It is important to receive college instruction from an institution and leaders that share your values and convictions. West Coast Baptist College seeks to build upon the foundation that pastors and parents have begun in students’ lives. At West Coast, students build life-long friendships and date fellow Baptist students.
People do what people see—that’s why mentoring in a local church Bible college environment is so special. At West Coast, not only do the students receive quality academics, they also see their teachers involved in weekly soulwinning and local church ministry at Lancaster Baptist Church. If students miss seeing dynamic soulwinning and personal discipleship for four years, they are unlikely to implement such service when they enter the ministry.
We thank God for godly engineers, lawyers, nurses, and businessmen, but at West Coast we are focused on training future pastors, missionaries, evangelists, music leaders, and Christian educators. We exist to develop leaders with a heart for God who are committed to the Word, compassionate toward the lost, and compelled to change communities for Christ. We train the next generation to strive for balance in rules and relationships and in soulwinning and discipleship.
The following comprise the Scriptural beliefs of this college.
As the Apostle Paul developed leaders, he followed a three-part process: hear, see, do. He described this in Philippians 4:9: “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do….” At West Coast Baptist College, we avoid the one-dimensional teaching method of lecture only and implement this three-dimensional biblical model. Our students hear local church leadership instruction in college classrooms. They see local church leadership modeled as our college faculty engages in personal soulwinning, discipleship, and church leadership. And they do local church ministry as they participate in weekly ministry opportunities here at Lancaster Baptist Church.
It is our conviction that students who hear, see, and do over a four-year period are far more likely to return to the local church and be involved upon graduation than students who only hear the truth taught. Furthermore, by following this three-dimensional model in our training of laborers, our graduates are equipped to likewise raise up local church leaders as they minister in harvest fields around the world.
Students at West Coast Baptist College are taught that the Christian life is a holy life.
Students are taught the necessity of being separated unto the Lord and away from the world.
Students are taught the importance of accountability to authority. Each student is also taught that once he is in the ministry, every pastor and full-time worker should be accountable to the Word of God, to the Lord, and to a few of his peers who will help him and admonish him in his walk.
Students learn the meaning of the words of our Lord, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." We teach the joy of serving the Lord Jesus Christ and the importance of being faithful to the Lord until the end of this life, whether by death or by the rapture.
All students are taught that the main counsel for a Christian must come from the Word of God. Furthermore, students are taught that Jesus Christ promised the person of the Holy Spirit to every believer to guide us into truth. Finally, we teach our students that they should seek counsel from their pastor, parents, and other godly Christians when making important decisions.
We do not teach the pragmatic ways of compromising biblical doctrine for the sake of church growth. We do teach that there is no substitute for the preaching of the Word of God and personal soulwinning. Our students are taught how to organize an effective Sunday school and soulwinning program, and they are taught that all things should be done decently and in order. Furthermore, our students are instructed in the ways of developing first-class materials and facilities for the purpose of being a good representation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Students are taught the biblical model of local church-based missions as set forth in the New Testament. They are taught that it is God's will for local churches to support missionaries, both home and abroad, with a substantial percentage of the annual income of the church's offerings. Students are taught that missionaries are to be esteemed as heroes of the faith. Students are taught that biblical qualifications and guidelines, such as those found in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1, are essential for all those in Christian ministry.
Students at West Coast Baptist College will be taught the importance of appreciating and growing spiritually through the means of godly music. Students will also be taught that worldly music and Christian rock music are destructive to their maturing as a Christian.
West Coast Baptist College believes in the importance of following the scriptural admonitions regarding music found in Ephesians 5; therefore, our concentration revolves around psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
The 250-voice choir of Lancaster Baptist Church, as well as all musical groups and instrumentalists, adhere to conservative music standards, emphasizing a distinct melody and godly music theory. Students will not, however, be taught to have a judgmental spirit of other ministries with slight variations in music style from that which is taught at West Coast Baptist College. They will be taught that a critical and judgmental spirit is as grievous to the Lord as perhaps an unintentional variation in music style by a like-minded fundamental church.
Students at West Coast Baptist College are taught the importance of doctrine as a basis for biblical ministry and the Bible as the final authority for all matters of faith and practice. They are taught the Baptist distinctives and the headship of Christ over the local church. They are also taught the need for ecclesiastical and personal separation.
West Coast Baptist College recognizes the privilege of continuing the education of students and individuals who have been raised in godly homes. It is the goal of West Coast Baptist College to support the counsel of godly parents in the lives of their children. It is the student's responsibility to stay accountable to his parents regarding his spiritual, academic, and financial status as a student. West Coast Baptist College will contact parents in the event of serious physical or spiritual needs in the life of their child.
We are located in an urban area where extensive and various types of outreach opportunities are available.
The teaching staff is involved with daily ministry in the church, which keeps our faculty practical in their application.
We are a ministry of a church which has an aggressive outreach program balanced with discipleship.
We are part of a church that provides an exciting atmosphere with a warm, loving, and friendly church family.
