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West Coast Baptist College Introduces New Online Bachelor’s Degree

Fall Program Will Allow Students to Accomplish Education Goals and Deepen Faith on Their Own Schedule While Balancing Family, Work and Ministry Responsibilities

 

LOS ANGELES—“Multi-tasking” has become one of the buzz words of business and education. Love it or hate it, getting more things done in a shorter amount of time has become a necessity for busy lives.

The leaders of West Coast Baptist College (WCBC) know students are dealing with a variety of responsibilities, such as working full time or raising families. Oftentimes, traditional times and means for higher education fall by the wayside because of packed schedules.

For this reason, West Coast Baptist College is offering a new online bachelor’s degree in biblical studies, where students can deepen their knowledge without diminishing their convictions, and receive an exceptional Bible education online from a college that holds firm to the doctrines of the inerrancy and preservation of scripture.

“We are excited to announce that WCBC is ready to take another step forward in offering Bible college education online,” said Dr. Paul Chappell, West Coast Baptist College president and senior pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church. “Beginning this fall, students can earn a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies online from West Coast Baptist College. While the degree concentrations for pastoral, evangelism and missions require on-campus mentoring and instruction, we are delighted to offer this degree in biblical studies and pray that it will help train and equip Christians to have a greater understanding of the Word of God.”

More than 10 years ago, WCBC began offering online education through the online master’s degree program. Hundreds of Christian workers have taken advantage of this program to further their Bible education. Specifically, the online master’s program has been helpful for those who desire a deeper understanding of the Bible, but ministry responsibilities or other life circumstances prevent them from physically moving near a Bible college.

“We started West Coast Baptist College in the fall of 1995 with a passion to train the next generation of spiritual leaders for ministry in the local Baptist church,” Chappell added. “It has been amazing to see what God has done. Twenty-two years later, God has allowed us to see thousands of young adults train and enter the ministry. WCBC alumni are serving Christ as pastors, missionaries, evangelists, assistant pastors and Christian educators all around the world.

“Our mission has always been and will always be training laborers for His harvest,” Chappell continued. “We still believe that the on-campus, ministry-immersion experience of West Coast Baptist College under the authority of a local Baptist church is the primary and ideal method for training for ministry, especially for 18- to 21-year-olds who generally are able to relocate for college and who are greatly helped by the mentoring and modeling aspects of an on-campus experience. But we also realize that there are some who simply cannot move and attend a college in person. Perhaps some are already serving in ministry or have family and career responsibilities, but also have a desire for a deeper more systematic understanding of the Bible and its doctrines. That is why we have created WCBC online.”

Perhaps most importantly, the online bachelor’s program allows students to take college classes on their own schedule and timeline, all the while balancing relationships, work and ministry responsibilities. Whether students decide to carve out time on weekday evenings, weekend mornings or some combination, they can decide the schedule that works best for them and start accomplishing their goals and deepening their faith.

Additionally, the online program was designed for online students by online students, and is supported by faculty and staff who have earned degrees online while balancing work, ministry and family.

For more information about the online bachelor’s program commencing this fall, to apply online, view costs or to request more information, visit West Coast Baptist College or call (888) 694-9222.

West Coast Baptist College is an integrated auxiliary organization of Lancaster Baptist Church, where Chappell has served as pastor for the past 31 years. He and his wife of 37 years, Terrie, recently released the new book, “Are We There Yet? Marriage—a Perfect Journey for Imperfect Couples,” a travel-themed guide for marriage.

Read more about West Coast Baptist College, Lancaster Baptist Church, “Are We There Yet?” and the Chappells here. For more information on Dr. Paul Chappell and Lancaster Baptist Church, visit paulchappell.com or www.lancasterbaptist.org, or connect via social media on Facebook, Twitter or the church’s YouTube or Vimeo.

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