The Peace River Bible Institute is a degree granting college recognized by the province of Alberta. PBRI's Bachelor of Religious Education course was recognized after its establishment in the 1980s by the American Association of Bible Colleges. The Bible college

Bible college

Bible colleges are institutions of higher education that specialize in biblical studies. Curriculum is Bible-based and differs from that of liberal arts colleges or research universities. Bible colleges generally exclude the study of philosophy, unlike seminaries and theological colleges...

 is located in Sexsmith, Alberta

Sexsmith, Alberta

Sexsmith is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located on Highway 2, north of the city of Grande Prairie.Sexsmith is located in the Peace River Country region of Alberta, and as such sits in one of the most fertile growing areas in the province...

, Canada.
Mission Statement: "To conduct a Bible College, the training of students in a thorough knowledge of the Word of God, Holy Scriptures,
and the training of students to become ministers, whether at home or abroad."

Vision Statement: To train believers to become disciple-makers who know God, model His character, and are able to build into others
the life-changing principles of God's Word.

History

The Peace River Bible Institute (PRBI) was founded in 1933 in Berwyn

Berwyn, Alberta

Berwyn is a village in northwestern Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately west of the Town of Peace River, southwest of the Town of Grimshaw, and northeast of the Duncan's First Nation reserve....

 by Walter McNaughton, a graduate of the Prairie Bible Institute, who moved PRBI to its present location in Sexsmith two years later. PRBI's first director was Hattie Kirk, whose work was celebrated in an exhibition at the Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie, Alberta

Grande Prairie is a city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta in Western Canada. It is located on the southern edge of the Peace River Country . The city is surrounded by the County of Grande Prairie No...

 Museum devoted to women's role in the history of the Peace region

Peace River Country

The Peace River Country is an aspen parkland region around the Peace River in Canada. It spans from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, where the region is also referred to as the Peace River Block.- Geography :The Peace River Country includes the...

. The college's student numbers have risen rapidly since 1993, with the number of enrolments rising from 60 to 200 over the 10 years leading up to 2007.

Programs

Courses offered by PBRI range between two and four years in length, and cover religious education, church music, pastoral studies and mission work. The college's four-year Bachelor of Religious Education

Bachelor of Religious Education

The Bachelor of Religious Education, or BRE, or B.R.E. is an undergraduate degree. It offers a broad education in the areas of scripture and theology. It differs from a BA degree in that approximately three quarters of the program is invested in studies outside of the liberal arts...

 course in "Church Ministry and Community Service" can include fire fighting

Fire fighting

Firefighting is the act of extinguishing fires. A firefighter fights fires to prevent loss of life, and/or destruction of property and the environment...

 certification, with training provided through a partnership with the Sexsmith fire department. Some of the students who take thess courses become pastors, but others seek employment in other professions.

Discipleship

PRBI is a self described discipleship-focused school. Its website states that "we are in the process of creating a transferable model of disciple-making to be observed and practiced within the student body." As part of their discipleship model PRBI encourages one-on-one discipleship relationships as well as facilitating mandatory discipleship groups called "Care Groups" which are led by various Care Leaders. Care Leaders are selected from upperclassmen who apply and are affirmed by Student Life for the following school year. Resident Leaders are also considered part of the discipleship model, as they oversee the spiritual and material needs of the various dormitories.

Recognition

A 2004 water balloon

Water balloon

A water balloon or water bomb is a latex rubber balloon filled with water. They are commonly used in water balloon fights and as a practical joke device.-History:...

 fight at PBRI involving 800 participants and 8,000 balloons was recognised by The Guinness Book of World Records as the largest yet conducted. The record was exceeded at Sint-Michielscollege Brasschaat in Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

in April 2005.

Staff and Faculty

The current President of PRBI is Waldie Neufeld, who was promoted from academic dean to become the college's president in 2007. His forerunner was Rod Masterson, who had left the position for ministerial work in Southern Alberta. Before seeking a career in education, Neufeld had worked in agriculture and construction. Neufeld teaches the class Disciple Making, one of PRBI's core classes, and co-teaches Family Studies with his wife Sharon.

Department Leaders:

• Brad Cowie - Chairman of Christian Ministries Department
• Kim Cairns - Vice President, Chairman of Global Ministries Department.
• Warren Charlton - Chairman of Pastoral Department.
• John Bell - Chairman of Music Department.

Student Life:

• Darryl Schmidt - Dean of Students.
• Shane Dell - Dean of Men.
• Sharon Gerber - Dean of Women.
• Autumn Teele - Associate Dean of Women.

Historical List of Staff and Faculty

Year	President	Vice President	Chair of Christian Ministries	Chair of Global Ministries	Chair of Pastoral	Chair of Music	Dean of Students	Dean of Men	Dean of Women	Assistant Dean of Men	Assistant Dean of Women
2005–2006	Rod Masterson	?	?	Darrell Gerber	Warren Charlton	John Bell	Darrel Schmidt	Dean Yurkewich	Debbie Higgs	Ryan Campbell	Brandi Hall
2006–2007	Waldie Neufeld (Interim)	?	?	Darrell Gerber	Warren Charlton	John Bell	Darrel Schmidt	Dean Yurkewich	Judy Sandiford	Ryan Campbell	Brandi Hall
2007–2008	Waldie Neufeld	Darrell Gerber	Darrell Gerber	Darrell Gerber	Warren Charlton	John Bell	Darrel Schmidt	Mark Weiderick	Judy Sandiford	Samuel Minatara & Simon Ghali	Brandi Hall
2008–2009	Waldie Neufeld	Darrell Gerber	?	Darrell Gerber	Warren Charlton	John Bell	Darrel Schmidt	Mark Weiderick	Sharon Gerber	Samuel Minatara	Brandi Hall
2009–2010	Waldie Neufeld	Darrell Gerber	?	Darrell Gerber	Warren Charlton	John Bell	Darrel Schmidt	Mark Weiderick	Sharon Gerber	N/A	Autmn Teele
2010–2011	Waldie Neufeld	Darrell Gerber	Brad Cowie	Darrell Gerber	Warren Charlton	John Bell	Darrel Schmidt	Mark Weiderick	Sharon Gerber	N/A	Autumn Teele
2011–2012	Waldie Neufeld	Kim Cairns	Brad Cowie	Kim Cairns	Warren Charlton	John Bell	Darrel Schmidt	Shane Dell	Sharon Gerber	N/A	Autumn Teele

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External links

• PRBI's official website