evaluation Visits

Overview of Accrediting

Accreditation is about quality assurance for various publics and ongoing improvement for theological schools, especially regarding student learning and formation. It is a voluntary process through which schools mutually assure one another’s educational quality with an eye toward ongoing improvement, based on standards. Through self-review, a school has regular opportunities to reflect intentionally on its distinctive strengths and its areas of desired growth in light of its unique mission and distinct context and in light of the standards.

Self-review then supports the school’s efforts in planning, evaluation, and imagination. Through peer review, an accredited school is endorsed by its peers as one of quality and integrity, which affirms the school’s value to society, as well as its trustworthiness [from Preamble to 2020 Standards of Accreditation].

If you serve as the accreditation liaison officer for your school, please visit the Accrediting Liaison Officer HUB for many helpful resources.

Commission on Accrediting

The body recognized as the accrediting agency for The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (“ATS”) is the Commission on Accrediting (“Commission”) of ATS, which is related to but separate from ATS. The current Commission membership includes more than 270 graduate theological schools in the United States and Canada who are Accredited Members.

The purpose of the Commission is "to contribute to the enhancement and improvement of theological education through accreditation . . . [and to] collect data from all members . . . for use in accrediting" (Commission Bylaws, Section 1.2). The Commission is recognized by the United States Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Board of Commissioners

Acting on behalf of the Commission is the Board of Commissioners (“Board”), elected every two years by the membership with representatives from member institutions, ministry practitioners, and the public. The Board makes accreditation decisions based upon Commission-approved Standards of Accreditation, according to Commission-approved and Board-approved Policies and Procedures.

The Board also uses other resources that it has adopted to guide its work, such as the Board-approved Self-Study Handbook. The resources included on this website are intended to help schools pursue and maintain accreditation in order to assure and advance quality theological education.

How to Become a Member of the Commission

As noted above, the Commission on Accrediting is related to but separate from The Association of Theological Schools. To become an Accredited Member of the Commission, one must first seek Associate Membership in the Association. Once a school has been approved for Associate Membership in the Association, it may then pursue membership in the Commission (see Guidelines for Achieving Initial Accreditation).

Accrediting Staff

Barbara Mutch

412-788-6505, ext. 226

mutch@ats.edu

Barbara Mutch was appointed to the ATS staff as director of accreditation in September 2015, and was named senior director of accreditation in 2021. She oversees the accrediting staff, who report to her for supervision, goal setting, and development. Her work includes facilitating accrediting reviews, providing education and support to member schools about the process of accreditation, and providing staff support to the work of the Board of Commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting.

Prior to coming to ATS, Mutch completed nearly 20 years of service at Carey Theological College in British Columbia, most recently as chief academic officer. She has taught courses in preaching, spiritual formation, issues in women’s faith and development, supervised ministry, and DMin theological reflection in ministry as well as a doctoral project seminar. She also taught at Regent College from 1996 to 2014, teaching a variety of courses including, most recently, the Seminar in Women’s Faith and Development.

In service to ATS, she contributed a chapter to the book C(H)AOS Theory: Reflections of Chief Academic Officers in Theological Education and an article on “Assessing a Doctor of Ministry Program” in the Theological Education journal. She has also served a full term on the ATS Board of Commissioners as well as on multiple comprehensive accrediting evaluation visits, and on the ATS Faculty Advisory Committee.

A graduate of Briercrest Bible College with both a Bachelor of Religious Education and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Mutch earned her DMin at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is ordained in the Baptist Union of Western Canada and served as associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Regina, Saskatchewan, for 15 years while pursuing her graduate studies.

Stephen R. Graham

412-788-6505, ext. 251

graham@ats.edu

Stephen R. Graham joined the ATS staff in January 2008 as director of faculty development and initiatives in theological education, was named senior director of programs and services in 2013, began assisting as a director of accreditation in 2020, and was named strategic director of context and continuity in 2021. Prior to joining ATS, he served as the dean of faculty and professor of American church history at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. A member of the American Academy of Religion and the American Society of Church History, he was active in the Chief Academic Officers Society of ATS and now provides staff leadership for the ATS School for New Deans.

