Life Pacific University (LPU) is a private Christian

Bible college A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological ed ...

endorsed by the

International Church of the Foursquare Gospel The Foursquare Church is an Evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1923 by preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. The headquarters are in Los Angeles, California, United States. History The church has its origins in a vision of ...

and located in

San Dimas, California San Dimas ( Spanish for "Saint Dismas") is a city in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 34,924. It historically took its name from San Dimas Canyon in the San Gabriel ...

. LPU serves as the denomination's flagship institution for higher education. The university also operates an extension site, LPU Virginia, in Christiansburg, Virginia.

History

What is now Life Pacific University was founded in 1923 as Echo Park Evangelistic and Missionary Training Institute by Aimee Semple McPherson in

Echo Park, Los Angeles, California Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known f ...

. The name was changed to LIFE Bible College (LIFE standing for Lighthouse of International Foursquare Evangelism) in 1926 when it moved into a newly constructed five-story complex next door to

Angelus Temple Angelus Temple is a Pentecostal megachurch of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, California, United States. The senior pastor is Matthew Barnett. The maximum capacity is 8,975 persons. ...

. In 1990 the college relocated to its current home in

. In the early 2000s the name Life Pacific College was adopted and in 2019 the institution was renamed and restructured as Life Pacific University with the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Theology & Ministry. In 1957, in

Mount Vernon, Ohio Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. It is located northeast of Columbus. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. History The community was platted in 1805, and named after M ...

, sister college Mount Vernon Bible College was founded, relocating to Christiansburg, Virginia in the 1980s. The name was changed to LIFE Bible College East in 1988. In 2003 LIFE East closed for financial reasons and its records were transferred to Life Pacific. Life Pacific now operates LPU Virginia as an extension campus at the former LIFE Bible College East property. The institution was granted an exception to

Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...

in 2017 which allows it to legally discriminate against

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

students for religious reasons. In 2019, it became Life Pacific University.Daniel Topf, ''Pentecostal Higher Education: History, Current Practices, and Future Prospects'', Palgrave Macmillan, USA, 2021, p. 44

Accreditation and affiliations

LPU is accredited by the

Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the International C ...

and the

WASC Senior College and University Commission The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

. It is an affiliate member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. LPU also holds membership in the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), and many other professional higher education associations and societies.

Alumni

Alumni have played a significant role not only within the Foursquare church but also within the Assemblies of God,

Calvary Chapel Calvary Chapel is an association of evangelical churches, maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs. Beginning in 1965 in Southern California, this fellowship of chur ...

, and the Vineyard movement. Life's most prominent graduates include pastors Jack Hayford, Chuck Smith, Ronald D. Mehl, Ralph Moore, Ricky Temple, Jim Tolle, Chad Veach, Irene Poupore, Randy Remington, and the late African American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, pastor and academic

Otis Young Otis E. Young (July 4, 1932 – October 12, 2001) was an actor and writer. He co-starred in a television Western, '' The Outcasts'' (1968–1969), with Don Murray. Young was the second African-American actor to co-star in a television Western, ...

Athletics

The Life Pacific athletic teams are called the Warriors. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) since the 2017–18 academic year; while its men's & women's wrestling teams compete in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). They were also a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the West Region of the Division I level. Life Pacific competes in eight intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, soccer and wrestling; women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, soccer, volleyball and wrestling.

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{Authority control Association for Biblical Higher Education Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Foursquare Church Bible colleges Pentecostalism in California Educational institutions established in 1923 Universities and colleges in Los Angeles County, California San Dimas, California 1923 establishments in California Private universities and colleges in California