PURPOSE

The purpose of ACTS International Bible College is to help students discover, train, and be prepared for ministry. This is accomplished through:

• ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE. We believe that students need to be confronted with dynamic, biblical teaching that has balance, depth, and integrity.

• SPIRITUAL DYNAMICS. We believe that for people to grow spiritually, there has to be an environment for growth that will impact their lives, both in their relationship with the Lord and with other people.

• STUDENT MINISTRY. We believe that we must not only be hearers of the Word, but also doers. So, built into the course of study are opportunities to apply the training in personal and practical ministry, both locally and abroad.

ACTS uniquely equips men and women to commence their God-given ministry in the Body of Christ by:

• Interweaving the spiritual dimensions of character building, endurance, transparency, security, and intimacy with the Father within the disciplines of the classroom experience. ACTS is vitally interested in the personal transformation of each student becoming more like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Nurturing a dynamic spiritual environment to stimulate maturity through relationship building, small group interaction, and one-on-one mentoring. ACTS aims to cultivate relational skills to enable students to acquire adeptness when communicating the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Developing each student’s sound biblical knowledge and ability to appropriate and apply this knowledge within the framework of a deep commitment to God in order to penetrate the world effectively with vision and truth.

• Providing opportunities to translate their ministerial training in personal and practical student ministries, internships, and cross-cultural missions work. ACTS is designed to facilitate the students to encounter varied and challenging ministries as well as focusing on the specific call that God has placed on each individual.

Many schools that endeavor to prepare men and women for the ministry have a leaning toward only academic, theological, or practical issues. While ACTS strongly supports academic and theological excellence, we also know that the spiritual growth and character of the person will affect the quality of the ministry he or she represents. ACTS is committed not only to nurture, equip, and release the ministry of each student, but also to enhance the maturity and overall effectiveness of the Body of Christ at large.

Upon graduating from ACTS, the student will:

• Have had the opportunity to mature in his or her knowledge and experience with God.

• Have grown in Christ-like character and the release of gifts and talents that will enable the student to serve God effectively.

• Have built a strong, solid foundation of the Christian faith, based upon the Bible, that promotes balance, depth and integrity.

• Have learned to appreciate different people groups and cultures, while gaining wisdom from the Church’s historical roots and missions throughout the world.

• Have gleaned from the varied opportunities of student ministries that provide training in personal and practical ministry.

ACTS is not a typical training school. It merges the streams of sound theological doctrine with intense practical application. It integrates sound, experienced leadership with the individual calling placed on each student. ACTS will teach you how to think, not how to mimic.

Upon completion of your training at ACTS, you will shoot out of the starting blocks with a heart devoted to Jesus Christ, a mind trained to think for itself, and a disposition ready to serve. You will be equipped to commence the ministry call of God on your life with a sound theological, exegetical, and spiritual training. At ACTS, you will become an enduring fire, not a momentary flash.

We have chosen not to seek traditional accreditation because our goal is to provide practical ministry training along with academic competence. We prefer to retain the excellence of our program than to sacrifice critical components in order to become traditionally accredited. Around the world, ACTS students are successfully fulfilling the call of God upon their lives and they testify of the value of training received here.

ACTS has received exemption from the Private Institutions Registration Program under Minnesota Statute 136A.657, and is therefore entitled to offer religious education degrees.

ACTS is a ministry of the Way of the Lord Church and a Regional Team of Fathers and Families Together, an international and interdenominational network of congregations and ministries.

The ministry of ACTS International Bible College is built upon what we believe, and what we believe is based on the Word of God and our personal faith in Jesus Christ.

We believe:

1. That there is one God, Creator of heaven and earth, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• That God, the Father, has chosen to make Himself known to humanity. By His actions and through His Word, He shows us His power, wisdom, holiness, and love, working all things together for His good purpose.

• That God, in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and gave Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice by shedding His blood and dying on the cross. He did this to make an eternal, absolute, and total payment for the past, present, and future sins of humankind. He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the mediator between God and man. One day, He will personally return in power and glory to judge the world.

That God, the Holy Spirit, is present in the world to make humanity aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every believer in Jesus Christ, with power for witnessing and understanding of spiritual truth enabling the believer to live a godly life. He is the giver of spiritual gifts, and we as believers, are to be under His daily control.

2. That the Bible is inspired by God; is totally true in all it affirms without any mixture of error, and is our supreme authority for faith, conduct, and doctrine.

3. That Adam & Eve were originally created perfect by God in His own image. However, because of Adam’s disobedience, the human race is lost, sinful, and totally separated from God. Because of sin, humanity is under spiritual deception from Satan, (the devil – a fallen, created, spiritual being) who encourages our rebellion against God.

4. That the purpose of God is to rescue fallen humanity through a pre-designed plan that was conceived before the world began. This salvation occurs by turning from sin and placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ. It is God’s free gift to us and cannot be earned or purchased through our own good deeds. It is purely by God’s grace given to us through faith. In salvation, we have forgiveness of sins, right-standing with God, sin’s penalty paid, and the gift of eternal life.

5. That each person will be bodily raised from the dead and will one day stand before Jesus Christ, the ultimate Judge and Redeemer. Those who have placed their trust in Christ will receive everlasting life with God; those who reject Christ will receive everlasting punishment and eternal separation from the presence of God.

6. That all true believers in Jesus Christ make up the church worldwide and are instructed to locally gather for prayer, fellowship, and teaching of God’s Word. We are then commanded to go and declare the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ, discipling all nations until He comes again.

7. That Jesus Christ instructed those who believe in Him to: 1) be baptized in water, as a symbol of their new birth in Jesus Christ; 2) partake of the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of His suffering, death, and resurrection until He comes again. Neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper have any merit in helping a person obtain eternal life, and they are only for those who have personally believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.