(This feature originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of LBC’s ECHO Magazine.)
Biblical Integration, Relational Education, Authentic Community and Exceptional Location – these key differentiators are not necessarily new to Lancaster Bible College, but the new “Experience Different” tagline helps to intentionally communicate what sets LBC apart. Each student, alumnus, parent, donor, friend or college employee may have a personal perspective on what this phrase means to them. Here are just a few responses from LBC faculty members about how “Experience Different” informs both their teaching and their interactions with students.
Dr. Ryan Geesaman instructs Media Arts Production students.
“Many people live their lives like containers full of loose LEGO bricks. Their work and faith are separate pieces: professional skills and biblical knowledge are not connected. At LBC, we assemble those pieces into something beautiful – a biblically integrated education for a biblically integrated life.”
Dr. Ryan Geesaman
Academic Dean
Arts & Sciences, Communication & Media Arts and Music, Worship & Performing Arts Departments
Dr. Barry Davis
“I see all four of these themes of ‘Experience Different’ in the driving force of our key verse, I Peter 1:25: ‘But the Word of the Lord endures forever.’ I was blessed to first graduate in 1977 with the LBC phrase, ‘Everyone here majors in Bible.’ Now, almost five decades later, I hold a PhD in Leadership from an extraordinarily more robust LBC, offering diverse majors that all acknowledge the words of Jesus to the Father in His high priestly prayer. ‘Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth’ (John 17:17). The LBC ‘difference’ is the knowledge that all our students are learning the Source of the truth they are ‘experiencing.’”
Dr. Barry Davis (’77 & ’23)
Adjunct Professor, School of Bible & Ministry
Doris Hall-Gulati conducts the LBC Wind Ensemble.
“I conduct the LBC Wind Ensemble and String Orchestra, which I believe ‘lives’ relational education to an extreme. Unlike most colleges and universities, our ensembles have mentoring community members of all ages who are committed to working with our students every week. These incredible local brothers and sisters in Christ give unconditionally to our students, forming bonds that last way beyond their years as a Charger. What a beautiful example for our students.”
Doris Hall-Gulati, MM
Director of Instrumental Studies
Music, Worship & Performing Arts
Alyssa Godsey
“As our Master of Social Work program continues to rapidly grow at LBC, we are inevitably feeling and seeing ‘Experience Different’ in real time. Our fully online MSW program allows us to reach far beyond Pennsylvania and teach biblically integrated courses. After all, how can you work in a field with high burnout rates and heavy emotional strains without biblical integration? Being able to show the world Christ through our love begins with the teachings and foundations set at LBC. As an LBC graduate, I still have connections with a few of my previous professors. I can only hope my students experience the same level of relational education through my teaching. To each of the students I have the privilege of engaging with, I hope to continue to be a support in the field of social work and beyond. At LBC, we are more than professors; we are supporters for our learners, we are a gentle voice of reason, we are prayer warriors, and so much more.”
Alyssa Godsey (’15)
Adjunct Professor, Field Supervisor and Field Liaison
Counseling & Social Work Department
Dr. Kevin Gushiken, top left, prays with doctoral graduates.
“At many institutions, earning a doctorate is a very lonely journey. At LBC, I have seen deep, lifelong friendships formed. Students intentionally support one another toward graduation. And years later, these friendships continue to flourish. It is not a lonely journey for our students. For us, ‘Experience Different’ involves relational education and authentic community. Year in and year out, this is most certainly true in our doctoral programs. This clearly sets LBC apart.”
Dr. Kevin Gushiken
Dean of the School of Bible & Ministry
Director of the PhD in Leadership and DMin Programs
Dr. Justin Harbin
“Far from proof-texting a few Bible verses related to class topics or merely starting classes with prayer, our biblically integrated approach seeks to form students’ desires and intellects toward faithful Christian presence in every area of society, tearing down the sacred-secular divide to see that Jesus is truly King over ‘every square inch’ of the Creation, bringing our faith to bear on every day of the week, not just Sunday. In other words, we seek to see reality as it actually is.”
Dr. Justin HarbinAssociate Professor
Education Department
Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning
Dr. Jevon Thompson
“Our remarkable students vividly express their devotion to Christ by cultivating meaningful relationships through heartfelt prayer, uplifting songs and engaging academic pursuits. This vibrant display of faith and unity is a beautiful manifestation of what it means to ‘Experience Different’ on our campus.”
Jevon Thompson (’10)
Criminal Justice Program Director
Arts & Sciences Department
Amanda Zuschmidt
“‘Experience Different’ is lived out by the way our faculty interact with students. Each student is not just a number but is known by name and entrusts us to help them in their life, inside and outside the classroom. For example, I supervise Sport Management students in their field experiences, and they have diverse and high-quality opportunities in this area, from minor league and professional sports teams in Lancaster, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and beyond. For many, internships and practicums turn into full-time jobs in the professional sports world where they can impact the culture for Christ.”
Amanda (Dowhen ’03) Zuschmidt
Sport Management Program Director
Business Administration Department
Dr. Gordon Gregory teaches a theology class.
“In the School of Bible & Ministry, it is quite simple for us to integrate the Bible into all we teach, whether it’s Bible, theology or ministry courses. The Bible is the foundation for what we present to our students. We have gone one step further by working with all the professional majors to design courses that integrate the Bible into those areas of study. Some examples are ‘Theology of Work and Wealth’ for Business Administration majors, ‘Theology of Competition and Sport’ for Sport Management students and ‘Theology of Suffering’ for Social Work students, along with several others.
In my theology classes, I also seek to help students think through how various theological concepts should impact the way they live out a biblical worldview in their professions. One prime example is the understanding that we are created in the image of God. This impacts how we think about our character as we carry out the tasks we have been given and how we relate to others in our work. This biblical integration foundation can help our students to flourish in whatever vocation they pursue after graduating from LBC and in whatever relationships they develop throughout their lives.”
Dr. Gordon Gregory (’82)
Professor of Bible & Theology
School of Bible & Ministry
Faculty Athletic Representative
Kranthi Erra
“Being an online student myself and as a staff member at LBC working with online students, I am experiencing the positive impact of being in an online community and discovering that the online educational experience with LBC is not isolating. I love doing activities with other students, leading online small groups and facilitating monthly prayer chains along with other initiatives that create authentic community.”
Kranthi Erra (’26)
Graduate Assistant
Online Student Success
Online Master of Arts in Ministry Student
FURTHER READING: See how the online Student Success team strives to create authentic community in the online learning space.