Zion Bible College
Encyclopedia
Zion Bible College is a Bible college
in Haverhill
, Massachusetts
. ZBC's sole purpose is to teach and train students for excellent Pentecostal ministry in fulfillment of the Great Commission.
. It was also at one time named Mount Zion Bible School. Later, as the Zion Bible Institute, it was closely associated with Zion Gospel Temple, originally a Holiness congregation founded in the late 19th century by Rev. Alphaeus Cleveland and subsequently pastored by Rev. Christine Gibson. The congregation later affiliated with the Pentecostal revival and is to this day an independent Pentecostal church. The nearby Zion Faith Home, Inc., a retirement home for missionaries, was also connected with the school and church for many years while the campus was located in East Providence, Rhode Island
.
In 1985, Zion Bible Institute relocated to the former campus of Barrington College
in Barrington, Rhode Island
. At the time the Institute was under the leadership of Dr. N. Benjamin Crandall, president from 1985 to 2000. The centerpiece of the campus was the former Peck Mansion, a building listed on the registry of historic sites for the state of Rhode Island
. Renamed as the Gibson Memorial Building in honor of the Institute's founder, it housed the President's Office, a variety of additional offices, and the library.
Following Crandall, Rev. George Cope served as president from 2000 to 2005. The college became affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA in 2000. In 2001, it was accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. In 2007, former assistant superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Reverend Charles Crabtree, accepted the position of president.
In 2007, David Green
, CEO
and founder of the Hobby Lobby
chain of hobby store
s, purchased the former Bradford College
campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts
. The 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) campus was given to Zion Bible College, and Zion was to fund the repairs and upgrades that were necessary before the shuttered Bradford College campus was reopened. The college reopened on their new campus in the fall of 2008.
The campus, formerly that of Bradford College, is located in the Bradford
section of Haverhill.
granted by the college is a bachelor's degree
in Biblical studies
. For this major students complete core coursework in Biblical studies and Systematic Theology. Each student is required to specify a second major in an area of ministry. These second majors are in Church Ministry, Youth Ministry, Children and Family Ministry, Music and Worship Ministry, World Missions, Urban Ministry, and Pastoral Ministry.
In 2006, ZBC launched a program called "Catalyst", in which students participate in "hands on" ministry at a local church. This program was to serve as a college-based alternative to the Master's Commission program founded by Lloyd Zigler. Six core churches participated in the program, which ended after the Spring 2011 Semester. ZBC also offers a one year certifiate program.
with the Association for Biblical Higher Education and officially endorsed by the Assemblies of God USA.
is held Monday through Thursday. Attendance is mandatory for all fulltime students. On one Friday per month, there are class prayers. Each class (freshman, sophomores, etc.) meets in a specified location to pray with one another and handle class business.
Each student is required to complete S.P.I.C.E (Student Participation In Campus Experience) hours. S.P.I.C.E. assignments include grounds, cleaning crew, security, audio/visual, and mailroom, among others. All fulltime students are required to participate in the S.P.I.C.E. program. A fulltime, on-campus student must complete five hours per week. A fulltime married student or off-campus student must complete three hours per week.
Women are required to wear the following to class and chapel: a modest dress, skirt, pants, or jeans with a modest blouse and most types of shoes (sneakers, dress shoes, sandals, etc.). Female students are asked to refrain from wearing any form-fitting clothing, tank tops, multiple and dangling earrings (no longer than 2”), body rings, tattoos (including removable tattoos and henna), shorts above the knee, black (or excessively dark) nail polish, low-riding pants, and any clothing that displays bare midriffs or exposed cleavage.
The dress code is monitored daily by the faculty and staff for compliance. Any student who is found to be noncompliant is required to change their clothing before attending class, chapel, or school functions and may be fined by the Resident Director or Resident Assistants.
There is one dormitory
for men (Tupelo East) and one for women (Tupelo West). There is currently no on-campus housing for married students. Non-married students are held to nightly campus curfew
, room curfew, and weekly room inspections. A violation of curfew is punishable by fines or more severe curfew restrictions.
Bible college
Bible colleges are institutions of higher education that specialize in biblical studies. Curriculum is Bible-based and differs from that of liberal arts colleges or research universities. Bible colleges generally exclude the study of philosophy, unlike seminaries and theological colleges...
in Haverhill
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. ZBC's sole purpose is to teach and train students for excellent Pentecostal ministry in fulfillment of the Great Commission.
History
The School of the Prophets was founded in 1924 by Rev. Christine Gibson at East Providence, Rhode IslandEast Providence, Rhode Island
East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 47,037 at the 2010 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state.-Geography:East Providence is located at ....
. It was also at one time named Mount Zion Bible School. Later, as the Zion Bible Institute, it was closely associated with Zion Gospel Temple, originally a Holiness congregation founded in the late 19th century by Rev. Alphaeus Cleveland and subsequently pastored by Rev. Christine Gibson. The congregation later affiliated with the Pentecostal revival and is to this day an independent Pentecostal church. The nearby Zion Faith Home, Inc., a retirement home for missionaries, was also connected with the school and church for many years while the campus was located in East Providence, Rhode Island
East Providence, Rhode Island
East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 47,037 at the 2010 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state.-Geography:East Providence is located at ....
.
In 1985, Zion Bible Institute relocated to the former campus of Barrington College
Barrington College
Barrington College was a four-year Christian liberal arts college located in Barrington, Rhode Island. It is no longer in operation.-History:...
in Barrington, Rhode Island
Barrington, Rhode Island
Barrington is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,310 at the 2010 census.In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Barrington sixth on its list of the 100 best places to live in the United States.-History:...
