Hey, I’m Luke. This year, I stepped into the role of Marketing Director at FLBCS. Before that, I assisted our communications team with everything audio, video, website, email, and print.
In my conservative upbringing, marketing was often seen as a bad word. Some of you probably have memories of door-to-door salesmen making false claims about vacuum cleaners, or more recently, sexualized images on billboards advertising fast food cheeseburgers. But marketing shouldn’t be defined by the worst versions of it.
I view marketing as simply, “The stories you tell.” (Seth Godin) That’s all it is. It is communicating information about a product or values. With that definition, we can feel comfortable marketing our churches, and even the gospel itself. Marketing is only evil if it involves lies and manipulation—usually from companies or individuals that are insecure about the value of their product. That’s not us.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
(II Corinthians 4:7 ESV)
So now, some marketing—or simply honest storytelling.
What I See at FLBCS
Free Lutheran Bible College has provided solid Bible education to the young people of mostly the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations since the 60’s. As far as colleges go, very little has changed in its 60+ year lifespan. Its primary textbook (Bible) is exactly the same. Its mission is exactly the same. Its size, focus, methodology, theological bent, relative cost adjusted for inflation, and impact on our alumni’s lives is very similar to its early years.
This kind of missional lock is unheard of in higher ed! We all know of seminaries and Christian colleges that have secularized and become a worldly influence on its students rather than a sanctifying one. And so it’s natural to be afraid when we see any change.
“This kind of missional lock is unheard of in higher ed!”
A few things have changed at FLBC. We built a gym, we’ve added and subtracted staff positions, we’ve added accredited AA and BA degrees (still really the same program), and we’ve started doing more of this thing called marketing—because the way that today’s high school students make college decisions has drastically changed.
Leadership
Our leadership is strong. Everyone is largely on the same page when it comes to valuing our mission and the way to carry it out. Our leaders are skilled at what they do. They are lifelong learners who want to do their very best to benefit the institution.
Riches and fame are not what our leaders are seeking. Most, if not all of them, could make more money by working for a large, for-profit corporation. But they are driven by the mission of teaching God’s Word to our young people. They actively avoid the spotlight and are quick to give credit to their peers.
FLBC was a great place when I attended as a student in 2010-2012, but it’s even better now! A conscious effort has been made to maintain a healthy leadership culture. We recognize our Scandinavian Lutheran tendency to gossip about people behind their backs. We combat that by encouraging honesty and directness in love. This has led to a productive work environment where employees feel supported and challenged.
Program
Our Bible & Ministry program is in constant evaluation. Taking the step of accreditation has required us to refine our program to be the best it can be.
Other colleges focus on job placement and skills certification. FLBC focuses on our students finding joy in Christ, no matter where they build their careers and families.
Our curriculum still centers around the study of Scripture. Our accredited AA and BA degrees have helped us include some necessary foundational courses in our program. Increasingly, we notice that high school does not adequately equip our young people to be good writers, communicators and thinkers. To help our students become effective communicators of the gospel (1 Peter 3:15), we have included classes like public speaking, writing, logic, and philosophy. All these classes are still centered around the Word of God. They enable our focus on exegetical study of the Bible, rather than detract from it.
FLBC is not a liberal arts college. Our Educational Foundations classes might feel like a brand new addition to our program, but since the school’s inception, it was realized that our students needed to think and write well in order for them to get the most out of their Bible training. And in our very early years, FLBC (then AFLBS) included courses like English Writing for this very purpose. I am thoroughly convinced that these classes are a necessary building block in our students’ Bible education. We are now able to more consistently deliver on this original desire of the school.
Stability
FLBC doesn’t believe in burying its gifts in the ground for a rainy day. We’ve decided to take a proactive approach to investing in the future of the institution.
In recent years, FLBC has grown its donor base with dedicated supporters who love the mission of the school. They give without strings attached and pray for God’s Word to have a profound effect on anyone who attends.
The facilities have undergone some much-needed repairs and improvements. Our goal is to stay on top of deferred maintenance so that future generations have a facility that continues to support student transformation through time in the classroom and in community with their classmates.
The new gym facility has proved to be an even bigger blessing than anticipated. It has allowed us to host new communities of guests on campus, exposing them to the mission of the school, and allowing us to practice Christlike hospitality. It is amazing the number of doors this building has opened for us.
Many of you are adverse to the word debt. FLBC has very little debt, and the little it has is strategic and manageable. The board’s strategic plan is actively building further financial security into our future.
Cost
FLBC is an excellent value for the money, and we are taking steps to increase the amount of aid we can give to each student.
Much to the dismay of people who find our website by googling “Free Bible College”, we are not free. Nothing good, apart from the grace of God, is ever free—and even that was paid for. But students investing their college resources in studying the Bible is not a bad thing. Where we spend our money shows what we value. Every adult learns this, and FLBC is a safe place for students to learn the responsibility of work and earning money.
Talking about cost is difficult. Simply saying we are not comparably expensive, even though technically true, makes struggling students and families feel unheard. I don’t want to overlook the fact that students who receive little help from parents or church will need to work hard to make it through FLBC with no debt.
Cost of living, especially in the areas of groceries and housing, has seen a huge increase in recent years! This accounts for the vast majority of our cost increases as a school. However, the FLBC campus is one of the most affordable places to live in the Minneapolis area. This may come as a surprise to those moving to campus from small towns.
I have felt the effects of inflation in my own finances too. I paid far less for housing in Fargo, ND than I do in Crystal near the campus. When people express to us their negative feelings about the cost of FLBC, in actuality they are upset with the increases to the basic cost of living, which is understandable. We don’t like that either.
Impact
I’m going to do something our President does often and repeat our mission statement ad nauseam. But I’m using the shorter version, not because the removed words are unimportant, but because it’s easier to remember and latch onto:
Our Mission is: “Establishing students in the Word of God for life in Jesus Christ”
This is what we do. More than handing out degrees, more than athletics in a new gym, more than giving our students a great college experience, we teach the Word of God. Not just a biblically informed education—Bible education.
“Not just a biblically informed education—Bible education.”
Why? For life in Christ. Because we truly believe that life lived in Christ is better. More joyful, more impactful, more of a legacy for your children. As our students encounter God’s heart through the pages of Scripture, they become a gospel outpost wherever God takes them. Into their communities, churches, workplaces, and families.
What Our Students Say
As I was writing this post, our Director of Discipleship, Jeremy Larson, came uninvited into my office to show me some student survey results from last year. He said overwhelmingly the reason students come to FLBC is to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of Scripture. And when they leave, they overwhelmingly say this was accomplished in their lives. Additionally, they look back and say their favorite part of FLBC was the close community and friends they made while they were here.
My evidence from further back is anecdotal, but I have heard the vast majority of our alumni from all years say the same thing. People who are my parents’ and grandparents’ age. Year after year, FLBC—no, the Word of God itself—has had a profound, lifelong impact on our students that changes the way they live out the rest of their lives, informed by a gospel worldview.
Do you want that for yourself? For your children? We do.
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