The “Whole Church, Whole Life Bible College” is first of all a concept. Way of Life Literature has more than 40 Bible courses for use in Bible colleges, Sunday Schools, etc., but that is not what we are talking about here. A church can use any curricula it pleases for a whole church, whole life Bible college. 

The “Whole Church, Whole Life Bible College” is first of all a challenge to churches to be much stronger as Bible training institutions in these evil days. 

We are seeing a great collapse of fundamental Baptist churches, churches dead, churches dying, churches entering the wayward path of contemporary evangelicalism. The great dangers of the internet and artificial intelligence (AI), dangers moral and doctrinal, will no doubt increase continually until the Rapture. The operation of the devil to devour has never been greater (1 Peter 5:8). These are the perilous times described in 2 Timothy 3. The wickedness of men, highlighted in that chapter, is amplified by end-time technology. Pastors and preachers and teachers must be wiser and stronger; they must train and protect the people better; they must build up the homes to raise a godly seed; they must produce men who are the spiritual heads of their homes and mothers who are the keepers of the home; they must make true disciples of the youth instead of entertaining them to death. This is imperative. Wherever this does not happen, the church will join the great collapse. 

A “WHOLE CHURCH” Bible college is a challenge to every church member to pursue a serious Bible education at his or her own pace. It is a challenge to continue to pursue a Bible education throughout his or her life. A whole church Bible college is the church that provides this type of training for its people. 

We had a full-time Bible college for many years and graduated multiple classes of three-year students. The 2023 graduation was the final one. In 2025 we started working toward developing a whole church Bible college. We have never seen this done, but we see it in the Bible. 

We believe this will meet the needs of a wider group of people and build up the church to a stronger level. The “whole church” Bible college is designed to provide a Bible college education for all of God’s people. It can be a full-time program for those who have the time to devote to it. But it can work for those who can devote any amount of time. 

It expands on a Bible Institute that consists of one or two church classes a week. 

It facilitates entire church membership participation.

It consists of a combination of the following:

Church classes. e.g., one or more classes a week, such as evening classes or Sunday afternoon 

Sunday School

Pulpit ministry. Here we refer primarily to expository preaching through Bible books. Currently we are preaching through James by giving a strong introduction and focusing on some of the highlights. The students take the material taught in these services for credit, while the others learn as they do in normal church services. The church member who approaches an expository preaching series as a Bible course--taking notes, reviewing, and being tested--will get much more out of it than by merely listening. Of course, we always preach the gospel for the unsaved who are present in our services. 

Christian school and home school. In our Christian school, some of the courses in the Bible college curriculum are administered in the higher grades, and the students can get credit for these toward the Bible college degree. The same is true for approved courses taught in home school programs.

Private study. Students can take courses on their own time.

It is a program with a set curricula that the student moves through toward a diploma. It works like this:

- Those who want to participate, register as students. The registration paper has the list of courses on the back, and as the student completes courses they are checked off and the grade recorded.

- The student is assigned a supervisor to guide him or her through the curricula. The supervisor advises about the order of courses, answers questions, helps the student stay on track, administers tests, registers the scores, and prepares course completion certificates. 

- The student takes the courses that are available in church classes and in the pulpit ministry. 

- The student takes additional courses privately as he or she has time. 

- Each year in our missions conference we have had a graduation service for the Bible college. Beginning in 2025, those who have completed courses that year will receive certificates for their work, and those who have completed an entire curricula will receive a degree. 

We call this Bible college “WHOLE LIFE” because it aims to provide serious Bible training for the whole life. A basic Bible college degree is the beginning, not the end. We want to urge our members to take Bible courses to the end of their lives. Reading and study without testing is much less effective than reading and study with testing. 

A whole church, whole life Bible college is based on the Bible’s teaching that the New Testament church is to train up every member as highly as possible as a whole life pursuit toward being what God wants him to be and doing what God wants him to do.

The pattern for the church that we see in Scripture requires teaching the whole Bible and the whole counsel of God to every redeemed saint that he might be equipped to be the priest (1 Pe. 2:5), ambassador (2 Co. 5:20), soldier (Eph. 5:10-18), minister of gifts (Ro. 12:3-8), teacher (Heb. 5:12-14), and builder of the church (1 Co. 3:9-15; Eph. 4:11-16) that God has called him to be (and if married, the father the spiritual head of the home and the mother the keeper of the home). 

Consider the following fundamental Bible passages on this subject:

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the TRUTH” (1 Ti. 3:15). 

Truth is the church’s chief business. This refers to the Word of God (“thy word is truth,” Joh. 17:17) rightly divided (2 Ti. 2:15). This refers to the truth about Jesus Christ (“I am ... the truth,” Joh. 14:6; “the doctrine of Christ,” 2 Jo. 1:9). This refers to a sound gospel of grace (Ga. 1:6-9) and sound doctrine (Tit. 1:9; 2:1). The church is an institution of truth, and truth requires teaching and preaching. This is the church as a Bible college.

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' DOCTRINE...’ (Ac. 2:42). 

The first church, which is a pattern for every church (excepting the ministry and signs of the apostles), was a church devoted to apostolic teaching. The members loved doctrine, and the elders taught doctrine. Doctrine is the first characteristic that is mentioned. 

“TEACHING them to observe ALL THINGS whatsoever I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:20). 

This is the church’s curricula. It consists of the whole Scripture and the whole counsel of God from the Scripture.

“Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you ALL THE COUNSEL OF GOD” (Ac. 20:26-27). 

Paul obeyed the Lord’s commandment to teach all things. He considered this a solemn responsibility for which he was accountable to God. Every member must have the whole counsel of God to be what God wants him to be and to do what God wants him to do. Teaching the whole counsel of God to every believer is a very large ministry. 

