The Lord Jesus Christ is the One Who is building His church according to Matthew 16:18. On the basis of His resurrection and ascension He made available gifts for the edification of His people, and those that are applicable for today for the edification of the local church. As a ministry of Grace Church of Mentor, Great Lakes Bible Institute (GLBI) functions on the basis that God intended the gift-offices of evangelist and pastor-teacher to provide spiritual instruction and training at the local church level.

GLBI has been raised up by the pastors, elders, and people of Grace Church for the purpose of perfecting God's saints for service and edification (Eph. 4:12). Through spiritual instruction coupled with ample opportunities to serve in this local church, we have witnessed God's preparation of many sincere students for Christian service.

Six of our pastor-instructors have completed masters' degrees, and four of these are in various stages of their M. Div. Program. One of the instructors has earned two Bachelor's degrees and has thirty-three years of pastoral ministry experience. Combined, our staff has approximately fifty years of practical ministry experience. We mention these details simply to stress our conviction that in both our local church and our Bible Institute settings, we believe that the process of equipping future pastors, missionaries, and God's people in general requires trained pastoral instructors.

There are abundant opportunities for transferring classroom content to practical service and ministry here at Grace Church. In the past some of our students training for the ministry have availed themselves of preaching opportunities at Grace and its branch churches. Other areas of service involve teaching and assisting in Sunday school, door-to-door evangelism, fair and festival evangelism, mass youth evangelism events, music ministry, nursing home ministries, and home Bible studies. At GLBI we believe that practical application is essential to the training of believers at all levels.

GLBI and Grace Church both stress the essential balance between evangelism, accurate exegesis of the Scriptures, and a biblical view of separation from sin and worldliness in all of its manifestations. Therefore, we stand firmly against ecumenical efforts that lead God's people into false doctrine. Furthermore, we align ourselves with scriptural warnings against the abuses of New Evangelicalism, the church marketing movement, and the modern charismatic movement. At the same time we wholly support unity and cooperation among those who without apology hold and practice the whole counsel of God's Word. We continually experience the joy of working with other churches in a united effort to reach this world for Jesus Christ.

Whether you are training for ministry or simply desiring personal spiritual edification, GLBI will be a blessing to you. A love for our Lord and a desire to be taught from God's Word are the chief prerequisites for benefiting from what GLBI offers. We will do our best to equip you in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Come and join us!

Great Lakes Bible Institute (formerly Grace Bible Institute) is firmly dedicated to "thoroughly furnishing" men and women "unto all good works" through careful study and application of the inspired Word of God. While preparing men and women for full-time Christian service is a primary goal, GLBI also exists to equip believers who may not be headed for formal ministry. To accommodate students who may have divergent purposes for Bible training, the Institute offers courses on both a credit and audit basis. The burden of the faculty is to diligently prepare the believer to correctly understand God's Word (II Tim. 2:15) and to profitably use it to bring salvation and spiritual growth to those around him (II Tim. 3:16). To that end we hold that the Word of God is verbally inspired and inerrant in its autographs; it is therefore authoritative in any matter with which it deals and sufficient for all matters of life and godliness. That the believer may handle and minister the Word to himself and others with absolute confidence in its veracity and supernatural, life-changing power is the sentiment of instruction at GLBI.

Biblical balance is at the heart of our instruction. Great Lakes Bible Institute subscribes to neither an Arminian nor a Calvinistic system of theology or interpretation. The Institute holds to a separatistic, fundamental stand with regard to theological and moral compromise as found in either liberal or evangelical circles. In order to counter the sectarian tendencies of separatism "gone to seed," we firmly support evangelism among our lost peers and strongly encourage unity among those who obey the Word. Another balanced pair of emphases at GLBI are the goals of academic excellence and practical application. Our course of instruction provides the student with the solid building blocks of Bible exegesis, offering Beginning New Testament Greek and Hermeneutics. Yet throughout the curriculum stress is placed on deriving legitimate contemporary application justified through a grammatical-historical understanding of the text.

A deliberate local church emphasis enhances the course of study at GLBI. The fact that we are a ministry of Grace Church of Mentor affords us the vital pastoral oversight and direction that many institutions of Christian higher education have lacked in past years. The desired results of this emphasis are that the local church (1) directs and protects this aspect of edification entrusted to it in Ephesians 4 and (2) provides immediate opportunities to apply what is learned in the classroom.

