Concentrated Bible Certificate

Earn your certificate in biblical studies either online or on campus.

Overview
Faculty
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Home | Traditional Undergraduate | Academics (Undergrad) | Undergraduate Majors (Traditional) | Concentrated Bible Certificate

Concentrated Bible Certificate (CBC) – Online or In class

If you’re interested in learning more about the Bible and want to know God in a deeper, more intimate way, why not earn your certificate in Bible from LBC?

Ideal for students looking to add to their personal knowledge of scripture, missionaries seeking additional Bible training before heading to the field or anyone in between, this program is a flexible way to earn college credits. Plus, Lancaster Bible College’s concentrated Bible certificate is available completely online or on-campus.

Why Earn Your Concentrated Certificate in Bible from LBC?

Learn from caring Christian professors with years of experience in ministry and education.
Earn your certificate online or on campus.
Study at an accredited Bible college in PA.

See the CATALOG for details.

Your Journey

Program Credits: 30

Locations:

Options

Traditional
Online & Evening (Adult Education)
Available as Minor

Transfer Students

“For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all he does.” – Psalm 33:4

A Closer Look: Bible & Theology Department at LBC

Featured Alumnus: Tony Shetter (’98)

Tony Shetter is both an alumnus of LBC and current faculty member. “Biblical higher education is important for the proper handling of God’s Word.” said Shetter, “And I’m thrilled to be a part of what’s happening at Lancaster Bible College.”

Meet the Faculty

Samuel Harbin, DMin

Professor, Chair of Bible & Theology Department

“I want my students to deeply appreciate the importance of the gospel for every aspect of their life and ministry.” — Dr. Harbin

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Samuel Harbin, DMin

Professor, Chair of Bible & Theology Department

sharbin@lbc.edu

717.569.7071 ext: 5442

Sam Harbin is blessed to have been a follower of Jesus Christ since childhood, and brings more than 30 years of experience in pastoral and Christian higher education ministry to the classroom. He has served in a variety of roles, including assistant pastor, senior pastor, seminary chaplain and professor, and seminary president. His ministry has taken him throughout the United States and to seven countries internationally. Sam holds degrees from Indiana Baptist College (BA, 1982), Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1985), and Dallas Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, 2001). His doctoral studies focused on effective interpretation and communication of Old Testament narratives. As chair of the Bible & Theology department, Sam enjoys leading his talented team to serve with excellence every program at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary and Graduate School. Tasked with providing the biblical and theological content for every major, the Bible & Theology team seek to build growing believers who understand Scripture and know how to integrate biblical truth into life and service regardless of vocational calling. Sam teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas of hermeneutics, English Bible, and homiletics. He also maintains an active speaking and consulting ministry and particularly enjoys serving local churches who are in the pastoral search process. He holds pastoral counseling certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. Sam and his wife, Elaine, have three grown sons and two grandchildren. They reside in Manheim, PA.

Publications

“The Office of Deacon in the Local Church,” Calvary Baptist Theological Journal 2:2 (Fall 1986): 22-28.
“The Emerging Church: A Journey Back to the Future,” Frontline Magazine, July-August 2005:37-39.
“Transformed Hearts, Transformed Homes: An Imaginative Dramatic Narrative Sermon for Father’s Day,” Preaching Journal (online edition), (May-June 2007).

Education

DMin, Dallas Theological Seminary,
MDiv, Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary,
BA, Indiana Baptist College, Pastoral Studies

Fun Fact

Hobbies: Indiana Hoosiers basketball, playing stringed instruments, woodworking, hunting

Verse

“Him (Christ) we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Col. 1:28)

Daniel Carver, PhD

Assistant Professor

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Daniel Carver, PhD

Assistant Professor

dcarver@lbc.edu

717.569.7071 ext: 5444

Daniel E. Carver (PhD, The Catholic University of America) teaches Biblical Hebrew and a variety of Old Testament courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels and advises PhD dissertations. Dr. Carver is passionate about studying and teaching the Bible and biblical languages. His areas of greatest interest include the philological and linguistic study of bible and ancient Semitic languages, biblical and ancient Near Eastern prophecy, biblical poetry, and biblical theology. He has published articles on biblical and other ancient Semitic languages and is currently working on a book that interfaces the study of prophecy in its original contexts with careful study of the language of the prophets. Dr. Carver and his wife have four sons and are a part of Calvary Church of Lancaster.

Education

PhD, Semitic Languages and Literature, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
MA, Semitic Languages and Literature, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
MA, Bible, Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary, Lancaster, PA
BS, Biblical Studies, Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, PA

Verse

Phil. 3:7-9a “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” (ESV)

Mark Farnham, PhD

Professor, MA in Christian Apologetics Program Director

“We will only be able to fulfill our calling to always be prepared to make a defense for the reason for the hope within us if we diligently devote ourselves to preparation.” — Dr. Farnham

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Mark Farnham, PhD

Professor, MA in Christian Apologetics Program Director

mfarnham@lbc.edu

717.569.7071 ext: 5553

Dr. Mark Farnham has been teaching for over twenty years at the undergraduate and seminary level. He was born and raised in western Connecticut and met his wife in high school. After seminary, he led the revitalization of an urban church in New London, Conn., for seven years as the senior pastor. Since that time, he has taught Apologetics, Systematic Theology, Philosophy, Ethics and Church History. He is also the Founder and Director of Apologetics for the Church, a local church training ministry dedicated to equipping the average church member to effectively defend and share the Christian faith. He earned the PhD in Apologetics from Westminster Theological Seminary and a ThM in New Testament from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is a kidney-transplant recipient and cancer-survivor and is especially interested in the field of medical ethics. His publications include Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian (Deep River, 2019), Talking About Ethics: A Conversational Approach to Moral Dilemmas (Kregel, 2021). He blogs at www.apologeticsforthechurch.org.