Graham oversees the Association’s work of leadership education with presidents, assists with the ATS Organizational and Educational Models in Theological Education project, and provides the historical perspective of who ATS is and what it has been as an organization. He works to contextualize the Association's past legacy and its present, and studies how the two contribute toward the future. He has published two books—Cosmos in the Chaos: Philip Schaff’s Interpretation of Nineteenth Century American Religion and Come to the Table: North Park Covenant Church, 1898–1998, A Century of Heritage and Hope—as well as numerous articles on the history of Christianity in the United States and theological education.

He holds an MA from Wheaton College and a PhD in the history of Christianity from The Divinity School of the University of Chicago.

Charles O. Galbreath

412-788-6505, ext. 276

galbreath@ats.edu

Charles O. Galbreath joined the ATS staff in 2025 as a director of accreditation. His scholarly interests include practical theology, urban ministry, theological education, and the intersection of faith and social justice. Galbreath previously worked as assistant professor of ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary. He also served as associate dean, director of field education, and partnering professor at Alliance Theological Seminary where he was instrumental in shaping ministerial formation and contextual education programs. His other teaching experience includes positions at Northern Seminary, Seminario Teológico De Puerto Rico, and Nyack College.

Galbreath currently serves as senior pastor at Alliance Tabernacle in Brooklyn, NY. He previously served as senior pastor at Bowie New Life Assembly Church in Upper Marlboro, MD, and Victory Alliance Church in Union, NJ. He actively serves on numerous community boards, including the Clergy Advisory Council of the Fire Department of the City of New York, the Center for Community Alternatives, Brooklyn Community Board 17, and the SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s Community Advisory Board. He is also treasurer of the 67^th Precinct Clergy Council. In 2017, Galbreath was elected to the Board of Directors for the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination. In 2022, he was recognized by the magazine City and State as one of the Faith Power 100, New York’s most influential religious leaders.

Galbreath received his undergraduate degree at Nyack College, graduating magna cum laude. He also holds an MDiv from Alliance Theological Seminary and a ThM from Princeton Theological Seminary. He earned his PhD from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education.

James R. Moore

412-788-6505, ext. 239
moore@ats.edu

James R. Moore was named director of accreditation for ATS in 2021. He is responsible for facilitating accrediting reviews, providing education and support to member schools about the process of accreditation, and providing staff support to the work of the Board of Commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting. Moore comes to ATS after 26 years at Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He most recently served as associate professor of educational ministries at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of Trinity International University. Moore’s other roles have included associate dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, assistant dean of Trinity Graduate School, and director of administration for doctoral programs. He has been an active accreditation visitor and provides experience in the Commission’s work with accreditation and with the schools. In 2020, he was elected vice chair of the ATS Board of Commissioners.

Moore also previously served as assistant pastor and director of Christian education at Lifeway Wesleyan Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and he was a public school teacher in Indiana and Illinois. He is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church and a member of the Wesleyan Theological Society. His articles appear in the Baker Dictionary of Christian Education, Theological Education, Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Wesleyan Theological Journal, and Trinity Journal. He recently contributed “Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi: Advocate for Child-Centered Education” to A Legacy of Christian Educators, edited by Elmer Towns.

Moore earned his MA from Indiana Wesleyan University and his PhD from Trinity International University.

Emanuel D. Naydenov

412-788-6505, ext. 265
naydenov@ats.edu

Emanuel D. Naydenov was named director of accreditation for ATS in 2023. He is responsible for facilitating accrediting reviews, providing education and support to member schools about the process of accreditation, and providing staff support to the work of the Board of Commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting.

