A MESSAGE FROM DR. LEWIS

Greetings! The time for Sound Biblical Education is NOW! As never before, there is a hunger in our land for knowledge and direction. God desires that we take the time to know Him and His Word. In today's world of forced uncertainties and a denial of absolute truth, those who desire to impact their world for Jesus Christ need to be solidly grounded in the Word of God, prepared to present God's unchanging truth with confidence as well as competance.

Rocky Mountain Bible College & Rocky Mountain Seminary is first and foremost committed to equiping believers to clearly and accurately present the gospel of God's free grace: Justification through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, with no admixture of works before, during, or after salvation as conditions for salvation.

RMBC&S is further dedicated to providing men and women of God with the skills necessary to study, teach, and preach the Bible with the accuracy and enthusiasm befitting God's inerrant revelation. To achieve this kind of quality preparation, RMBC&S offers Bible-intensive classes taught by professors who are also proven practitioners in a wide spectrum of successful ministries. Likewise, students are required to complete coursework and gain real-life experience in four crucial areas: biblical/theological, general, professional, and Christian service.

Through our one-, two-, or four-year undergraduate programs, or through our two-year Master's program, students can be assured of acquiring genuine expertise in the Word of God while honing the ministry skills necessary for a lifetime of effectiveness for Christ. And, as a bonus, all of this is offered in the unparalleled setting of beautiful Colorado!

In His Gracious Service,
Dr. Stephen R. Lewis
President

• Background
• Needs Assessment
• Goals & Objectives
• Conclusion

When the Apostle Paul encouraged dedicated believers to press on to know and experience the perfect will of God, he first admonished that they not be conformed to the world, and then he commanded that they be transformed by the renewing of their minds (Romans 12:1-2). Paul knew that the transformation of a life through the renewing of the mind is a process of education in the Word of God; and this is the special province of the Bible College.

Background: Bible colleges came into being not as a conscious revolt against liberal arts or seminary education, but rather to meet the needs of laymen and professionals who desired to teach the Word of God and to win men and women for Jesus Christ. Historically, Bible colleges began emerging in the late 1800’s and early twentieth century, when many seminaries were ceasing to teach the Bible itself, and as a result, were failing to produce qualified Bible expositors and teachers. This led many aspiring pastors to take the Bible college route to Christian service, rather than pursing their education through Christian liberal arts institutions and seminaries.

In evaluating the merits of any education, especially a biblical education, the following observations can be made:

1. At best, all formal education is incomplete. It is only a beginning of a lifelong process. For believers, knowledge of God and His Word ideally should form the foundation for all further learning, no matter what career calling or life’s work they may eventually pursue.

2. A formal education can never be completely comprehensive. Today, more than any other time, educators and institutions can no longer hope to touch on every field of current knowledge. A Biblical foundation, however, will help the student view all knowledge through the insight of God’s Word.

3. A diversity of students require or desire differing degrees of education. There are differences in capacities, differences in interests, and differences in the levels of intelligence and education among the people future graduates will serve or lead. A biblical education, therefore, seeks to adequately meet the needs of any student willing to study the Bible and the subjects related to it – whether through a one year certificate, a two year associates degree, or a four year bachelor’s degree.

4. One’s education is never complete without knowledge of the Bible – God’s inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word.

Needs Assessment: Back at the turn of the previous century, as well as today, the failure of seminaries to require adequate preparation in Bible and theology left them uncertain concerning the true status of their graduate degrees. This is why they granted bachelor’s degrees in divinity and theology at the end of three years of study. However, should seminaries require the kind of in-depth professional training as given in Bible colleges, they would then be able to offer their students true graduate status, instead of a bachelor’s degree, as the reward for three years of study.

Goals and Objectives: Because Rocky Mountain Bible College emphasizes knowing the Word of God, the clarity of the free grace gospel and living out a committed Christian life, we cultivate in students a genuine commitment to Christian service, and impact lives that otherwise might remain unresponsive to the claims of Jesus Christ.

Goals

• RMBC seeks to provide the strong biblical background necessary for a Bible-based life, practical theology, and ministry.

• RMBC requires and stimulates hands-on Christian ministry, and prepares the student for lifelong evangelical involvement

• RMBC seeks to provide training in specific, practical subjects which in turn impart skill sets and “know-how” to students’ Christian service.

• RMBC introduces an integrated Biblical worldview into all educationally important fields of knowledge that are touched on by the curriculum.

• RMBC provides a concentration in Biblical knowledge frequently not offered in seminary, emphasizing the importance of that knowledge in the belief that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Objective

Because Rocky Mountain Bible College’s core objective is to prepare witnesses for Jesus Christ with a view to world evangelism, such witnesses must be men and women of God, specialists in the Word of God, and committed to proclaiming the gospel of salvation by God’s free grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. In an age of increasing specialization, we seek to produce specialists in God’s Word, and to create a growing love for Jesus Christ through knowledge and expertise in the Scriptures.

Because Rocky Mountain Bible College believes that accreditation is necessary to provide quality Biblical education to the Colorado area and beyond, we are committed to the five to eight year process of accreditation. Once we have realized that objective, we will not only enjoy the benefits of a biblical accountability structure, we will also be set apart from many schools which start up with good intentions, but never develop a program that meets the needs of students for a recognized, credentialed education.

Conclusion: Rocky Mountain Bible College is ready to take the next step in its growth as a qualified and recognized institution. It has enjoyed a solid foundation of sound Biblical education under the direction of the founder and first president, Dr. Jonathan Smith, who was on the faculty of Western Bible College, the last Bible college located in the Denver, Colorado area. Western Bible College eventually merged with Rockmont College and became Colorado Christian University, a Christian Liberal Arts school. Since that time Rocky Mountain Bible College has continued to be a strong presence in the area, and thus is positioned to fill a huge void in the field of Biblical education. For this to happen, full accreditation must be our top logistical priority.
The support (prayers, finances and leadership) of faithful believers is crucial.