Bible college

[1] In Europe, the first schools that could be classified in this category are St. Chrischona Theological Seminary [de] founded in 1840 by Christian Friedrich Spittler [de] in Bettingen, Switzerland, and the Pastors' College (affiliated with the Baptist Union of Great Britain) established in 1856 by Baptist Pastor Charles Spurgeon at London in the United Kingdom.

[3] The American Bible college movement developed in reaction to the secularization of U.S. higher education.

[4] As one historian put it, "It is not a coincidence that the Bible institute movement grew up during the very period when the philosophy of naturalism became prevalent in American education".

[10] Some Bible colleges offer degree programs in ministry-related areas that also have secular application, such as Christian education.

These programs are generally designed for laypersons (such as Sunday school teachers) who neither want nor need a bachelor's degree to perform their Christian service, but who desire additional training in such areas as Bible studies or the teachings and practices of their denomination.

[15] In the United States the average salary for a full professor at a Bible institute was around $49,000 in 2012.