All students who are not from Baptist churches in the nearby areas attend Lancaster Baptist Church and participate in ministry requirements here. Students of Baptist churches in the Southern California area are permitted to return to their home churches on weekends, but are required to meet specific Christian service requirements in their home churches.
West Coast Baptist College recognizes the labor of love which each home church and pastor have displayed toward any student recommended to West Coast Baptist College. Therefore, we promote loyalty to the home church and pastor at all times. A student who withdraws from college will be encouraged to return to his home church, unless he is gainfully employed and is planning to return to school the very next semester under the counsel of his home pastor. Furthermore, students are encouraged to spend their summer months at home. This provides the students the opportunity to be with their families, to serve in the ministries of their home churches, and to save financially for the upcoming school year.
A college is a place for learning. We have done our best to develop strong academic standards, but we are convinced that without a Bible-based philosophy of education, academics alone will never bring revival to our land. As you pray for the ministry of West Coast Baptist College or consider sending young people to this place, it is our heart's desire to communicate to you the values and principles that are emphasized here for the purpose of glorifying God.
1 Corinthians 14:8 -"For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" We are committed to rightly dividing the Word of Truth in the pulpit and in the classroom. We believe biblical preaching will present strong doctrinal content in a fashion which is not confusing. Furthermore, we will not follow the current trends that diminish doctrine in order to make the truth palatable to the unregenerate man. It is vital that we teach and preach sound doctrine, which includes our biblical Baptist distinctives and the biblical principles for ecclesiastical separation.
2 Corinthians 4:5 -"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." We believe in the biblical role of the pastor as the overseer of the church. We also believe that godly pastors should follow the example of our Lord Jesus (Philippians 2:6-7) by modeling servant leadership in their congregation and in their communities.
Philippians 1:27 -"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;" It is imperative that we recognize God's desire for us to strive together, as a team, for the faith of the Gospel. As a college we must strive together with the home pastor. It is our belief that we are entering into the labor of the home pastor. We will not attempt to replace his role in the lives of the students. We are privileged to have great influence on the lives of the college students, but we are not the only influence. Furthermore, we must have a spirit of teamwork with the parents of the students. The parents who send students to this college deserve to hear from us when their students excel or have a trial. Finally, it is our desire that the students will observe, in our faculty and church family, the joy of serving together as a team in ministry.
John 1:14 -"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." All of us have observed the tragedies of imbalanced lives. We believe that Jesus Christ must be at the center of all Christian ministry. It is our desire that the Word of God will bring a proper balance into the lives of our students. We will do our best to balance grace and truth, rules and relationships, holiness and helpfulness, along with doctrine and obedience.
Titus 1:7 -"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;" Self-willed leadership is limiting and unapproachable. We believe spiritual leaders in this era must be easily approached. It is our desire that pastors know we want their input, and we welcome their phone calls. Furthermore, we want students to sense that they can come and ask questions or seek counsel throughout their years at West Coast Baptist College.
Matthew 28:19-20 -"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." We believe soulwinning is not only to be "taught," but it must also be "caught," as the leadership provides the example in faithfulness. Therefore, as a college, it is our philosophy that the faculty will model soulwinning through their faithful, weekly involvement in reaching others. We have no interest in lifting up musicians or theologians who are not actively involved in reaching the lost. It is our desire that instructors be soulwinnners who bear fruit that remains. Furthermore, it is our prayer that these soulwinners be motivated by the Holy Spirit as He develops a disposition of compassion and faithfulness within their hearts for the Saviour.
Psalm 57:7 -"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." While we do not apologize for the old-fashioned guidelines and rules that exist on our Bible college campus, we also must not be so foolish as to believe that outward conformity will lead to a spiritual heart. Our primary goal is not outward conformity. Our primary goal for West Coast students is that they would have yielded hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is our prayer that they would leave West Coast Baptist College "doing the will of God from the heart" (Ephesians 6:6).
Philippians 4:9 -"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." We believe in the necessity of modeling the Christian life and mentoring our students in service for the Lord. It is vital that our students observe the leadership around them "doing the work of God."
1 Timothy 3:4-5 -"One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)" Ephesians 5:25 -"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" We want our college students to see that God requires ministry families to be spiritually healthy and vibrant. We must remember that our first ministry is in the home-to our spouses and children. We do not believe the concepts of a vibrant, growing church and a loving family are mutually exclusive.
Galatians 5:22-25 -"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." We cannot, by ourselves, produce the fruit that evidences mature Christianity. Each of us must yield to the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is a holy life, and as we endeavor to take the "high road" in the Christian life, we will only find true success in the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit. We must be dead to self in order to be filled with God's Holy Spirit. We will walk in the Spirit as we die to self, yield to God's Holy Spirit, and emphasize the necessity of spiritual music in our lives. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but we do believe it shares the heart and core values of the ministry at West Coast Baptist College. This is a local church Bible college. It is a place where students learn the truths of God's eternal Word and then experience those truths in the local body of one of America's dynamic, soulwinning churches.