HISTORY
In the year 1970, Word of Life Fellowship’s various youth ministries were growing at such a rate that a new need developed: the need for a place to train and prepare Christian young people to become leaders.
Word of Life Brazil had already started a Bible Institute in 1965 under the direction of Dave Cox. The school was training young Brazilians for Christian service, using a unique three-faceted program that stressed academics, life, and ministry. The clear need for such a program in the U.S. was evident, and the necessary facilities already existed on the property of the Word of Life Ranch, the organization’s children’s summer camp in Pottersville, New York. The Word of Life Bible Institute (WOLBI) in New York was launched in September of 1970 at the winterized Ranch facilities under the direction of Paul Brownback, a former West Point cadet who had met Jack Wyrtzen (the founder of Word of Life Fellowship) when Jack was teaching Bible classes at the military academy. While 50 students were expected to enroll, 73 showed up at the school’s launch. The school grew to 126 students the following year. At its start, the Word of Life Bible Institute’s program was a one-year intensive wholistic program with a three-faceted model that emphasized the study of the Bible and theology, personalized discipleship and spiritual disciplines, and ministry training. The objective of the program was, and still is, to prepare and equip students for effective service for Christ in any context around the world. The program was developed further in 1981 with the addition of the School of Youth Ministries, and later, the School of Missions and Evangelism in 1987, which were yearlong programs designed to equip graduates of WOLBI’s first-year program to be successful youth workers, evangelists, and missionaries. In 1992, these two programs were merged into the singular Studies in Youth Ministries, Missions, and Evangelism program, which, in 1995, became WOLBI’s second- year program. The launching of the second-year program, in conjunction with the original first-year program, meant that students who completed both years would graduate with a two-year diploma in Youth Work and Missions. Currently, students who complete the first-year program graduate with a Bible Certificate, while students who complete the second- year program receive a diploma in Bible. A large percentage of WOLBI graduates transfer to other institutions of higher learning to complete baccalaureate degrees, with many Christian colleges accepting the credits earned at WOLBI via articulation agreements. WOLBI is currently working through the process of becoming a degree-granting institution in New York State in hopes of granting an A.A.S. in Biblical and Theological Studies to students who complete its two-year program and a recognized Certificate in Bible and Theology for those who complete its first-year program. These changes would not only enable students to complete their time at WOLBI with an undergraduate degree or certificate but would also ensure easier transfer of the credits earned at WOLBI to other schools. Throughout the past fifty years, WOLBI has continued to grow, operating with the singular mission of educating each student within a rigorous academic and structured discipleship atmosphere, preparing him or her to live a life of maximum effectiveness for the Lord. This has been accomplished through the development and delivery of a biblical and theological studies curriculum taught by an impressive array of highly qualified and expert resident professors and an extensive network of guest lecturers with relevant expertise. While the mission and the means of accomplishing this mission has always been the same, the Bible Institute today is quite different from when it first began. With the New York property serving as the main campus, WOLBI now operates five other TRACS-approved teaching sites around the world. These teaching sites are located in Hudson, Florida; Owen Sound, Ontario; Toalmas, Hungary; Jeju City, South Korea; and Kampala, Uganda. Each teaching site is equipped to offer the full extent of the first-year program. Students at these locations wishing to continue into WOLBI’s second year may enroll in the program at the main campus in New York after completing the program at their respective teaching site. From an initial enrollment of 73 students in 1970 to its global enrollment, including the main campus in New York, of nearly 800 students in 2019, WOLBI has seen tremendous growth. The main campus in New York has a historical average enrollment of 444 students, with a five-year average of 269 first-year students and 147 second year students.
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2 WOLBI will work through the substantive change process with TRACS as approvals are received from New York State.
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