Education

PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary, Apologetics
ThM, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, New Testament
MDiv, Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, Pastoral Ministry
BA, Maranatha Baptist Bible College, Pastoral Studies

Verse

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. Colossians 1:28-29 (ESV)

Douglas Finkbeiner, PhD

Professor and MABS Director

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Douglas Finkbeiner, PhD

Professor and MABS Director

dfinkbeiner@lbc.edu

717.569.7071 ext: 5372

Dr. Doug Finkbeiner and his wife Sheri have been married for 32 years and have 6 children between the ages of 20 and 29. Doug has 13 years of pastoral experience and speaks extensively at churches and conferences. In 1997 Doug became a full-time professor at Calvary Baptist Seminary and began teaching in the area of New Testament and Practical Theology. In 2014 Doug became a full-time professor at Lancaster Bible College, where he teaches primarily in the area of the New Testament at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level. He especially enjoys teaching undergraduate and graduate students how to interpret and communicate the Bible. He has completed four graduate degrees-- a Master of Divinity from Calvary Baptist Seminary (1985), a Master of Theology from Calvary Baptist Seminary (1989), a Doctor of Ministry from Denver Seminary (1995), and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (2010). While his doctoral degree at Denver Seminary focused on preaching, his doctoral degree at the University of Pennsylvania focused on Early Judaism and Early Christianity.

Publications

“An Examination of ‘Make Disciples of All Nations’ (Part 1): Calvary Baptist Theological Journal 7:1 (1991): 12-42.
“An Examination of ‘Make Disciples of All Nations’ (Part 2),” Calvary Baptist Theological Journal 7:2 (1991): 1-10.
“Variety in Worship: ‘Innovation, not Accommodation,’” Calvary Baptist Theological Journal 9:2 (1993): 17-25.
“An Analysis of the Structure of Proverbs 28-29,” Calvary Baptist Theological Journal 11:2 (1995): 1-14.
“Peeling Away the Layers,” Frontline Magazine, November/December 2007, 16-17.
Review of The Samaritans in Flavius Josephus, by Reinhard Pummer, in Journal of the American Oriental Society, 2011 (131.1), 8-9.
“Think about it: A call to engage with our culture through thoughtful evaluation,” Echo Magazine, Summer, 2017.

Education

PhD, University of Pennsylvania
DMin, Denver Seminary
ThM, Calvary Baptist Seminary
MDiv, Calvary Baptist Seminary

Verse

Phil. 3:10

Gordon Gregory, D.Th.

Professor of Bible & Theology, Faculty Athletic Representative

“Theology is critical because God’s goal for his children is conformity to Christ and one of God’s chief means of transforming us into the image of Christ is knowledge of the truths of Scripture.” — Dr. Gregory

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Gordon Gregory, D.Th.

Professor of Bible & Theology, Faculty Athletic Representative

ggregory@lbc.edu

717.569.7071 ext: 5367

Gordon is a 1982 Bachelors Degree graduate of LBC in Pastoral Studies who went on to earn his Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1986 and his Doctorate of Theology from the University of South Africa in 2004. He served as a missionary in South Africa doing church planting from 1988-2000 and teaching and administrating at a Bible College from 1999-2005. He then returned to LBC as Undergraduate Dean from 2006-2010. Since 2010 he has served in the Bible & Theology Department, mainly teaching Theology courses. He has also led Journey Teams to South Africa, enjoys mentoring students, and is the college's NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative. Gordon married his wife Beth in 1982 and they have four grown children (three of whom are or soon will be LBC grads) and two grandchildren. Beth also graduated from LBC with a Bachelors Degree in Missions and a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling. Gordon is also involved in his local church as an elder, adult Sunday School teacher, former chairman of the missions committee, plus mentoring missionaries-in-training and engaged couples. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, reading, sports, and doing word and number puzzles.

Education

D.Th., University of South Africa, Missiology
Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary, Systematic Theology
B.S., Lancaster Bible College, Bible/Pastoral Studies

Fun Fact

Hobbies: Play squash, watching sports, walking, reading, number & word puzzles

Verse

Rom. 8:28-29; 2 Cor. 3:18

Joe Kim, PhD

Professor of Bible & Theology

“I want my students to know that learning doesn’t end in the classroom – it is where it begins.” — Dr. Kim

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Timothy Nicholls, PhD

Professor of Bible & Theology

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Tony Shetter, PhD

Assistant Professor, Associate Chair of Bible & Theology

“Biblical higher education is important for the proper handling of God’s Word.” – Dr. Shetter

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Careers where a certificate helps

Christian Education
Cross-Cultural Missionary

Minister
Sunday School Teacher

Gainful Employment Outcomes for Concentrated Bible Certificate

How much will this program cost me?

Tuition and fees: $24,290
Books and supplies: $1,000
On-campus room & board: $8,750

*The amounts shown above include costs for the entire program, assuming normal time to completion. Note that this information is subject to change.

What financing options are available to help me pay for this program?

Financing for this program may be available through grants, scholarships, loans (federal and private) and institutional financing plans. The median amount of debt for program graduates is shown below:

Federal loans*
Private education loans*
Institutional financing plan*

* Less than 30 graduates received loans. Median amounts are withheld to preserve the confidentiality of the loan recipients.

How long will it take me to complete this program?

The program is designed to take 1 years to complete. Of those that completed the program in 2016-17, *% finished in 1 years.

*Less than 30 students completed this program in 2016-17. The number who finished within the normal time has been withheld to preserve the confidentiality of the students.

What are my chances of getting a job when I graduate?

The job placement rate for students who completed this program in 2016-17 is *%.

* This institution is not currently required to calculate a job placement rate for program completers.

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Concentrated Bible Certificate