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Northpoint Bible College

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Coordinates: 42°45′56″N 71°04′48″W / 42.765454°N 71.080009°W / 42.765454; -71.080009
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Northpoint Bible College and Graduate School
Former names
Mount Zion Bible School, School of the Prophets, Zion Bible Institute, Zion Bible College
TypePrivate
Established1924; 100 years ago (1924)
AffiliationAssemblies of God
PresidentDr. J. David Arnett
Academic staff
28
Students345[1]
Undergraduates327
Postgraduates18
Location
Haverhill
,
Massachusetts
,
United States

42°45′56″N 71°04′48″W / 42.765454°N 71.080009°W / 42.765454; -71.080009
Websitehttp://www.northpoint.edu

Northpoint Bible College and Graduate School (NPBC), formerly known as Zion Bible College, is a Pentecostal Bible college in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The college's sole purpose is to teach and train students for Pentecostal ministry for the spread of the Christian gospel. It offers degree and certificate programs in Biblical Studies and related fields.[2]

History

The School of the Prophets was founded as a volunteer-run institution in 1924 by Rev. Christine Gibson at East Providence, Rhode Island.[3][4] 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 continued as an independent Pentecostal church named Zion Gospel Temple. 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.[1][5]

In 2007 Reverend Charles Crabtree, a former assistant superintendent of the Assemblies of God, accepted the position of president.[6] Also in 2007, David Green, CEO and founder of the Hobby Lobby chain of hobby stores, purchased the former Bradford College campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The 18-acre (73,000 m2) campus was given to Zion Bible College, and Zion was to fund the repairs and upgrades needed before commencing operations there.[7] The college reopened on the new campus in the fall of 2008, and enrollment doubled from 200 to 400.[8]

In 2012, the school's trustees changed the college's name to Northpoint Bible College, effective January 1, 2013.[4][9] Also in 2013, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved the addition of Master's degree and Associate degree programs.[2] In that same year, Crabtree stepped down as president and David Arnett was chosen to be his successor.

Campus

Campus of Bradford Academy, ca. 1905

The campus, formerly that of Bradford College, is located in the Bradford section of Haverhill at 320 South Main Street, Haverhill, MA 01835.

Academics

The college offers programs leading to the following objectives:

Bachelor's degree 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, and Pastoral Ministry.[2] The college has an open admission policy.[1]

The Master of Arts program offers concentrations in Pastoral Leadership Development, Preaching, Spiritual Formation, and Church Planting and Revitalization.[2]

Affiliations

NPBC is accredited with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, Michigan Department of Higher Education, Association for Biblical Higher Education[10], a member of National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements NC-SARA, and officially endorsed by the Assemblies of God USA.

Student life

Chapel is held Monday through Thursday. Attendance is mandatory for all full-time 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 full-time students are required to participate in the S.P.I.C.E. program. A full-time, on-campus student must complete five hours per week. A full-time married student or off-campus student must complete three hours per week.

There is a dress code for class attendance, chapel attendance, and leisure time.

Residence life

Unmarried students without an established residence in the area are required to live on campus while attending Northpoint Bible College. There is one dormitory for men (Gallagher Hall) and one for women (Gibson Hall). Some married students live on the upper floors of Academy Hall. Unmarried students who are not yet in their senior year are held to nightly campus curfew, room curfew, and weekly room inspections.

Extracurriculars

There are several traveling teams at Northpoint. These teams provide ministry opportunities to the students attending Northpoint Bible College. The teams are overseen by Northpoint Bible College staff, but the teams are made up of students who hold a 3.5 Gpa. 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. Furthermore, some of these missions teams travel around the world to spread the Gospel message in accordance of the Great Commission. As of 2017, some of these mission trips took place either locally or in Europe or Africa. [citation needed]

From 2006 to 2011, NPBC offered a program in which students participated in "hands on" ministry at one of six local churches. This "Catalyst" program was to serve as a college-based alternative to the Master's Commission program founded by Lloyd Zigler.

Distance education

Northpoint Bible College has satellite distance-education campuses in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Crestwood, Kentucky, Texarkana, Arkansas, and Los Angeles, California. Courses are also offered online.

Gallery

  • Denworth Hall, slated to be the future site of the chapel
    Denworth Hall, slated to be the future site of the chapel
  • Academy Hall, administration, student services, residential
    Academy Hall, administration, student services, residential
  • Hasseltine Classroom Building, classes, faculty offices
    Hasseltine Classroom Building, classes, faculty offices
  • Student residence halls
    Student residence halls
  • Library
    Library

References

  1. ^ a b c "College Navigator: Northpoint Bible College". U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  2. ^ a b c d e Catalog (PDF). Northpoint Bible College.
  3. ^ Wilson, Mary Campbell (1993). The obedience of faith: the story of Rev. Christine A. Gibson, founder of Zion Bible Institute. Victory House. ISBN 978-0-932081-32-2.
  4. ^ a b G. Jeffrey MacDonald (January 10, 2013). "Haverhill drawing energy from rejuvenated Bible college". Boston Globe.
  5. ^ "Member Colleges". Association for Biblical Higher Education. Archived from the original on 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  6. ^ "Zion Bible College Accreditation". Archived from the original on 2007-01-06. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  7. ^ "Bradford College to change hands today; Deal allows Zion Bible College to move onto campus". The Eagle-Tribune Online. 2007-09-17. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  8. ^ G. Jeffrey MacDonald (December 13, 2012). "Who's filling America's church pews". Christian Science Monitor.
  9. ^ Bruce Amaro (March 13, 2014). "Perfect new fit for old campus". Haverhill Gazette.
  10. ^ Directory of Accredited Members, ABHE

External links

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