On Feb. 11, the Student Government Association (SGA) held a student forum featuring President Barry Corey and others to discuss Biola’s decision to discontinue The Dwelling and steps for moving forward.
Corey explained the factors behind his decision, citing “unnecessary external attention,” and answered a few student-submitted questions.
Afterwards, Corey and others from the panel remained to speak with any individual students who had questions or comments. Responses to the panel were mixed and many students left dissatisfied with Corey’s explanation for his decision.
On March 10, SGA followed up with a public resolution affirming the importance of “biblically grounded, confidential and compassionate community spaces” for students wrestling with questions of sexuality and faith.
Campus-wide discussion of The Dwelling, Biola’s ministry for SSA and LGBTQ+ students, first emerged in December 2025, when Dr. Corey announced on the Think Biblically podcast that the Dwelling would be discontinued in the Spring 2026 semester. According to Corey, the decision to halt the ministry came primarily from external confusion about the group’s purpose and alignment with Biola’s policies.
“There was still confusion on the outside, maybe the ways in which we worded the description, maybe the ways in which it was featured in student newspaper coverage. And so we are making some changes moving forward,” Dr. Corey said in his Dec. 5th conversation with Dr. Sean McDowell and Dr. Scott Rae.
“And we’re going to do something new. So I’m calling on…the President’s Council on Discipleship and Spiritual Formation … to imagine what are the ways in which we can care for our students,” he added.
The closure of The Dwelling sparked controversy among students, with several Dwelling members hurt or heartbroken by the sudden loss of the campus community.
THE STUDENT FORUM
Alongside President Corey, the panel included Mark Muha, Vice President for Student Development; Dr. Mike Ahn, Dean of Spiritual Development; and Dr. Matt Jenson, a Dwelling Faculty Advisor and Torrey Honors professor. SGA president TJ Malley posed a series of pre-scripted questions to the panelists, followed by an opportunity for students to submit questions via text. The forum drew significant attention, with over 130 attendees.
Jenson explained that The Dwelling ministry’s main goal is for students, through the Spirit, to bring their faith in Jesus and their experience of sexuality and gender together. The panels’ primary focus was on the decision to close the Dwelling, the President’s Council for Spiritual Formation and Discipleship (PCSFD) ‘s plans to replace the ministry, and the timeline for developing this new plan.
Malley asked Corey to elaborate on his decision to phase out The Dwelling. First, Corey clarified it was ultimately his call, but he made the decision in conversation with numerous people, some of whom disagreed with him. Corey explained that public criticism stemming from a Spring 2025 Chimes article and Biola’s description garnered mass attention, leading others to miscast The Dwelling as “a student club.” Corey took a step back from the situation and considered it might be time for Biola to rethink how best to care for these students.
In addition, panelists answered a few student questions that focused on the university’s approach to communicating with students and Biola’s biblical stance on same-sex attraction and LGBTQ issues.
One student asked, “How am I meant to learn about how to access the new ministry, if you’ll only be giving information to current dwelling members?” Corey explained that the university will most likely not publicly announce the new plan, but believes it won’t take long for the word to get out. Muha elaborated that all Student Development staff, Biola Counseling Center, Pastoral Care and resident advisors will know how to connect students to the new resource.
Another student asked, “Why was the decision to end the dwelling made first before discussing concerns with the students within it?” Corey acknowledged that he did not first survey every group’s response before closing The Dwelling. Saying he acted on “good internal counsel” from Student Life and academic leaders, and went “first” to members of The Dwelling after the decision. He admitted that students might be “questioning [his] judgment” but asked them “to trust” that such decisions cannot always involve consultation with “every constituency.”
After a few questions, a student asked, “What exactly is Biola’s biblical stance on homosexuality and the LGBTQ issue as a whole?” Corey and Muha encouraged students to read Biola’s published “statement of biblical principles” and the Student Handbook. Corey noted that while Biola’s position and statement have been unchanged since the early 1920s, newer documents articulate “a very full life-giving, affirming way in which Christians should live in this day and age. Lastly, he noted that these resources are easily accessible and offer “a comprehensive and kind of life flourishing way” of describing Biola’s view.
The plan going forward is for the PCSFD council to meet monthly and, by the end of the semester, reimagine the ministry. Lastly, the forum closed with Corey praying and an offer to stay with the other panel members to answer any further student questions.
REACTIONS TO THE FORUM
Many students left the forum dissatisfied with Corey’s explanation of his decision. Hannah Salzman, a junior Writing for Film & Television major, expressed frustration with the stance her university had taken.
“I chose Biola because I believed that it would be a school that stood for the Christian values of loving God through serving one another,” Salzman said.
She believes the university needs to “either take the stance that they did not agree with the way the Dwelling is being run and shut it down … or admit to bending the knee to right-wing influencers and apologize to the student body, but they can’t have it both ways.”
After the forum ended, Salzman told Corey, “While social media would have forgotten about attacking Biola within a few weeks, it will take a long time for the students here to trust the administration again,” she said.
Tyler Jones, a junior Health Sciences major, was disappointed that the forum “felt tone-deaf,” saying that the whole reason for a new system feels contrived. Jones thought the administration minimized the role of optics in their decision.
“Students feel betrayed that the admin caved so quickly to external pressure,” Jones said. “And I felt like there was no apology for that.”
Keziah De Bie, a junior Art major, though still confused by the stated reasons for closing The Dwelling, expressed hope that the PCSFD council will keep their word and put student welfare first.
“I’m personally feeling very upset right now, but I appreciate that [Biola is] trying to keep going forward,” said De Bie. “I don’t know why they can’t just keep The Dwelling – that seemed unclear to me.”
Dr. Jenson expressed his initial disappointment with Biola’s decision to shut down The Dwelling during the forum.
“At first, I was kind of shocked,” Jenson said. “I was thinking, ‘Oh no, what does this mean?’ And, you know, I’ve been heartbroken.”
Despite his disagreement with the university’s decision, Jenson went on to affirm his trust in President Corey’s desire to care for students throughout the process.
“I’ve also been relieved that, as I’ve talked with Dr. Corey, it doesn’t feel like a shift in his part or his orientation on these things,” Jenson said. “I 100% believe him when he says he is eager for good or better care to happen for these folks.”
SGA’s resolution on the importance of a Dwelling-like ministry outlined three principles the new ministry should embody: a regular and confidential group, a full-time staff member, and clear communication from the university about resources for SSA students and its commitment to a posture of grace and truth.
The PCSFD council is expected to present a proposal to Corey by the end of the semester, though Corey indicated the university will not make a public announcement. This leaves students to learn about the new ministry through campus resources and word of mouth. Questions about transparency and communication remain among students, many of whom left the forum uncertain about what comes next for LGBTQ+ support at Biola.
