Lee University Affirms Hispanic Bible Institutes
The Church of God Division of Education recently received a letter of affirmation for the Hispanic Bible Institutes from Lee University. In an official letter to Director De Jesús, Lee University’s Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Debbie Murray stated, “We recognize and appreciate the steps you have taken to assure academic rigor and the quality of faculty in the Hispanic Bible Institutes under your purview.” Dr. Murray went on to say, “In light of your attention to these areas, we would like to offer the same agreement of equivalency for the English-centered MIP to the registered Hispanic Bible Institutes under the Hispanic Department of Education.”
Hispanic Bible Institutes were begun in the 1970s by the Department of General Education, under the leadership of Dr. Robert E. Fisher; at the same time, the former Bible Institute Program was instituted in the English-speaking churches. However, whereas the program was discontinued in English, the Spanish-speaking churches viewed this excellent program as being vital for the training of local church workers. Today, over 200 Hispanic Bible Institutes operate in the eight Hispanic regions of the Church of God in the United States with an annual registration of over 1,600 students.
“This agreement with Lee University now offers to students in the properly registered Hispanic Bible Institutes up to 12 credit hours for similar courses in the School of Religion,” stated J. David Stephens, D.D., assistant general overseer and executive director of the Division of Education. “These courses include Old Testament, New Testament, Biblical Hermeneutics, and Christian Doctrine and will be applied to the transcript when one is officially accepted as a Lee student.”
Stephens went on to say, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations and commendations to the USA Hispanic Educational Ministries director, Enrique De Jesús, to all eight Church of God Hispanic administrative bishops, and to over 200 Hispanic pastors and educators who direct these programs at the local church level. At the same time, I also would like to express deep appreciation to Dr. Murray and Lee University for their excellent spirit of cooperation with the Division of Education as it continues to reach out to those constituents who do not have the opportunity to further their education by attending on-campus facilities.”
