A Special Message from MBC President Ryan Ward

Hello friends!

It’s a joy for me to reconnect with you following a summer sabbatical.  Although it took several weeks for me and Andrea to fully enter true rest, the sabbatical did provide rejuvenation as well as the direction we needed. I look forward to sharing more details with you and want to invite you to participate in a couple of different ways.

You can click on the video below to watch a recording of the written message that follows. Whether you watch or read, it is my hope that you will experience the joy and faith in God’s plans for MBC that we feel.

First, Andrea and I are very thankful to the MBC Board for planning this sabbatical for us and to the staff for ensuring smooth operations while we were away. What a privilege to work with a godly team of Board and Staff who lead the college and its students with wisdom.  While I’m at it, let me also say a huge public thank you to all the volunteers, financial partners, and prayer partners who did so much over the summer to get the dorms ready for occupancy and accomplish many campus projects.

Now, back to the sabbatical.  The purpose of this sabbatical was two-fold: rest after 18 years of MBC service – and discernment regarding future ministry since we had moved the college to Billings, but Andrea and I were still living in Manhattan.  Ultimately, God worked through the gift of time, through truths from His Word, and through the wisdom of trusted counselors to lead us to the decision to make this school year our last in full-time service at MBC, though we still desire to remain connected in other ways into the future.

This weighty decision rests on three primary “pegs in the wall” that proved sturdy and weight-bearing.

First is the leadership need of the college. 

When the decision was made to move MBC to Billings, the Board requested that all our executive leaders undergo an extensive evaluation to determine how well our God-given strengths, abilities, and desires align with the current and future needs of MBC.  This time of honest evaluation revealed that my leadership gift-mix in the role as president was needed for the specific season in which I served, but that current and future needs of the school require a person whose gift-mix also includes strengths in entrepreneurial leadership. I see this college poised for growth and impact!  And I fully believe the right new leader will take the college further and more surely toward that God-glorifying end.  My own task is to complete an effective handoff. This will mean MBC is established relationally in Billings with an effective staff and a vibrant board with local representation, and that its heart for making disciples is beating stronger than ever. 

The second “peg in the wall” is family needs and responsibilities.  

Four years ago, Andrea and I built a multi-generational home with Andrea’s parents on the acreage left after the sale of their ranch. This culminated years of planning and work to bring our Biblical convictions about caring for our parents to reality.  My mom and stepdad live just two miles away from us as well.  Both sets of our godly parents urged us to follow God’s lead no matter its impact on them, but we found that God’s instructions to us in 1 Timothy continued calling us to stay committed to the support of our parents. 

The third “peg in the wall” is wise counsel plus a God-given opportunity.

Andrea and I have been in open conversation with the MBC Board throughout, and we highly value their input, along with other trusted people of wisdom in our life.  As the counsel culminated in early August to help us decide to transition away, the decision also freed us to consider an unlooked-for opportunity that came looking anyway. Ken Sande, founder of Peacemaker Ministries and Relational Wisdom 360, had asked me to prayerfully consider joining his staff at RW360 to help bring their training to Christian leaders through Bible colleges, seminaries, and various outreach opportunities. It’s a role that allows us to remain in Manhattan, allows me to minister from the center of my strengths, and will allow us to remain connected to MBC in several exciting ways. 

Andrea and I, along with the MBC Board and Staff and so many other friends of the college, are united in our passion for MBC and our desire to see it thrive in its ability to impact students who will impact our region — and the world. In this year, we will pour our hearts and energies into helping MBC effectively transition to new leadership and build momentum. Big plans are in the works, and we can’t wait to share more with you.

Thank you, friends, for supporting MBC, as well as me and my family all these years. Please stay the course with us as God continues to build His Kingdom through Montana Bible College.