about
Since 1926, LABI College has equipped young men and women for leadership in the Latino churches by providing biblical, theological, and ministerial training. Reflecting the needs of a multicultural population, today instruction is offered in both English and Spanish, thus providing a setting conducive to the development of an active multicultural ministry. The Institute’s curriculum focuses on the bilingual and bicultural preparation of men and women who have a calling from God to enter into either full-time ministry, church leadership, or pursue higher education.
History
LABI College holds the distinction of being one of the oldest Hispanic educational institutions in the United States. On October 1, 1926, Miss Alice E. Luce, a former Anglican missionary, joined with Ralph and Richard Williams and founded Latin American Bible Institute in San Diego, California, in conjunction with (then) Glad Tidings Bible Institute. Her vision and determination for a Hispanic Bible school have remained an underlying factor in the success of LABI-CA. Experiencing a time of growth, the institute moved in 1935 from San Diego to nearby La Mesa, California, and then again in 1941 to Los Angeles. As more students enrolled for ministerial training, overcrowded conditions made it imperative to find more extensive facilities. The land purchased in La Puente, California, site of the existing facilities, and by 1950 the school graduated its first class here.
Mission Statement
We are a Biblically-based Pentecostal community of higher learning, equipping Christian men and women for service in the church and world.
Core Operational Value Statement
As a body of believers motivated by faith and purpose, we move and operate with excellence, transparency, and innovation.
Vision Statement
Biblical higher education accredited, state and federally approved, and fully endorsed by the Assemblies of God, LABI College merged with Latin American Theological Seminary, will become one of the most academically respected, diverse, and cost-effective, theological training institutions in the country.
GOALS
Academic
●Students will develop a biblical and theological foundation from a Pentecostal perspective.
Intellectual
● Students will gain critical thinking and effective communication skills that will enable them to articulate the Christian faith in the church, academy, and society.
Spiritual formation
● Students will experience biblical spiritual formation practices that will form their character in Christ and assist them in discovering their call for the ministry.
Service
● Students will learn a biblically-based servant style of leadership and develop competency in ministry skills that will prepare them for credentials with the Assemblies of God.
VALUES
Truth
● Pursuing truth and a biblical foundation through academic learning.
Service
● Experiencing servant leadership through ministerial and professional opportunities that develop gifts for service.
Culture
● Commitment to cultural integrity and embracing diverse ethnicities.
Character
● Developing Christ-like identity, habits, gifts, and cultivating a love for others.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
LABI College accepts without reservation the Statement of Fundamental Truths of the General Council of the Assemblies of God. This statement of faith is as follows:
● …the Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative written Word of God.
● ..there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
● …in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection and His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His personal future return to this earth in power and glory to rule a thousand years.
● …in the blessed hope, the rapture of the Church at Christ’s coming.
● …the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious blood of Christ.
● …regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for personal salvation.
● …in water baptism by immersion.
● …the redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides in healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer.
● …the baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 2:4, is given to believer who ask for it.
● …in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy life.
● ..in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting damnation.
ENDORSEMENT AND ACCREDITATION
Endorsement
LABI College is endorsed by the Alliance of Christian Higher Education of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, Springfield, Missouri and the Southern Pacific District of the Assemblies of God.
Accreditation
LABI College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education to grant certificates and degrees at the Associate and Baccalaureate levels. 5850 T.G. Lee Blvd., Ste. 130, Orlando, FL 32822, Telephone: 407-207-0808
State Approval
LABI College is a private institution that is approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. The Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education does not endorse programs. Approval to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education does not mean the institution exceeds minimum state standards. A student or any member of the public may file a complaint about this institution with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education by calling (888) 370-7589 toll-free or by completing a complaint form, which can be obtained on the bureau’s internet website www.bppe.ca.gov.
