Somerset Christian College

Somerset Christian College is a four-year evangelical Christian college located in Zarephath, New Jersey, a religious community near Bound Brook in Somerset County. Founded in 1908, it is affiliated with the Pillar of Fire Church.

History

The Pillar of Fire Church, founded by Bishop Alma White, opened the Zarephath Bible Training School, in Zarephath, NJ in 1908. It was designed as a training institute for missionaries, educators, and preachers.

It was followed in 1917 by Alma White College, another Pillar of Fire educational institution that closed in 1978 and later known as Zarephath Bible Seminary and Zarephath Bible Institute.

The Zarephath Bible Institute served as the predecessor to Somerset Christian College, the name the organization took on March 23, 2001.

Religious ties

The Pillar of Fire Church developed out of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the American Holiness Movement. The organization, and in turn the college, maintain a connection to Wesleyanism. The college is run in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition.

Academics

It is licensed by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education to grant certificates, Associate's degrees and Bachelor's degrees in several Biblical areas.

Most courses offered at the college are related to Church history, pastoral theology, doctrine, and Biblical studies, but general education in subjects such as world history, writing, public speaking, marketing, psychology, and mass communications is also provided.

Majors

The majors offered at Somerset are:

* [http://www.somerset.edu/students/academics/Christian_Counseling.htm Christian Counseling] (Associate's & Bachelor's)
* [http://www.somerset.edu/students/academics/Entrepreneurial_Ministry.htm Creative Leadership (formerly titled Entrepreneurial Ministry)] (Associate's & Bachelor's)
* [http://www.somerset.edu/students/academics/Narrative_Biblical_Theology.htm Narrative Biblical Theology] (Associate's & Bachelor's)
* [http://www.somerset.edu/students/academics/Certificate_Program.htm Narrative Biblical Theology] (certificate)

Ministry partners

The college's ministry partners include:

* Pillar of Fire, the mother ministry.
* Autumn Blaze, a seasonal concert that once took place on the Zarephath campus but now has grown in size to require a move of venue to The Continental Airlines Arena.
* Somerset Christian Academy, formerly Zarephath Academy, this grammar school opened in 1908.
* Star 99.1, a radio station which is broadcast live from Zarephath.
* Victory Sports Camps, a summer sports camp.
* Zarephath Christian Church, a growing church on the Zarephath campus. Their website features podcasts of sermons.
* Zarephath Health Center, a clinic which provides health care to the poor, uninsured and under-insured.

External links

* [http://www.somerset.edu/ Somerset Christian College]
* [http://www.pillar.org/ Pillar of Fire Church]
* [http://www.autumnblaze.org/ Autumn Blaze]