Zion Bible College

Infobox University
name = Zion Bible College
native_name =


image_size =
caption =
latin_name =
motto = Zion, the joy of the whole earth!citation
mottoeng =
established = 1924
closed =
type = Private
affiliation = Assemblies of God
endowment =
officer_in_charge =
chairman =
chancellor =
president = Charles Crabtree
vice-president =
superintendent =
provost =
vice_chancellor =
rector =
principal =
dean =
director =
head_label =
head =
faculty =
staff =
students = 250
undergrad =
postgrad =
doctoral =
other =
city = Barrington
state = RI
province =
country = USA
coor = Coord|41.760132|-71.332394|display=inline,title
campus = Suburban
former_names = Mount Zion Bible School, School of the Prophets, Zion Bible Institute
free_label =
free =
sports =
colors =
colours =
nickname =
mascot =
athletics =
affiliations =
website = [http://www.zbc.edu/ www.zbc.edu]

footnotes =

Zion Bible College (ZBC) is a bible college currently located in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is accredited with the Association for Biblical Higher Education and officially endorsed by the Assemblies of God. ZBC's sole purpose is to educate and prepare Pentecostal leaders for work in pastoral ministry, prophetic ministry, evangelistic ministry and teaching. The only degree granted by the school is a Bachelor of Bible. [ [http://www.zbc.edu/ Zion Bible College] ]

History

The Mount Zion Bible School was founded in 1924 by Rev. Christine Gibson at East Providence, Rhode Island. [ Cite book
publisher = Victory House
isbn = 9780932081322
last = Wilson
first = Mary Campbell
title = The obedience of faith: the story of Rev. Christine A. Gibson, founder of Zion Bible Institute
date = 1993] It was also at one time named School of the Prophets. As the Zion Bible Institute, it was closely associated with Zion Gospel Temple, an independent Pentecostal church, which was pastored by Reuben Gibson, the husband of Rev. Christine A. Gibson. The nearby Zion Faith Home, Inc., 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 Barrington, under the leadership of N. Benjamin Crandall, president from 1985 to 2000. The campus was the former home of Barrington College. The centerpiece of the campus is now named the Gibson Memorial Building, named in honor of the ZBC's founder. Originally known as the Peck Mansion, it is listed on the historic sites registry for the state of Rhode Island. It houses the President's Office, a variety of additional offices, and the library.

The school became affiliated with the Assemblies of God in 2000. In 2001, it attained accredited status with the Association for Biblical Higher Education. [ [http://www.bible-college.org/cgi-bin/Schools/ViewSchool.pl?s_seq=93 Bible College] ] Following Crandall, Rev. George Cope took the presidency. George Cope was asked to submit his resignation as president in late 2005. In 2007, former assistant superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Reverend Charles Crabtree, accepted the position of president. [cite web
title =Zion Bible College
url =http://www.zbc.edu/
accessdate =2008-02-24]

Relocation plans

David Green, CEO and founder of the Hobby Lobby chain of hobby stores, purchased the former Bradford College campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 2007. The 18-acre, multi-million dollar campus will then be given to Zion Bible College.Cite news|title=Bradford College to change hands today; Deal allows Zion Bible College to move onto campus|url=http://www.eagletribune.com/punewshh/local_story_260115541|work=The Eagle-Tribune Online|date=2007-09-17|accessdate=2007-10-31] Zion is funding the repairs and upgrades that will need to be done before the shuttered Bradford College campus can reopen.

ZBC plans to relocate to the new campus for the Fall 2008 semester. [Cite news|title=Zion Bible College has new home and new president|url=http://ag.org/top/news/news_article_template.cfm?ArticleID=10037&NamedFormatID=2001Article&SearchDepartment=01-140&SearchStartDate=09/04/2007&SearchMaxRows=3&SearchMaxRecordCount=3263|work=Assemblies of God News Service|date=2007-10-03|accessdate=2007-10-03]

tudent life

Student life at ZBC is different from that of a secular college, in that it tends to be more conservative and regulatory.

There is a dress code for class attendance, chapel attendance, and leisure time.cite news
title =Dress Code | work=Zion Bible College Student Handbook
url = http://www.zbc.edu/documents/handbook_07_08.pdf
page = 30-32
accessdate =2008-06-23] Class attire includes a collared shirt and slacks for males and conservative business casual attire for females. Female students may not wear pants that have back pockets with exterior stitching or flaps. On personal time, modest pants and shirts can be worn, but shorts and skirts must extend to below the knee. Students are also asked to refrain from wearing sweat pants, spandex pants, tank tops, muscle shirts, body rings, tattoos, form-fitting clothing, and sleeveless shirts. Males may not wear earrings and females may not wear multiple or dangling earrings. Hair is expected to be groomed and neat in appearance. Men’s haircuts must be trimmed and not longer than the top of a conventional shirt collar. The dress code is monitored daily by the faculty and staff for compliance. Any student who is found to be non-compliant is required to change their clothing before being allowed to attend class, chapel, or school functions and may be fined by the Resident Director or Resident Assistants. cite web
title =Zion Bible College Student Handbook
url = http://www.zbc.edu/documents/handbook_07_08.pdf
accessdate =2008-02-24]

Chapel is held Tuesday through Friday. Attendance is mandatory for all full-time students. On various Tuesdays, in place of a chapel service, there are class prayers. Each class (freshman, sophomores, etc) meet in a specified location to pray with one another and handle class business.

Students are required to live on campus while attending Zion Bible College. The only two 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 for men (Chase Hall), one for women (Wilson Hall), and one for married students without children (students' children are not allowed to live on campus for insurance reasons) and faculty/staff (with or without children) (Heroo Hall). 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.

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 5 hours per week. A fulltime married student or off campus student must complete 3 hours per week.

Academics

The purpose of Zion Bible College, as stated on its website is, "to teach and train students for Pentecostal ministry, in fulfillment of the Great Commission."

The only major that ZBC offers is Bible. For this major students complete core coursework in Biblical studies and Theology. Each student is required to specify a minor. The minors offered are Missions, Urban Ministry, Pastoral Ministry, Christian Education for Adults, Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Music Ministry. [cite web
title =Assemblies of God - Zion Bible College
url =http://colleges.ag.org/college_guide/zbc.cfm
accessdate =2008-02-24]

In 2006, ZBC launched a new program called "Catalyst". This program, designed and initially spearheaded by former professor Marshal Morse, was to serve as a comparable, college-based alternative to the Master's Commission program founded by Lloyd Zigler. Catalyst is a one or two year program in which students participate more in "hands on" ministry at a local church. There are currently two core churches participating in the program. One is listed on the current website whiuch hasn't been updated since its creation. They are “currently developing relationships with local churches that are willing to participate in the Catalyst program…” [cite web
title =Assemblies of God - Zion Bible College
url =http://colleges.ag.org/college_guide/zbc.cfm
accessdate =2008-02-24]

Traveling Ministry Teams

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 team itself is made up of students. These teams can provide music, dramatic presentations, children's activities, and special speakers to churches, camps, and other organizations.

*"Dwelling Place" - Traveling music team
*"Appointed" - Dramatic arts team
*"Studio Z" - Children's activities team
*"Student Preachers" - Team of spcial speakers for church events, camp, etc

References

External links

* [http://www.zbc.edu/ Zion Bible College website]
* [http://colleges.ag.org/college_guide/zbc.cfm Assemblies of God colleges: Zion Bible College]