Somerset Christian College
Encyclopedia
Somerset Christian College is a private
evangelical Christian college
and is owned and operated by Pillar of Fire International, a religious denomination. The college was located in the Zarephath
section of Franklin Township
in Somerset County
, New Jersey
. Due to the recent flood, all 2011 classes scheduled to meet at the Zarephath campus will meet at Stonecrest Church in Warren, NJ.
SCC is the only accredited evangelical college in the state of New Jersey
.
, founded in 1921. Like SCC, these institutions were established by The Pillar of Fire Church
, now Pillar of Fire International, as training schools for missionaries, preachers, and teachers. While both ZBI and AWC were either completely or mostly dormant for approximately three decades, in 2001, under the sponsorship of Pillar of Fire International, the same parent organization of ZBI and AWC, the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education
issued the newly created Somerset Christian College a charter to grant the two-year Associate degree in Biblical Studies. In 2006 the college was approved to offer four-year Bachelor of Arts
degrees.
, was initially called the Penticostal Union and developed out of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and the American Holiness Movement. The Pillar of Fire Church
was noted for having the first female Bishop in the United States as its founder and was an early advocate for women's equality, especially within the structure of the church. It has also been noted for vigorously promoting anti-Catholicism
, anti-Semitism
, nativism
, white supremacy
and the Ku Klux Klan
, although in 1996 the Pillar of Fire repudiated its former association with the Klan
. The college is run in the Wesleyan
-Arminian
tradition.
. At the same time, it recognizes that the one Church in time and history is made up of many confessing traditions and denominations. The College is committed to an approach to Christian undergraduate education that is based upon the classical Christian faith with its apostolic view of the church as one body with many members.
Therefore, the College seeks to educate students of various theological traditions for service within their own denominations and churches. In addition, the College strives to create a climate for study and fellowship which encourages, equips, and enhances spiritual development and ministry.
, New Jersey
. The center known as “SCCN” (Somerset Christian College Newark) is located on the 7th floor of the Military Park Building
in downtown Newark. The center is located one block south of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center
and four blocks north of the Prudential Center.
Lead=
Somerset Christian College offers adult students a non-traditional opportunity to complete a baccalaureate degree for the advancement of their professional careers and for personal achievement. The Life Enhancing Accelerated Degree (LEAD) program is an adult degree completion program that allows individuals to complete their Bachelor’s degree in as little as 20 months.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
evangelical Christian college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
and is owned and operated by Pillar of Fire International, a religious denomination. The college was located in the Zarephath
Zarephath, New Jersey
Zarephath is an unincorporated area of Franklin Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It was the communal home to the Pillar of Fire Church, and was the worldwide headquarters of Pillar of Fire International and housed the church's college, Somerset Christian College, and radio...
section of Franklin Township
Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey
-Communities of Franklin Township:The following are census-designated places, unincorporated enclaves, and historical communities located within Franklin Township...
in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Due to the recent flood, all 2011 classes scheduled to meet at the Zarephath campus will meet at Stonecrest Church in Warren, NJ.
SCC is the only accredited evangelical college in the state of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
History
Somerset Christian College was established in 2001 in the buildings and property formerly used by Zarephath Bible Institute, founded in 1908 and Alma White CollegeAlma White College
Alma White College was a Bible college in Zarephath, New Jersey from 1921 to 1978. It was an institution of the Pillar of Fire Church.-History:...
, founded in 1921. Like SCC, these institutions were established by The Pillar of Fire Church
Pillar of Fire Church
The Pillar of Fire International is a Christian organization founded in Denver, Colorado in 1901 by Alma White, with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire was originally incorporated as the Pentecostal Union, but changed its name to distance itself from Pentecostalism in 1915...
, now Pillar of Fire International, as training schools for missionaries, preachers, and teachers. While both ZBI and AWC were either completely or mostly dormant for approximately three decades, in 2001, under the sponsorship of Pillar of Fire International, the same parent organization of ZBI and AWC, the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education
New Jersey Commission on Higher Education
The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education is a government agency in New Jersey that is responsible for providing coordination, planning, policy development, and advocacy for the state's higher education system...
issued the newly created Somerset Christian College a charter to grant the two-year Associate degree in Biblical Studies. In 2006 the college was approved to offer four-year Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degrees.
Religious ties
The Pillar of Fire International, founded in 1901 by Alma Bridwell WhiteAlma Bridwell White
Alma Bridwell White was the founder, and a bishop of the Pillar of Fire Church. In 1918, she became the first woman bishop in the United States...
