ABHE is operated by its member institutions through a board of directors, members of which are elected at an annual business meeting. Accrediting decisions are made by the Commission on Accreditation. The Association’s public accountability is underscored by the requirement that both the Board of Directors and the Commission on Accreditation must include public representatives among its members. The Association is administered by a full-time Executive Director and supported by a corps of professional staff.

The ABHE started as Missionary Training Institute (Nyack College) in New York City in 1882 and helped start the Moody Bible Institute in 1886 and Toronto Bible School (Tyndale University College & Seminary) in 1894. In 1947 the ABHE started the Accrediting Association of Bible Institutes and Bible Colleges in 1947, but this was shortened in 1957 to the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges. By 2004 the name organization changed to the Association for Biblical Higher Education "in order to reflect its expansion of scope with graduate education accreditation and programmatic accreditation."

Currently, there are over 140 bible schools with ties to the ABHE, which operates for the purpose of setting academic standards for seminaries and Bible colleges, and evaluates and monitors compliance among its candidate and member schools.

Wikipedia

Mission, Purposes and Goals of the ABHE

The mission, purposes, and goals of the Association for Biblical Higher Education are established by its membership. The mission, purpose, and goals serve as the foundation for the Association’s Criteria for Accreditation and for its programs and services. The following statements are excerpts from the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws:

Mission:
The mission of the Association for Biblical Higher Education is to provide accreditation and services for institutions and programs of biblical higher education within Canada, the United States, and related territories.
 

Purposes: The Association seeks to fulfill its mission by:
	Promoting excellence among institutions and programs of biblical higher education through the process of accreditation.
	Promoting cooperation among member and affiliate institutions and the larger higher education community.
	Promoting the distinctives of biblical higher education to the higher education community, the church and society.
	Providing services that will stimulate excellence among administrators, board members, faculty, and students at member and affiliate institutions.
Goals: To implement its purpose of accreditation, the Association seeks to fulfill the following goals:
	To establish policies and procedures that safeguard the integrity of the accreditation process.
	To establish Criteria for Accreditation that induce institutions to achieve the following objectives:
	Have a soundly conceived educational mission that is clearly understood and supported, serves the cause of Christ, and is consonant with the distinctives of the Association;
	Have established adequate structures and procedures for governance and administration to achieve its mission;
	Have sufficient faculty, instructional, and facility resources to achieve its mission;
	Provide appropriate curricular structures and content to achieve its mission;
	Provide appropriate programs for student admissions, development, and services to carry out its mission.
To implement its purpose of communication, the Association seeks to fulfill the following goals:
	To establish communication services that will provide information and that will promote cooperation among member and affiliate institutions.
	To communicate the Associaiton’s higher education distinctives to society at large and to the higher education community in particular.
To implement its purpose of professional development, the Association seeks to fulfill the following goals:
	To conduct research related to biblical higher education and to prepare outcomes instruments for the use of member and affiliate institutions.
	To stimulate excellence among member and affiliate institutional administrators through workshops, conferences, and other activities.
	To stimulate excellence among member and affiliate institutional board personnel through workshops, conferences, and other activities.
	To stimulate excellence among member and affiliate institutional faculties through workshops, conferences, and other activities.
	To stimulate excellence among member institution students through the Delta Epsilon Chi honor society and other activities.

http://www.abhe.org

Additional information about the ABHE can be found on their website at: http://www.abhe.org