Lancaster Bible College

Lancaster Bible College, officially named Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary and Graduate School and shortened to LBC | Capital, is a private Bible college, seminary, and graduate school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Lancaster Bible College offers non-credit courses, undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs. The college offers several Master of Arts and Master of Education degree programs, along with three Doctorate programs.

In addition to the Lancaster location which houses all of the traditional undergraduate programs, LBC has two additional sites that offer accelerated undergraduate degrees for adult students and graduate programs. These affiliated sites are in Greenbelt, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

History
Founded in 1933 by Henry J. Heydt, the original name of the school was Lancaster School of the Bible. In 1957, the college made the move to its current location in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1973, the school took on its current name, and in 1981 the Pennsylvania Department of Education gave LBC official approval to offer the Bachelor of Science in Bible degree.

In 1994, LBC's graduate school was approved to award Master of Arts in Bible, Ministry, Counseling, and Master of Education degrees in School Counseling and Consulting Resource Teacher.

In July 2012, LBC announced the launching of a Philadelphia site through its partnership with the Center for Urban Theological Studies (CUTS). The partnership creates the Lancaster Bible College at CUTS program [or LBC | Capital – Philadelphia], a satellite campus enables students who attend LBC | Capital – Philadelphia to receive fully- [sic]accredited LBC | Capital diplomas.

LBC was granted an exception to Title IX in 2016 which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons.

LBC's current president is Thomas L. Kiedis. He was preceded by Peter W. Teague (1999–2020), Gilbert A. Peterson (1979–1999), Stuart E. Lease (1961–1979), William J. Randolph (1953–1961), and Henry J. Heydt (1933–1953). Teague announced his retirement on August 21, 2018, and Kiedis became president effective February 1, 2020.

Campus locations


The main campus of Lancaster Bible College is situated on 109 acres in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. The campus is just north of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and is within driving distance of Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

In January 2013, Lancaster Bible College announced that it had acquired the academic programs of Washington Bible College and Capital Bible Seminary in Greenbelt, Maryland. Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary and Graduate School now refers to this site as its Washington, DC location.

The Philadelphia campus of LBC was first founded in 1971 as the Center for Urban Theological Studies (CUTS). In 2012, CUTS came under the umbrella of LBC | Capital. This campus is in the Glenwood section of north Philadelphia, and is located at Deliverance Evangelistic Church.

Academics
Lancaster Bible College is classified by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a bible college with a high-undergraduate enrollment profile.

Students on average receive about $3,000 in financial aid from the college. Reduced tuition for one class per semester is offered to junior and senior high school students.

Undergraduate education
LBC's undergraduate education grants six bachelor's degrees, two associate degrees, and two one-year certificates. Over one hundred and seventy faculty (part-time and full-time) teach at the college, many of whom have doctorates. Undergraduate students can select from 32 undergraduate majors (and 22 minors).

Graduate education
The institution's graduate education grants ten master's degrees and seven graduate certificates.

Doctorate programs
Lancaster currently offers four doctorate programs in Leadership, Biblical Studies, Educational Leadership and Ministry.

Accreditation
Lancaster Bible College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and the Association for Biblical Higher Education on Accreditation (ABHE). LBC is also accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COMSA). The school is registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Student life
It is a tradition for students to receive a towel along with their diploma as they graduate, as a symbol of foot washing and a reminder to use their education to serve others.

Athletics
Lancaster Bible College teams (which are only at the college's Lancaster campus) participate as a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The Chargers are a member of the NCAA's United East Conference. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

Women's Beach Volleyball was added as a club sport during the 2023-2024 Academic Year.

Athletic Awards

 * NEAC Presidents' Cup (2017, 2018, 2019)
 * United East Conference Men's Basketball Champions (Formerly the North Eastern Athletic Conference) (2016, 2018, 2023)
 * United East Conference Men's Volleyball Champions (Formerly the North Eastern Athletic Conference) (2018,2023)
 * North Eastern Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Champions (2013)

Trust Performing Arts Center
Lancaster Bible College runs The Trust Performing Arts Center in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Built in 1912 for the Lancaster Trust Company, the building features Beaux-Arts design from esteemed Lancaster architect C. Emlen Urban. The Trust hosts live theater, music, dance, and lectures throughout the year.