Monday, December 07, 2009
Narramore Years Part 24
The Narramore ministry began a slow and gradual decline
before I came to work there. There was a period of expansion
in the mid and late 1960s and during the 1970s. The Rosemead
facility was build in the 1960s and the graduate school
began as well as the counseling facility and conference
center. When I arrived in 1982 the last the major building
was constructed--a dinner/living facility that was on the
hill above the main office building (The Top-of-the-Ten).
This supplemented the already existing on campus apartment
building. A swallow swimming pool (perfect for water volleyball)
and hot spa was also put in at the same time. Before this time
many of the conference attendees needed to find off campus
housing accommodations. Dr. Narramore believed that this would
attract more attendees to the various seminars put on by NCR.
Dr. Narramore had developed a large following during the 1950s,
1960s and 1970s via his radio program and his extensive
traveling lecture schedule. He saw the Rosemead campus as a
place where he could have people come for a more extended
time of training, counseling and education than was possible
in a single evening lecture or even a week end seminar.
However by the end of the 1980s and early 1990s it was getting
increasingly difficult to fill the seminars that were given
on campus. Dr. Narramore later admitted that the Rosemead
ministry may have been a victim of the success of another
one of his earlier ministries. By the late 1970s the Rosemead
School of Psychology had merged with Biola University and
had moved to Biola's LaMirada campus. Dr. Narramore felt
that with the Rosemead School of Psychology graduating
students (as well as other similar Christian-based schools)
who were establishing practices around the country the
need for traveling the Rosemead campus had diminished
considerably. Also Dr. Narramore's following was getting
older and his outreach activities such as radio and travel
speaking were likewise downsizing.
Newer champions of Christian counseling like Dr. James Dobson
and others were reaching new generations of Christians
and addressing psychological issues. The ministry was
largely built around Dr. Narramore's dynamic personality
(as is true with many para-church groups) and when he became
more advanced in age his own aging constituent base declined
and the organization was not able to attract sufficient
interest from younger people. Of course there were exceptions
to this like the Missionary Kid's Re-Entry seminar which continued
to be popular and is still being carried on by another ministry.
However by the early 1990s consideration was being given to
selling the Rosemead campus and moving to a smaller facility.
Finally in June 1996 NCF closed a deal with a East Asia
educational company who purchased the Rosemead facilities.
I was involved in the move which proved to be a bitter-sweet
experience. It was a move that needed to be done because of
the overall lessening of ministry and subsequent need
for the campus.
The downsized staff (Roy Mathison, John Davidson and others
retired or moved at that time) relocated at a office building
in Arcadia north of the Rosemead facility. The Arcadia period
was one of more transition as Dr. Narramore and the NCF Board
were actively engaged in search for a new NCF President. This
was a period of uncertainty for the remaining staff. Finally
in 1998 Dr. Bruce Narramore was contacted and accepted an
invitation to became NCF president. Dr. Bruce started bringing
in his own people including Dick Innes. Within 2-3 years of
Dr. Bruce Narramore becoming president the original staff
who had made the transition from Rosemead campus were replaced.
I left Narramore officially at the end November 1999. My view
of NCF at this time it is still a valid para-church ministry
but much smaller and less robust than it was in the 1970s and 1980s.
I used the time after leaving NCF in early 2000 to finish
my book on my great-great uncle Silas Ensign (Please see
Narramore Years Part 18 October 18, 2009 for more details).
The end of March 2000 I attended a banquet given in honor of
Dr. Clyde and Ruth Narramore. This proved to be a more fitting
conclusion to my work with NCF.
before I came to work there. There was a period of expansion
in the mid and late 1960s and during the 1970s. The Rosemead
facility was build in the 1960s and the graduate school
began as well as the counseling facility and conference
center. When I arrived in 1982 the last the major building
was constructed--a dinner/living facility that was on the
hill above the main office building (The Top-of-the-Ten).
This supplemented the already existing on campus apartment
building. A swallow swimming pool (perfect for water volleyball)
and hot spa was also put in at the same time. Before this time
many of the conference attendees needed to find off campus
housing accommodations. Dr. Narramore believed that this would
attract more attendees to the various seminars put on by NCR.
Dr. Narramore had developed a large following during the 1950s,
1960s and 1970s via his radio program and his extensive
traveling lecture schedule. He saw the Rosemead campus as a
place where he could have people come for a more extended
time of training, counseling and education than was possible
in a single evening lecture or even a week end seminar.
However by the end of the 1980s and early 1990s it was getting
increasingly difficult to fill the seminars that were given
on campus. Dr. Narramore later admitted that the Rosemead
ministry may have been a victim of the success of another
one of his earlier ministries. By the late 1970s the Rosemead
School of Psychology had merged with Biola University and
had moved to Biola's LaMirada campus. Dr. Narramore felt
that with the Rosemead School of Psychology graduating
students (as well as other similar Christian-based schools)
who were establishing practices around the country the
need for traveling the Rosemead campus had diminished
considerably. Also Dr. Narramore's following was getting
older and his outreach activities such as radio and travel
speaking were likewise downsizing.
Newer champions of Christian counseling like Dr. James Dobson
and others were reaching new generations of Christians
and addressing psychological issues. The ministry was
largely built around Dr. Narramore's dynamic personality
(as is true with many para-church groups) and when he became
more advanced in age his own aging constituent base declined
and the organization was not able to attract sufficient
interest from younger people. Of course there were exceptions
to this like the Missionary Kid's Re-Entry seminar which continued
to be popular and is still being carried on by another ministry.
However by the early 1990s consideration was being given to
selling the Rosemead campus and moving to a smaller facility.
Finally in June 1996 NCF closed a deal with a East Asia
educational company who purchased the Rosemead facilities.
I was involved in the move which proved to be a bitter-sweet
experience. It was a move that needed to be done because of
the overall lessening of ministry and subsequent need
for the campus.
The downsized staff (Roy Mathison, John Davidson and others
retired or moved at that time) relocated at a office building
in Arcadia north of the Rosemead facility. The Arcadia period
was one of more transition as Dr. Narramore and the NCF Board
were actively engaged in search for a new NCF President. This
was a period of uncertainty for the remaining staff. Finally
in 1998 Dr. Bruce Narramore was contacted and accepted an
invitation to became NCF president. Dr. Bruce started bringing
in his own people including Dick Innes. Within 2-3 years of
Dr. Bruce Narramore becoming president the original staff
who had made the transition from Rosemead campus were replaced.
I left Narramore officially at the end November 1999. My view
of NCF at this time it is still a valid para-church ministry
but much smaller and less robust than it was in the 1970s and 1980s.
I used the time after leaving NCF in early 2000 to finish
my book on my great-great uncle Silas Ensign (Please see
Narramore Years Part 18 October 18, 2009 for more details).
The end of March 2000 I attended a banquet given in honor of
Dr. Clyde and Ruth Narramore. This proved to be a more fitting
conclusion to my work with NCF.
# posted by Dino Don @ 9:25 AM 
