Elim Bible College
Where Do We Go from Here?

The rising cost of higher education, coupled with the Great Recession of 2008, contributed to a growing skepticism about the value of higher education and whether a college degree provided a return on investment. Many college graduates took on significant student loans, only to find that the job they accepted after college did not pay as much as they had hoped. The polarized political climate, influencers with a high school education earning more than many college graduates and a vocational vacuum intensified widespread questioning of the value of college. At the same time, skills-based hiring became trendy.

Additionally, some colleges started drifting away from their mission, and instead of educating and teaching critical thinking and other fundamental skills, they focused on controversial theories and promoted socialist and Marxist ideologies, which ultimately led to a break in public trust.

History has shown us that when we perceive that a certain position or trend produces an undesirable result, societies often respond by moving strongly in the opposite direction. The percentage of high school graduates enrolling in college has gone down (NCES, 2025). According to NCES 2024, total undergraduate enrollment in degree-granting higher education institutions decreased by 15 percent. 49 colleges have closed since March 2020, and 40 have merged.

What about Christian colleges? How are they being impacted and what does it mean for future generations? According to Barna Group’s 2015 research conducted in partnership with the Association for Biblical Higher Education, only 20 percent of Christian parents are of the opinion that learning about the Bible should be part of the higher education experience. Significant shifts in societal norms and laws regarding sexuality and gender identity made the landscape of Christian higher education institutions even more challenging.

If the value of higher education is measured primarily by economic standards, Bible Colleges do not have a high chance of competing with large institutions with significantly greater resources offering their students a wide range of degree programs to choose from. Most churches or other nonprofit organizations do not usually offer high salaries. Therefore, the earning potential for graduates of a Bible college is rather low. But what is truly the purpose of Christian Higher Education? Can it be measured by the potential earnings from a future job? Especially in the era of artificial intelligence, when the job market may change significantly within four years, evaluating higher education through the prism of earning potential seems to be very shortsighted.

Let’s look at history. In the 17th century, the puritan colonists understood the importance of educating christian leaders and ministers. That’s why Harvard University was founded. The college’s rules and precept of 1643 stated, “Let every Student be plainly instructed; and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ.” Knowing God was the greatest purpose.

During World War II, the Nazis also understood the power of influence through higher education, and they made deliberate efforts to deny educational opportunities to children or young adults of Eastern Europe. This part of history hits particularly close to home for me, as my mother, a child of a Polish citizen, was kicked out of 5th grade. Many professors, ministers and teachers were captured and sent to concentration camps in an attempt to eradicate the educated class of Eastern Europe. The purpose was to raise a subservient labor force. Neither professors nor ministers were making much money, and that was not why they were targeted. It was the power of their influence, critical thinking abilities, their leadership, communication skills and the capacity to shape the thinking of others that threatened the Nazis and their plan for Eastern Europe.

According to 2023-24 Pew’s religious landscape study, 70 percent of Hindus, 44 percent of muslims, 41 percent of Buddhists and only 29 percent of evangelical Protestants are graduating from college. If this trend continues, who will be the educators, the policy makers, the college professors, the authors and the lawyers in ten years? What happened to the puritan colonists’ dream? After all, America has been a cradle of Christian higher education.

It is time for Christian Americans to wake up and look at christian higher education as the opportunity to get to know God on a deeper level, to know his word better and to develop critical thinking, communication and leadership skills–such skills are needed in every profession regardless of the job market. Such skills are needed not just to succeed in a vocation, but to stand firmly as a Christian and positively impact the world around us!

What can you do? If you are considering enrolling in a college, consider a bible college or a christian college where spiritual formation and academic learning are intentionally integrated, and a biblical worldview provides the foundation for the curriculum. If you are a parent, pastor or a ministry leader, encourage potential students to consider christian higher education! Help us reach the next generation! Help us invest in their development! Help us sow into the future!