Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is both a four year undergraduate institution and a graduate seminary located in Lincoln, Illinois. Although it has enrolled a variety of students from various nations and backgrounds over the years, it is theologically and ecclesiastically associated with the Christian Church. A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ... The date of establishment or date of founding of an institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point. ... University President is the title of the highest ranking officer within a university, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as Chancellor or rector. ... Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... Alternate uses: Student (disambiguation) Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, which means to study, a student is one who studies. ... Lincoln is a town in Logan County, Illinois, United States. ... A website (alternatively, Web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on a Web server, usually accessible via the Internet or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML, that is almost always accessible via HTTP, a... Lincoln is a town in Logan County, Illinois, United States. ... Description The Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ are a part of the Restoration Movement and are in the theological middle ground between the Disciples of Christ and the Church of Christ (non-instrumental). ...

It is accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. The Association for Biblical Higher Education or ABHE (formerly the The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges or AABC) is a nationally recognized accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education. ... The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) is one of six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education. ... The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ...

History

Lincoln Christian College, one of the largest Bible colleges in the United States, is supported by the independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. This non-denominational fellowship of more than one million members has nearly six thousand congregations across the United States and nearly as many more worldwide. Lincoln was founded in 1944, but its religious heritage extends back to the early 19th century, to a nation-wide revival among various Protestant churches often called “the Great Revival.” From that Great Revival came a grass-roots movement among many faith groups led by Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Barton Stone, and Walter Scott. It was known as the Restoration Movement. The plea of this movement, to which Lincoln subscribes, has three emphases: (1) the authority of the Bible, (2) the unity of God’s people, and (3) the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to “go into all the world to make disciples.”

Lincoln Christian Seminary has been providing quality graduate education for leadership ministry for more than half a century. In 2001-02, in fact, the Seminary celebrated 50 years of service since its founding in 1951 under the leadership of its first dean, Enos Dowling, and its first president, Earl Hargrove. It is one of only three seminaries in the Stone-Campbell tradition associated with independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. These churches are part of a "Restoration Movement" begun in the early 19th century on the American frontier under the leadership of such men as Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell. The movement they started is based on a plea for unity among God's people by restoring the essential elements of Biblical Christianity.

The Seminary is part of a larger institution known as Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. The Seminary shares a campus and several administrative and other functions with its undergraduate counterpart, Lincoln Christian College, which was founded in 1944. The Seminary has its own faculty, academic programs, and policies for its students, as well as its own building.

Programs

LCCS currently offers undergraduate degrees that include: Biblical Studies, Biblical Exposition, Business Administration, Children's Ministry, Christian Education, Intercultural Studies, Preaching, TESOL, Worship Ministry, Youth Ministry

As well as graduate programs that include: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Arts in TESOL, Doctor of Ministry

Current Issues

As LCCS enters the 21st century it faces many challenges. The college continues to slowly grow and is experiencing a shift from producing preachers for rural midwestern churches (from which the restoration movement was born) to encompassing a more worldwide missionary evangelism. In doing so the college has found itself searching for identity. LCC has struggled to obtain qualified faculty to expand its major program offerings. It also faces the continual decision of whether to maintain strict adherance to the theology and authority of the stone-barton restoration churches, or to move beyond its original charter and embrace the spirit of the restoration movement, which is the unity of all christian believers. Although a relatively young college at the end of its third generation, this issue has led to isolation of LCC from its neighboring schools, churches, and communities. Many of the support, teaching, and administration jobs are assigned by nepotism, keeping new voices from entering the system. Currently more than 50% of its students do not graduate. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

LCCS has strong ties to the Evangelical Theological Society. As in this body, theological ideas such as inclusivism and open theism as well as ecumenism (especially with the Roman Catholic Church) are the controversies most currently at the forefront of discussion, as this college wrestles with its increasing promenience and responsibility to Christianity in the Midwest. Inclusivism, one of several approaches to understanding the relationship between religions, asserts that while one set of beliefs is absolutely true, other sets of beliefs are at least partially true. ... Open theism, also known as free will theism, is a theological movement that has developed within Evangelical Protestant Christianity as a response to certain ideas that are a part of the synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian theology. ... The word ecumenism (also oecumenism, Å“cumenism) is derived from Greek (oikoumene), which means the inhabited world, and was historically used with specific reference to the Roman Empire. ... The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ...

External links

Lincoln Christian College and Seminary
Association for Biblical Higher Education
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada