Zion Bible College - History

History

The School of the Prophets was founded in 1924 by Rev. Christine Gibson at East Providence, Rhode Island. It was also at one time named Mount Zion Bible School. Later, as the Zion Bible Institute, it was closely associated with Zion Gospel Temple, originally a Holiness congregation founded in the late 19th century by Rev. Alphaeus Cleveland and subsequently pastored by Rev. Christine Gibson. The congregation later affiliated with the Pentecostal revival and is to this day an independent Pentecostal church. The nearby Zion Faith Home, Inc., a retirement home for missionaries, was also connected with the school and church for many years while the campus was located in East Providence, Rhode Island.

In 1985, Zion Bible Institute relocated to the former campus of Barrington College in Barrington, Rhode Island. At the time the Institute was under the leadership of Dr. N. Benjamin Crandall, president from 1985 to 2000. The centerpiece of the campus was the former Peck Mansion, a building listed on the registry of historic sites for the state of Rhode Island. Renamed as the Gibson Memorial Building in honor of the Institute's founder, it housed the President's Office, a variety of additional offices, and the library.

Following Crandall, Rev. George Cope served as president from 2000 to 2005. The college became affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA in 2000. In 2001, it was accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. In 2007, former assistant superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Reverend Charles Crabtree, accepted the position of president.

In 2007, David Green, CEO and founder of the Hobby Lobby chain of hobby stores, purchased the former Bradford College campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The 18-acre (73,000 m2) campus was given to Zion Bible College, and Zion was to fund the repairs and upgrades that were necessary before the shuttered Bradford College campus was reopened. The college reopened on their new campus in the fall of 2008. By January 1, 2013, the school's name will be changed to Northpoint Bible College.

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