Nazarene Bible College

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Nazarene Bible College is one of the ten Nazarene institutions of higher education in the United States. It is one of the two institutions charged by the denomination with the relatively exclusive task of preparing ministers rather than with the broader assignment of providing liberal arts education for both laity and clergy. It is the only U.S. institution of the Church of the Nazarene given the responsibility and funding to deliver multicultural contextual education. Graduates of the four-year Bachelor of Arts in Ministry degree with a major in Pastoral Ministries meet denominational requirements for ordination to the ministry. The college was authorized by the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in session at Portland, Oregon, in June of 1964. The mandate of the assembly was that the college would be created during the following quadrennium. A board of trustees was elected, Dr. Charles H. Strickland was chosen as the first president and Colorado Springs was selected as the site.

The college opened in September of 1966 in facilities provided by First Church of the Nazarene. New buildings at the permanent location were occupied by the end of the first school year, and the new campus was dedicated in October of 1968. Dr. L.S. Oliver, chosen in 1972 to succeed founding president Dr. Strickland, served until 1984 when Dr. Jerry D. Lambert was elected. In 1994, Dr. Hiram E. Sanders was elected as the fourth president, and in 2006 Dr. Harold B. Graves was elected as the fifth president of Nazarene Bible College.

Nazarene Bible College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC)of the North Central Association and by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). The college was chartered by the State of Colorado as a non-profit educational institution in 1967. It was approved by the Colorado Department of Education to grant degrees under Section 124-21-3 CS '63 (1965 Supp.) in 1970. The four-year Bachelor of Arts in Ministry (BAMin) degree and the two-year Associate of Arts in Lay Ministry (AALM) degree have been approved by the state.

In 1970, the college was approved by the United States Department of Justice for the education of foreign students. It has been certified since 1975 by the Department of Education for eligibility to participate in federally sponsored student aid programs.