By definition, the word "accredit" means to authorize, endorse, and officially approve of. What ordination is to a minister, accreditation is to a school. Accreditation is a group process by which schools voluntarily agree to participate in a set of established standards in order to encourage quality education. This is what ACET International stands for.

 

Biblical Foundations
An additional, and just as important, response to the question, “Why Accreditation?” for theology schools is the fact that the concept of accreditation is firmly founded upon biblical principle .

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“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs . . .”
— ACTS 2:22 – NIV

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Accredited comes from the same root word as credible (to believe or trust). Accreditation, therefore, acknowledges an institution’s credibility—its believability. Although some might see an accrediting agency as giving credibility to an institution, in actuality, the process of accreditation ascertains and acknowledges the institution’s credibility by providing external witnesses.

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The concept of external witnesses has always been a biblical principle for credibility. Jesus said: “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true . . .” (John 5:31 NIV).

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Jesus then set forth in the Book of John His list of witnesses, which included John the Baptist, Moses, His disciples, God the Father, the scriptures, the Holy Spirit, and His works. These all bore witness to Jesus’ credibility that He was (and is) all that He said He was—the Christ, the Son of the living God.

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A valid accreditation process provides standards and procedures whereby an institution can establish its credibility before witnesses. The Accreditation Commission for Education in Theology (ACET International) accreditation process has several steps that provide for a firsthand witness and validation of the institution’s credibility and adheres to the biblical principle that “every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Cor. 13:1 NIV).