Valley Forge Christian College

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This article is about the college in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. For other uses, see VFCC (disambiguation).
Valley Forge Christian College
Established: 1931
Type: Private
President: Don Meyer, Ph.D.
Vice-president: Philip McLeod, Ph.D.
Charles Coles, Jr.
Daniel Mortensen, Ph.D.
Provost: Philip McLeod, Ph.D.
Students: 900-1,000
Location: Charlestown Township, Pennsylvania (part) and Schuylkill Township, Pennsylvania (part)
Campus: Suburban
Affiliations: Assemblies of God, General Council of the Assemblies of God USA, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Website: www.vfcc.edu

Valley Forge Christian College is an Assemblies of God college founded in 1931 at the campgrounds of Maranatha Park in Green Lane, Pennsylvania. The college is now located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, about 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia, on a campus straddling the township line between Charlestown and Schuylkill Townships.

Contents

[edit] History

J. Roswell Flower founded the summer Bible school that would later become the Valley Forge Christian College in 1931. For much of the College's history, the campus was located at site of Flower's summer school -- Maranatha Park in Green Lane, Pennsylvania.[1]

In 1939, the school was granted a charter to train ministry workers and was named Eastern Bible Institute. Following this, other Bible schools in the region folded into the Institute, including Beulah Heights Bible Institute of North Bergen, New Jersey; Metropolitan Bible Institute of Suffern, New York; New England Bible Institute of Framingham, Massachusetts; and Pine Crest Bible Institute (now called Pinecrest Bible Training Center) of Salisbury Center, New York.

Along with attaining accreditation from the American Association of Bible Colleges in 1969, the school was renamed, becoming the Northeast Bible Institute. In 1975, another name change came upon earning authority from Pennsylvania to confer bachelor's degrees. The Institute became Northeast Bible College.

In 1976, the College acquired the site of the former Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville. Once moved to that location, the school became the Valley Forge Christian College[2]; its new name paying homage to the former hospital as well as reflecting its proximity to nearby, historical Valley Forge. This acquisition was the subject of the landmark Supreme Court case Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United (1982).

[edit] Accreditation

Valley Forge Christian College is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Secretary of Education and the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation.

The college holds affiliate membership with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, an international higher education association of intentionally Christian colleges and universities.[3]

[edit] Woodbridge Campus

The College operates a satellite campus at Christ Chapel in Woodbridge, Virginia.[4] Students attending at this campus can earn degrees in the same courses of study as those attending at the main campus in Phoenixville.

The Woodbridge campus began with the vision of Rev. Dr. Vincent McLaughlin whose commitment to Christian education is unsurpassed; not for the purpose of cognitive knowledge alone, but for the purpose of knowing God better for the ultimate purpose of transformation and conformation to the likeness of Christ. The doors to the Woodbridge campus opened in January of 2005 with only 50 students. Under the direction of Dr. McLaughlin, there are currently more than 150 students enrolled pursuing various degree paths. Christ Chapel Academy also offers their high school students classes at the college as well. Dr. McLaughlin insists on a college that is committed to advancing the teachings of Christ by developing students who study, understand, communicate and live out the Scriptures in order to serve the Kingdom of God. Valley Forge Woodbridge Campus welcomes students from all backgrounds and fosters an atmosphere of openness in ideas, adhering to the philosophy that in all essentials there be unity; in non-essentials, charity; and in all things love. The Dean of Students is Dr. William Baker and the Dean of Women is Dr. Katie Hohmann. Valley Forge Woodbridge Campus is accredited through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

[edit] Children's Ministries University Online

Since 2005, Valley Forge Christian College has offered an internet-based, one-year, 30-credit certificate program known as Children's Ministries University Online (CMUO). This service is targeted at non-traditional students working in children's focused church ministries.

CMUO was founded by Dick Gruber, Children's Ministry Specialist at the College, and Jason Rhode, with a mission "to prepare individuals for a life of service and leadership in children's ministries." The online extension of the College has had students from around the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.[5]

[edit] Administration

Title
President Dr. Don Meyer
Provost, Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Philip McLeod
Vice President of Institutional Advancement Dr. Charles "Chick" Coles, Jr.

[edit] Notable graduates

Greg Hubbard

Joe James

Daniel Hubbell

James Madjeski

[edit] Interesting Facts

[edit] Ministry Teams

Chosen
Pneuma
3D
Audience of One
Veracity Ministries

[edit] External links

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Assemblies of God Institutes, Colleges, Universities, and Seminary
Institutes

Latin American Bible Institute - California • Latin American Bible Institute - Texas
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American Indian College • Caribbean Theological College • Central Bible College • Native American Bible College • Trinity Bible College • Valley Forge Christian College • Western Bible College • Zion Bible College
Universities
Seminary
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Colleges and Universities in Metropolitan Philadelphia
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