An educator with more than 30 years of experience in theological education and formation for ministry, Naydenov comes to ATS from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of Trinity International University (TEDS). He served as director of the master’s programs and director of the MA in Theological Studies Program, and he led the Office of Extension and Affiliated Education. He recently served on the Board of Commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting where, along with many other responsibilities, he contributed to the work of the Global Awareness and Engagement Initiative of ATS. Prior to TEDS, he was involved in launching Bulgaria’s first accredited seminary after the fall of Communism.

Naydenov, an ordained minister in the Evangelical Free Church of America, is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the American Academy of Religion, a cofounder of the Roundtable for Distance Education, and a contributor to the Bulgarian Journal of Theology and other indigenous theological and educational projects.

He earned an MDiv from Bethel Theological Seminary and a PhD in religious studies in the area of systematic theology from Marquette University.

Valerie Rempel

412-788-6505, ext. 220
rempel@ats.edu

Valerie Rempel was named director of accreditation for ATS in 2021. She is responsible for facilitating accrediting reviews, providing education and support to member schools about the process of accreditation, and providing staff support to the work of the Board of Commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting. Prior to accepting her role at ATS, Rempel most recently served as vice president and dean of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary at Fresno Pacific University. She joined the seminary faculty in 1996, was appointed dean in 2014, and became vice president in 2019.

Rempel also served at Fresno as associate professor and J.B. Toews Chair of History and Theology, and she was a past director of the Center for Anabaptist Studies. She is an experienced accreditation visitor and was a member of the ATS Redevelopment Task Force. Rempel was elected to the ATS Board of Commissioners in 2020. Her scholarship includes contributions to the California Mennonite Historical Society Bulletin, Direction, The Conrad Grebel Review, and the Global Dictionary of Theology.

Rempel earned an MA from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (now Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary), and an MA and PhD from Vanderbilt University.

Joshua Reinders

412-788-6505, ext. 249

reinders@ats.edu

Joshua Reinders joined ATS in August 2015 as administrative assistant for accrediting, and was named accrediting visits coordinator in 2022. Working in support of the ATS Commission on Accrediting and the function of accreditation, he is responsible for providing administrative and logistical assistance for accreditation visits, including communicating with peer evaluators and member schools; educational workshops, webinars, and other Commission-related events; and Board of Commissioner meetings and other board-related activities.

In May 2016, Reinders completed his Master of Arts degree in religion at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, with a particular interest in church history and missiology. He has also served as a pastor of a small congregation in northwestern Pennsylvania and as an academic advisor at Moody Bible Institute.

Leah Wright

412-788-6505, ext. 240

wright@ats.edu

Leah Wright joined the staff of The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) as accrediting records coordinator in January 2022. She is responsible for managing the official records of the ATS Commission on Accrediting, processing reports, petitions, and other Commission-required documents, and supporting the work of the ATS Board of Commissioners and the organization’s accrediting functions.

From 2014 to 2019, Wright served as the coordinator of faculty development and initiatives at ATS, where she was responsible for managing program activities associated with conferences and events for faculty and administrators. In addition, she helped administer research and educational initiatives for the programs and services department.

A graduate of Mercyhurst University, Wright earned her bachelor of arts degree in hotel, restaurant, and institutional management.

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Accreditation

Overview of Accrediting

Commission on Accrediting

Board of Commissioners

How to Become a Member of the Commission

Accrediting Staff

Barbara Mutch

Stephen R. Graham

Charles O. Galbreath

James R. Moore

Emanuel D. Naydenov

Valerie Rempel

Joshua Reinders

Leah Wright

Colloquy
(member newsletter)

Our Mission

Member Schools

Events

Member Schools

Membership Information

Search

For Administrators and Faculty

Research and Data

Initiatives

PUBLICATIONS

Accreditation

Overview of Accrediting

Commission on Accrediting

Board of Commissioners

How to Become a Member of the Commission

Accrediting Staff

Barbara Mutch

Stephen R. Graham

Charles O. Galbreath

James R. Moore

Emanuel D. Naydenov

Valerie Rempel

Joshua Reinders

Leah Wright

Colloquy (member newsletter)

Colloquy
(member newsletter)