The Fad of the Bible College Movement

[FSSL]

Every pastor I have been on staff under wanted to start a Bible College (even when many existed).

Only churches with resources actually could muster up an Institute or College. It was a fad.

I am not against higher learnIng. But why can't a church just do this Sunday Morning without spending 100s of thousands of dollars?

Hire professors and start adult classes. Don't pretend to give certificates that never help a person secure employment.

 

[praise_yeshua]

Good question. Man is always thinking about their "legacy". That's one of the reasons they like to put their names on so many of the buildings.

We so easily forget, what God has done for some..... He can do for others. Its not about our Legacy but His. Sometimes we get them tangled together and their often...... so very far apart.....

Not talking about anyone in particular. I don't have an axe to grind. I believe there is room for Christian education..... but I don't see the bridge between such and this secular society. I can't see someone going to a "Christian" college/university trying to get a degree in American Law. Go for it.,,, if that's God's call on your life..... I guess I just see "Bible College" being about.... "Bible things". Maybe there is a bridge there....

 

[Timotheos]

Every pastor I have been on staff under wanted to start a Bible College (even when many existed).

Only churches with resources actually could muster up an Institute or College. It was a fad.

I am not against higher learnIng. But why can't a church just do this Sunday Morning without spending 100s of thousands of dollars?

Hire professors and start adult classes. Don't pretend to give certificates that never help a person secure employment.

I have always thought it was a way for these pastors to teach in "higher education" w/out actually going through the rigors of gaining a PhD (they typically have DDs given to them so they can be "doctor") and find a real teaching job. They like the classroom setting. So this facilitates their desires.

 

[FSSL]

Some true thoughts up there.

 

[AmazedbyGrace]

$40,000 a pop for each student...maybe more if you can get a quasi-accreditation.
A reason to continually hold building banquets and reach out to outside donors.

Cha-ching!

 

[Holy Mole]

$40,000 a pop for each student...maybe more if you can get a quasi-accreditation.
A reason to continually hold building banquets and reach out to outside donors.

Cha-ching!

What Bible College gets 40K per student?

Do you mean for the four years?

 

[Biker]

$40,000 per student!!    no way


I can't imagine being in debt $40,000 in your early twenties because you have a sub standard education which doesn't allow you to earn back that money invested an honest fashion. Even if it was a good education. FSSL indicates they aren't told that up front, makes sense. Otherwise they couldn't suck many young inexperienced kids into their scams

 

[bgwilkinson]

$40,000 per student!!    no way


I can't imagine being in debt $40,000 in your early twenties because you have a sub standard education which doesn't allow you to earn back that money invested an honest fashion. Even if it was a good education. FSSL indicates they aren't told that up front, makes sense. Otherwise they couldn't suck many young inexperienced kids into their scams

Maybe he means 4 or 5 years and a degree.

 

[Biker]

$40,000 per student!!    no way


I can't imagine being in debt $40,000 in your early twenties because you have a sub standard education which doesn't allow you to earn back that money invested an honest fashion. Even if it was a good education. FSSL indicates they aren't told that up front, makes sense. Otherwise they couldn't suck many young inexperienced kids into their scams

Maybe he means 4 or 5 years and a degree.

Maybe. I hear HAC has a 50% off sale going on

 

[Biker]

And free 100% Schapp buttons to the first 50 people who enroll this coming Semester...

 

[Holy Mole]

$40,000 per student!!    no way


I can't imagine being in debt $40,000 in your early twenties because you have a sub standard education which doesn't allow you to earn back that money invested an honest fashion. Even if it was a good education. FSSL indicates they aren't told that up front, makes sense. Otherwise they couldn't suck many young inexperienced kids into their scams

This is not exactly accurate. Not trying to defend Jack Hyles but the truth is that he would often say referring to HAC students "They drive junk cars and wear used clothes so they can someday drive junk cars and wear used clothes." or something almost exactly like that.  People at HAC were not going there to earn a living, they were trying to "save America". In fact, it was considered the highest honor their to have sacrificed money or great opportunity to enroll in HAC(and many people had a story to tell like that). 