A bit of exciting news for 2006! The Institute has been pursuing a couple Christian colleges for the purpose of arranging transfer of our credits to their four-year programs. At this time, Clearwater Christian College has submitted the material we have sent them to their Academic Review Committee for a response to us. Look for more details soon on how this will impact GLBI and its students!

GLBI seeks to instruct any believer in the "grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" in a local church setting. While we understand that students will enter the Institute at varying levels of spiritual maturity, it is our desire that they do not simply add head knowledge. In the years that our students are with us, the pastor-teachers instructing the classes will be preeminently concerned about the spiritual welfare of those they are instructing. This concern will not replace or infringe upon the responsibilities of the pastors of many of our students who come from Bible-believing churches. Nevertheless, it is an integral part of a local-church oriented Institute ministry. All of our students are encouraged to seek out pastor-instructors' counsel and help when needed.

In addition, since we are an outreach of a Bible-preaching church, normal evidences of vital Christianity should be present in our students. Flagrant practice of open and obvious sin will be handled in a manner pursuant to Matt. 18:15ff. GLBI will happily assist and counsel a student who gives clear evidence of desiring to make measurable progress against sin. We will not, however, retain or graduate a student who continues to live in known sin.

Furthermore, it is the desire of GLBI as it carries out the mandate of II Tim. 2:15 to produce students whose spiritual convictions are in line with our understanding of important biblical issues. Due to this fact, all students will be required to take "Issues in Fundamentalism" at or before the 60 credit hour mark in his schooling. Completion of this course and its projects will involve a brief informal interview with the class instructor regarding the student's goals and personal convictions regarding Fundamental Christianity.

A several-week-long registration period precedes each eleven-week trimester. See the Academic Calendar insert in this catalog for specific dates of registration and classes. Full payment must be made for tuition and textbooks prior to the end of each registration period. Textbooks will be ordered at the end of registration; the student must purchase his textbook as soon as possible before class begins. Requests to purchase course textbooks without intent of taking the class will be honored provided the order is placed before the end of the registration period for that class. Course and text fees are non-refundable once the trimester begins.

Any student taking a course "for credit" * will be assessed a fee of $40 per course, regardless of the credit load of the course (two- or three-credit courses are $40). Students auditing a course will be charged a $25 fee to cover the cost of course materials. The student must decide whether to audit a course BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS.

A student must be a high school graduate (or equivalent) to take any class.

If a student wishes to register for a class after the class registration deadline, there will be an additional $5 late fee (regardless of course load).

Beginning with our Fall 2005 Trimester, we will now offer a new "distance learning for CREDIT" alternative to all of the members of our sister churches. Classes will be videotaped (VHS), with the tapes and materials mailed to the student a few days after class. Students will then have approximately one week to complete assignments, and mail or fax to the instructor by a required date. Instructor e-mail addresses will be provided so that the student may have limited interaction with the instructor. The cost for this option will be the normal $40 for Credit, with $44 for postage, plus the cost of the book(s).

A student may also audit any class by CD. A standard fee of $25 will be charged. Also, out of fairness to paying students, requests for past or present audiocassette tapes (or CDs) of any GLBI course by anyone in the congregation will be subject to the $25 fee to cover the cost of the audio.

Payment for a class may be made by cash or check payable to Grace Church of Mentor. This payment must accompany the completed registration form and placed in an envelope designating it "GLBI Tuition." The registration forms will be available in the church foyer or by contacting the church office at 440-255-7045. Payments and forms will be accepted only during registration periods designated in the Academic Calendar. The student may place his completed form and fees in the GLBI receptacle in the church foyer or mail it to the following address:

Great Lakes Bible Institute
Attn: Stephanie Cannon, Secretary
6883 Reynolds Rd.
Mentor, OH 44060
Phone: 440-255-7045
Fax: 440-255-7166

Payment or forms are not to be personally handed to any instructor or church staff member.

All students must also have a Student Information Form on file. These forms are available in the church foyer, and one is also included with this booklet.

Great Lakes Bible Institute does not confer degrees or issue diplomas. We do offer a Certificate of Biblical Training.

Information concerning class cancellations due to inclement weather will be available by calling the church office at 440-255-7045. Students are responsible for contacting the church to determine if a class has been canceled. If the church answering machine is reached, please access the Institute Voicemail (Ext. 17) for an announcement.