, was initially called the Penticostal Union and developed out of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
and the American Holiness Movement. The Pillar of Fire Church
Pillar of Fire Church
The Pillar of Fire International is a Christian organization founded in Denver, Colorado in 1901 by Alma White, with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire was originally incorporated as the Pentecostal Union, but changed its name to distance itself from Pentecostalism in 1915...
was noted for having the first female Bishop in the United States as its founder and was an early advocate for women's equality, especially within the structure of the church. It has also been noted for vigorously promoting anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
, anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, nativism
Nativism
Nativism may refer to:* Nativism or political nativism, a term used by scholars to refer to ethnocentric beliefs relating to immigration and nationalism; antiforeignism...
, white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
and the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, although in 1996 the Pillar of Fire repudiated its former association with the Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. The college is run in the Wesleyan
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
-Arminian
Arminianism
Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic followers, the Remonstrants...
tradition.
Accreditation
Somerset Christian College is accredited through the following organizations:Mission statement
Somerset Christian College educates, inspires, and equips students for excellent scholarship, service, and leadership. Rooted in and committed to Christian faith and love, SCC fosters intellectual, spiritual, and social development among its diverse student population at various instructional sites.Beliefs
The College holds that there is one Church universal according to the ancient Apostles' CreedApostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...
. At the same time, it recognizes that the one Church in time and history is made up of many confessing traditions and denominations. The College is committed to an approach to Christian undergraduate education that is based upon the classical Christian faith with its apostolic view of the church as one body with many members.
Therefore, the College seeks to educate students of various theological traditions for service within their own denominations and churches. In addition, the College strives to create a climate for study and fellowship which encourages, equips, and enhances spiritual development and ministry.
Standard of Conduct
"Actions such as stealing, the use of slanderous or profane language, occult practices, and sexual sins such as premarital sex, adultery, and homosexual behavior are unacceptable...The use of illegal drugs and other substances that are harmful to the temple of the indwelling Spirit are prohibited."Extension sites
In February 2011 the college opened its first extension site in the city of NewarkNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The center known as “SCCN” (Somerset Christian College Newark) is located on the 7th floor of the Military Park Building
Military Park Building
The Military Park Building in Newark, New Jersey is one of the earliest skyscrapers built downtown. Designed by the architectural firm Polhemus & Coffin of New York, it was the tallest building in New Jersey upon its completion in 1926 until being surpassed in 1930 by the Eleven 80. Extensively...
in downtown Newark. The center is located one block south of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center , in downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States...
and four blocks north of the Prudential Center.
Academics
Areas of study offered at the college include:- Biblical StudiesBiblical studiesBiblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
- Business Administration
- Counseling PsychologyCounseling psychologyCounseling psychology is a psychological specialty that encompasses research and applied work in several broad domains: counseling process and outcome; supervision and training; career development and counseling; and prevention and health...
- Youth MinistryYouth ministryYouth ministry, also commonly referred to as Youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry and is the way in which a faith group, or other religious organization involves and engages with the young people who attend its place of worship, or live in its community...
- MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
- Communication StudiesCommunication studiesCommunication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
- Family TherapyFamily therapyFamily therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy, family systems therapy, and family counseling, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of...
Lead=
Somerset Christian College offers adult students a non-traditional opportunity to complete a baccalaureate degree for the advancement of their professional careers and for personal achievement. The Life Enhancing Accelerated Degree (LEAD) program is an adult degree completion program that allows individuals to complete their Bachelor’s degree in as little as 20 months.
Ministry partners
The college's ministry partners include:- Star 99.1, an award winning Contemporary Christian musicContemporary Christian musicContemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
radio station which serves the New York metropolitan areaNew York metropolitan areaThe New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
and wass broadcast from Zarephath. - Urban Impact, a camp that helps inner city boys with negative influences to grow academically and spiritually.
- Zarephath Christian Church, a congregation which formerly met on the Zarephath campus.
- Somerset Christian Academy, formerly Zarephath Academy, formerly Alma Preparatory School and Temple Christian Day School, this K-12 school opened in 1908 and closed in June 2009.
- Pillar of Fire International, a mission-based organization with outreach in various parts of the world.
- Victory Sports Camps, a summer sports camp.
- Autumn Blaze, a seasonal concert that once took place on the Zarephath campus but now has grown in size to require a move of venue.