Northwestern Bible School - Scroll Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

Page 16 text:

The ' Deans’ centered around ihi9 one office. Dr. Riley said later that his conviction as to the necessity of such a school came from several cir¬ cumstances. First of all he believed that the north¬ west was in dire need of Bible indoctrination. When he arrived in Minneapolis in 1897 he found among the city pastors only one who believed the pre-millennia] teaching. However, for this new en¬ terprise, Dr. Riley leaned most heavily on 5 or 6 prominent, consecrated laymen, who were his im¬ mediate and faithful backers. Another vital reason for the inauguration of a Bible school was the fact that 90 of the 300 Bap¬ tist churches in Minnesota were without a pastor. They were small churches, some of them in rather out-of-the-way places, and at almost every meet¬ ing of the state board, another church building would be up for sale and the work at that point would be closed up. Dr. Riley was himself the product of a country church. He believed pro¬ foundly that the small country churches had con¬ tributed to the city professions their leading men and had sent into the city-church many of their

Page 15 text:

One day, seven young men and women, who had been converted largely under his preaching, came to the youthful pastor and said, Mr. Riley, (he was only Mr. then) we are hungry for a fur¬ ther knowledge of God ' s Word. Would you be willing to teach us an hour a day? He happily consented. Soon a request came for two hours. Then the group came with this plea, If we could have three hours a day we know others who would like to join us.” In a very few weeks these day classes increased to about 35 students, and without knowing it, a school was born. So on October 2, 1902, Or, Riley called together a com¬ paratively small company of laymen, representing different denominations, and laid before them a plan. He told them of the desire of these young people, and he said that God had increasingly laid upon his heart that there should he a training cen¬ ter in Minneapolis. The plan was adopted, tile inauguration effected, and on October 2, 1902, the Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School was officially born.

Page 17 text:

outstanding laymen. He announced, therefore, in connection with inauguration of this new school, that one of the objectives would be to provide men equipped to hold these small town and coun¬ try pastorates. In the beginning, Dr. Riley called upon his assistant pastor, Rev. William Francis, a splendidly equipped and consecrated man, to share the teach¬ ing with him. With the increase in numbers the conception of the school also expanded. The presi¬ dent began to think of having other teachers and independent property for the school. Up ro this time the classes had been held in a side room of the First Baptist Church, just underneath the pas¬ tor ' s study. The next important step was taken to secure the services of Dr. A. J. Frost of C alifornia, a nationally famous Bible teacher. He accepted the call and was made Dean of the school, a position which he held until he had to retire bv reason of Jiou?ed office, irmpupep t) cl spppwrn. P 39t Out . a Old Piz Prnlf} thet ! i J- fend mem- o d timers