Accreditation is a process for recognizing educational institutions and professional programs affiliated with those institutions for a level of performance, integrity, and quality, which entitles them to the confidence of the educational community and the public they serve.

The accrediting process requires institutions and programs to reflect on their mission, goals, processes, achievements, and to consider the expert criticism and suggestions of a visiting team and to determine internal procedures for action on recommendations from the accrediting agency. The MENATE accreditation procedures enable both centralized and decentralized higher theological education to achieve accreditation.

Since accreditation status is reviewed on a periodic basis, recognized institutions and professional programs are required to maintain continuous self-study and improvement mechanisms.

The focus of the accreditation process should be to ensure that every accredited institution is seriously and continuously engaged in the examination of its impact upon student learning, both undergraduate and graduate.

Completing a comprehensive self-study is the primary institutional task in the accreditation process. Self-studies need to focus on assessing student learning outcomes and teacher effectiveness. Faculty, administration, students, graduates, board members, church leaders and community representatives ought to be participants together in a comprehensive self-study.