“Whom we PREACH, warning every man, and TEACHING every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28). 

This is the ministry that Paul modeled; therefore, this is the pattern for every New Testament church. This is a ministry of warning and teaching. Note that both are needed. Note, too, that warning is mentioned first by way of emphasis. Every New Testament church will have a serious warning ministry. This is a ministry geared for every believer, every church member. This is a ministry that is based on Christ’s command in Matthew 28:20. It is a ministry of “all wisdom.” (This refers to the method of teaching; it is a ministry exercised in wisdom; and this refers to the content of the teaching; it is geared to teaching all wisdom or all things.) This is a ministry that is aimed toward perfection, which describes a life-long ministry. This is a ministry that reaches into eternity. Presenting every man perfect in Christ points to the judgment seat of Christ. This is the New Testament church as a serious Bible college!

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and DOCTRINE” (1 TI. 5:17). 

The church’s teaching ministry is so important to God that He instructs the churches to give very special honor and support to the elders who labor in that ministry.

““And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and TEACHERS; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, UNTO A PERFECT MAN, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of DOCTRINE, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But SPEAKING THE TRUTH in love, may grow up into him IN ALL THINGS, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:11-16). 

This beautiful description of a New Testament church emphasizes that it is spiritual body in which every member is instructed and built up to be a minister. Every member is to learn doctrine. Every member is to be protected from false doctrine and to help protect others. The preachers, evangelists, pastors and teachers are the chief instructors. They don’t do all of the work of the ministry; they prepare all of the saints to do the work of the ministry. 

“For when for the time ye ought to be TEACHERS, ye have need that one TEACH you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is UNSKILFUL IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Heb. 5:12-14). 

We see that every believer is to become skillful in God’s Word. Every believer is to be able to teach others. It is impossible to please God if this does not happen. The saints in the first churches were rebuked for failing in this. Every believer is to have a biblical testing mindset by learning God’s Word well and proving everything by it. This is what we see in Ephesians 4:11-16. Every member of the body is to be built up to be a minister. 

Consider some more Scriptures that emphasize the church as a serious Bible training institution. Consider the strong emphasis on teaching, preaching, instruction, doctrine, counsel, feeding the flock, and speaking the truth. Repetition is for emphasis. Repetition in Scripture is God saying, “Listen up, my people!” 

“And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and TAUGHT much people” (Ac. 11:26).

“Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, TEACHING and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also” (Ac. 15:35).

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to FEED THE CHURCH of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Ac. 20:28).

“the DOCTRINE which ye have learned” (Ro. 16:17).

“... when ye received THE WORD OF GOD WHICH YE HEARD OF US, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Th. 2:13).

“A bishop then must be ... apt to TEACH” (1 Ti. 3:2).

“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good DOCTRINE” (1 TI. 4:6). 

“These things command and TEACH” (1 Ti. 4:11).

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to DOCTRINE” (1 Ti. 4:13). 

“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the DOCTRINE; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Ti. 4:16).

“These things TEACH and exhort” (1 Ti.. 6:2).

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to TEACH OTHERS also” (2 Ti. 2:2).

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH” (2 Ti. 2:15). 

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for DOCTRINE, for reproof, for correction, for INSTRUCTION in righteousness”(2 Ti. 3:16).

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and DOCTRINE” (2 TI. 4:2). 

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound DOCTRINE” (2 Ti. 4:3). 

“But speak thou the things which become sound DOCTRINE” (Tit. 2:1).

“That they may TEACH the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children” (Tit. 2:4).

“In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in DOCTRINE shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity” (Tit.. 2:7).

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, AN HOLY PRIESTHOOD, TO OFFER UP SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pe. 2:5). 

“FEED THE FLOCK of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Pe. 5:2).

When we talk about a whole church, whole life Bible college, we are not referring to doctrine without practice. We’re not talking about merely filling people’s minds with knowledge. We aren’t talking about “arm chair theology.” Proper Bible training is practical training for the Christian life and ministry. We are talking about “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:20). The emphasis is on “all things” and the emphasis is on “to observe,” which is obedience. The Greek tereo is “to guard, to keep, to obey.” 

Imagine what a church could be that is trained like this for multiple generations, assuming it doesn’t fail to keep the emphasis on proclaiming the gospel, regeneration, Spirit filling, holiness, a pilgrim lifestyle, surrender to Christ, separation, and aggressive evangelism. 

Churches can use whatever curricula they want, of course.

For those who are interested in the Way of Life Bible College curricula, each course has a textbook, , review questions, sectional tests, a final test, and the test scoresheets. Many of the courses (as noted) also feature multi-media material (e.g., video classes, maps, PowerPoints). As of October 2025, there are 41 courses. At the heart of the Way of Life Bible college curricula is a whole Bible study called Mastering the English Bible, which takes the student from Genesis to Revelation and incorporates multi-media presentations featuring 7,500 slides with maps, archaeology, photos, Bible pictures, reconstructive drawings of ancient sites, video clips, and other visual aids gleaned from museums and libraries plus on-site research in Israel, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, England, and Europe. We are adding new courses regularly. Most of the videos (except Mastering the English Bible) and the PowerPoints are available for free. 

One pastor recently commented: “You may want to either enumerate or highlight what makes your materials distinct from the current materials made available from Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, Neo's, Ecumenicals, Neo-Orthodox, New Calvinists/Reformed. One strength that I see, is that your materials directly address current theological issues from a decidedly Biblical and Independent Baptist perspective.”

Way of Life Bible College
https://www.wayoflife.org/bible-college/

Courses
https://www.wayoflife.org/courses/

Course materials
Course materials (Review Questions, Tests, Score Sheets) may be downloaded for free. Look for the green "Download Course" button on each course/book description/purchase page. You will find these pages on our website by navigating to "Books" and then "Courses."

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