. At the time the Institute was under the leadership of Dr. N. Benjamin Crandall, president from 1985 to 2000. The centerpiece of the campus was the former Peck Mansion, a building listed on the registry of historic sites for the state of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Renamed as the Gibson Memorial Building in honor of the Institute's founder, it housed the President's Office, a variety of additional offices, and the library.
Following Crandall, Rev. George Cope served as president from 2000 to 2005. The college became affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA in 2000. In 2001, it was accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. In 2007, former assistant superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Reverend Charles Crabtree, accepted the position of president.
In 2007, David Green
David Green (entrepreneur)
David Green is the founder of Hobby Lobby, an American chain of arts and crafts stores. In 2010, Green was listed as #136 on Forbes' List of The 400 Richest Americans, with a net worth of $2.6 billion....
, CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and founder of the Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby is a privately held retail chain of arts and crafts stores based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is formally called Hobby Lobby Creative Centers.Founded by David Green on August 3, 1972, the chain has more than 456 stores in 39 states...
chain of hobby store
Hobby store
A hobby store sells recreational modelling and craft supplies and specialty magazines for model airplanes , train models, ship models, house and building models. Some hobby shops may also sell dolls, and collectible coins and stamps. A subtype of hobby store is a game store, which sells board...
s, purchased the former Bradford College
Bradford College (Massachusetts)
Bradford College operated in the part of Haverhill, Massachusetts that was once the town of Bradford.Bradford College focused on the creative arts and social sciences. It has one of the oldest alumni associations in the country.- History :...
campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
. The 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) campus was given to Zion Bible College, and Zion was to fund the repairs and upgrades that were necessary before the shuttered Bradford College campus was reopened. The college reopened on their new campus in the fall of 2008.
Campus
Bradford, Massachusetts
Bradford is a former town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The name currently refers to the area on the south side of the Merrimack River in Haverhill, Massachusetts that was once Bradford...
section of Haverhill.
Academics
The only degreeAcademic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
granted by the college is a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Biblical studies
Biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
. For this major students complete core coursework in Biblical studies and Systematic Theology. Each student is required to specify a second major in an area of ministry. These second majors are in Church Ministry, Youth Ministry, Children and Family Ministry, Music and Worship Ministry, World Missions, Urban Ministry, and Pastoral Ministry.
In 2006, ZBC launched a program called "Catalyst", in which students participate in "hands on" ministry at a local church. This program was to serve as a college-based alternative to the Master's Commission program founded by Lloyd Zigler. Six core churches participated in the program, which ended after the Spring 2011 Semester. ZBC also offers a one year certifiate program.
Affiliations
It is accreditedEducational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
with the Association for Biblical Higher Education and officially endorsed by the Assemblies of God USA.
Student life
ChapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
is held Monday through Thursday. Attendance is mandatory for all fulltime students. On one Friday per month, there are class prayers. Each class (freshman, sophomores, etc.) meets in a specified location to pray with one another and handle class business.
Each student is required to complete S.P.I.C.E (Student Participation In Campus Experience) hours. S.P.I.C.E. assignments include grounds, cleaning crew, security, audio/visual, and mailroom, among others. All fulltime students are required to participate in the S.P.I.C.E. program. A fulltime, on-campus student must complete five hours per week. A fulltime married student or off-campus student must complete three hours per week.
Dress code
There is a dress code for class attendance, chapel attendance, and leisure time. Men are required to wear the following to class and chapel: any oxford style dress shirt or collared shirt with a Nero collar, mock turtle neck and turtle neck with dress slacks, corduroys or jeans without holes or ragged hems and most types of shoes (sneakers, dress shoes, sandals, etc.). Students may wear t-shirts on their personal time, but are requested to not wear the following: Sweat pants (other than in the Fitness Room or for the purpose of exercise), spandex pants, tank tops or muscle shirts, shorts above the knee, ear and body rings, and tattoos (including removable tattoos and henna).Women are required to wear the following to class and chapel: a modest dress, skirt, pants, or jeans with a modest blouse and most types of shoes (sneakers, dress shoes, sandals, etc.). Female students are asked to refrain from wearing any form-fitting clothing, tank tops, multiple and dangling earrings (no longer than 2”), body rings, tattoos (including removable tattoos and henna), shorts above the knee, black (or excessively dark) nail polish, low-riding pants, and any clothing that displays bare midriffs or exposed cleavage.
The dress code is monitored daily by the faculty and staff for compliance. Any student who is found to be noncompliant is required to change their clothing before attending class, chapel, or school functions and may be fined by the Resident Director or Resident Assistants.
Residence life
Students are required to live on campus while attending Zion Bible College. The only exceptions to this rule are given to married students or students living with their parents or legal guardians (called off-campus students). On occasion, off-campus may be required to live on campus for at least one academic year.There is one dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
for men (Tupelo East) and one for women (Tupelo West). There is currently no on-campus housing for married students. Non-married students are held to nightly campus curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
, room curfew, and weekly room inspections. A violation of curfew is punishable by fines or more severe curfew restrictions.
Extracurriculars
There are several traveling teams at Zion. These teams provide ministry opportunities to the students attending Zion Bible College. The teams are overseen by Zion Bible College staff, but the teams are made up of students. These teams can provide music, dramatic presentations, and special speakers to churches, camps, and other organizations.- "Dwelling Place" — Traveling music team
- "Appointed" — Dramatic arts team
- "Missions Teams" — Teams dedicated to spreading the heart of missions to local churches.