 

[bruinboy]

Can't imagine anyone starting a Bible Kawlage for the money........... there isn't any.  Most of these skools are started to stoke to ego of the managawd, in a number of ways.  He can always say he is the president of a kawlage.  I am sure they don't volunteer the information, that it is in a church basement and only has 5 students. 
There are very few Bible Skools with more than a couple hundred students anyway. No way they are money makers, unless the leader is skimming money off the top, or from donors. Would be interesting to know what the average enrollment is for these institutions.

 

[Biker]

Can't imagine anyone starting a Bible Kawlage for the money........... there isn't any.  Most of these skools are started to stoke to ego of the managawd, in a number of ways.  He can always say he is the president of a kawlage.  I am sure they don't volunteer the information, that it is in a church basement and only has 5 students. 
There are very few Bible Skools with more than a couple hundred students anyway. No way they are money makers, unless the leader is skimming money off the top, or from donors. Would be interesting to know what the average enrollment is for these institutions.

Yeah but they still make money. How much do you think those Monkey Suits cost these preechers ? All to one up the average joe in the congregation. They purposefully pay good money to dress immodest. My bet is their houses aren't too shabby

Mine? A cabin in an offgrid town. The land is cheap. The entire town is offgird and I built the cabin myself. We just moved. My bet is for them to live as I do they'd be crying foul

On the flipside, I ordered a 2015 Tesla with all the bells and whistles which should be ready at the end of this month. But that will last decades and allow for a softer carbon footprint. A junk car that runs is very extravagant gift for the congregation to have to bear for any Elder or Pastor imho. Or any member who is needy. You'd need the recipient to be quite needy in order to justify such

 

[Biker]

$40,000 per student!!    no way


I can't imagine being in debt $40,000 in your early twenties because you have a sub standard education which doesn't allow you to earn back that money invested an honest fashion. Even if it was a good education. FSSL indicates they aren't told that up front, makes sense. Otherwise they couldn't suck many young inexperienced kids into their scams

This is not exactly accurate. Not trying to defend Jack Hyles but the truth is that he would often say referring to HAC students "They drive junk cars and wear used clothes so they can someday drive junk cars and wear used clothes." or something almost exactly like that.  People at HAC were not going there to earn a living, they were trying to "save America". In fact, it was considered the highest honor their to have sacrificed money or great opportunity to enroll in HAC(and many people had a story to tell like that).

So you're making my point, so of course, I must agree The bogus degrees are just that, a bunch of scams.

Except for the few Public School teachers located in the Bible Belt which allow for that degree to be accepted for their particular positions. Overall these bogus degrees don't allow for an honest living. They just take money from Teenagers who will obtain no real skills or even obtain a certificate which will result in them supporting themselves financially.

 

[bruinboy]

Can't imagine anyone starting a Bible Kawlage for the money........... there isn't any.  Most of these skools are started to stoke to ego of the managawd, in a number of ways.  He can always say he is the president of a kawlage.  I am sure they don't volunteer the information, that it is in a church basement and only has 5 students. 
There are very few Bible Skools with more than a couple hundred students anyway. No way they are money makers, unless the leader is skimming money off the top, or from donors. Would be interesting to know what the average enrollment is for these institutions.

Yeah but they still make money. How much do you think those Monkey Suits cost these preechers ? All to one up the average joe in the congregation. They purposefully pay good money to dress immodest. My bet is their houses aren't too shabby

Mine? A cabin in an offgrid town. The land is cheap. The entire town is offgird and I built the cabin myself. We just moved. My bet is for them to live as I do they'd be crying foul

On the flipside, I ordered a 2015 Tesla with all the bells and whistles which should be ready at the end of this month. But that will last decades and allow for a softer carbon footprint. A junk car that runs is very extravagant gift for the congregation to have to bear for any Elder or Pastor imho. Or any member who is needy. You'd need the recipient to be quite needy in order to justify such

I did put in the disclaimer of skimming off the top, or from donors.  A small skool doesn't have a prayer of making money, IF it is run like a business, ie. tuition used to pay teachers and facility use.  Additional money is always needed and must be raised from outside resources, ie. donors, other churches.  Just like many IFB things, there is nothing in place to ensure these outside moneys are regulated or controlled and get to their intended places/uses.  Besides a managawd who has a church and is president of a Bible skool is worth a huge salary ....................................................... isn't he? 

 

[BALAAM]

Believe it or not I heard some of these pastors talk about starting their colleges and a couple of them let it slip that they found they were losing some of their best workers as they left to go to bible college. That played into the decision to start their own.

 

[Biker]

Can't imagine anyone starting a Bible Kawlage for the money........... there isn't any.  Most of these skools are started to stoke to ego of the managawd, in a number of ways.  He can always say he is the president of a kawlage.  I am sure they don't volunteer the information, that it is in a church basement and only has 5 students. 
There are very few Bible Skools with more than a couple hundred students anyway. No way they are money makers, unless the leader is skimming money off the top, or from donors. Would be interesting to know what the average enrollment is for these institutions.

Yeah but they still make money. How much do you think those Monkey Suits cost these preechers ? All to one up the average joe in the congregation. They purposefully pay good money to dress immodest. My bet is their houses aren't too shabby

Mine? A cabin in an offgrid town. The land is cheap. The entire town is offgird and I built the cabin myself. We just moved. My bet is for them to live as I do they'd be crying foul

On the flipside, I ordered a 2015 Tesla with all the bells and whistles which should be ready at the end of this month. But that will last decades and allow for a softer carbon footprint. A junk car that runs is very extravagant gift for the congregation to have to bear for any Elder or Pastor imho. Or any member who is needy. You'd need the recipient to be quite needy in order to justify such

I did put in the disclaimer of skimming off the top, or from donors. A small skool doesn't have a prayer of making money, IF it is run like a business, ie. tuition used to pay teachers and facility use.  Additional money is always needed and must be raised from outside resources, ie. donors, other churches.  Just like many IFB things, there is nothing in place to ensure these outside moneys are regulated or controlled and get to their intended places/uses.  Besides a managawd who has a church and is president of a Bible skool is worth a huge salary ....................................................... isn't he?

I must've missed that ^^but I think you've hit the nail on the head.

I know ego is important but scripture says something about it being more difficult for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. I never believed it was necessarily damning the rich but the mentality of greed which accompanies it, a mentality a poor man can have. A con artist can probably drum up donations pretty easily by lying and such. It just feels odd to start a College so to charge people money to accomplish what scripture intended to be free. But it's been a fad so long I think Bible Colleges will exist at least until the Tribulation

 

[Biker]

Believe it or not I heard some of these pastors talk about starting their colleges and a couple of them let it slip that they found they were losing some of their best workers as they left to go to bible college. That played into the decision to start their own.

Sounds about right

 

[AmazedbyGrace]

$40,000 a pop for each student...maybe more if you can get a quasi-accreditation.
A reason to continually hold building banquets and reach out to outside donors.

Cha-ching!

What Bible College gets 40K per student?

Do you mean for the four years?

Yes, 4 years - although that would be a bit low for students at WCBC. Their website gives a cost estimate of $5,720 per semester for on campus students, so $45,760 for a lower than community college quality "degree".

 

[Fresh Air]

The complete lack of charity and grace displayed on this thread is astounding. Apparently it never occurred to anybody that maybe, just maybe, someone who once start a Bible college might have had a smidgen of motivation to advance the cause of Christ and help people become trained to do that.

Nope. Of course that is impossible. Every single one was motivated by nefarious intentions. I shoulda' known...