The School of the Prophets was founded as a volunteer-run institution in 1924 by Rev. Christine Gibson at East Providence, Rhode Island. It was also at one time named Mount Zion Bible School. Later, as the Zion Bible Institute, it was closely associated with Zion Gospel Temple, originally a Holiness congregation founded in the late 19th century by Rev. Alphaeus Cleveland and subsequently pastored by Rev. Christine Gibson. The congregation later affiliated with the Pentecostal revival and continued as an independent Pentecostal church named Zion Gospel Temple. The nearby Zion Faith Home, Inc., a retirement home for missionaries, was also connected with the school and church for many years while the campus was located in East Providence, Rhode Island. In 1985, Zion Bible Institute relocated to the former campus of Barrington College in Barrington, Rhode Island. At the time the Institute was under the leadership of Dr. N. Benjamin Crandall, president from 1985 to 2000. The centerpiece of the campus was the former Peck Mansion, a building listed on the registry of historic sites for the state of Rhode Island. Renamed as the Gibson Memorial Building in honor of the Institute's founder, it housed the President's Office, a variety of additional offices, and the library. Following Crandall, Rev. George Cope served as president from 2000 to 2005. The college became affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA in 2000. In 2001, it was accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. In 2007 Reverend Charles Crabtree, a former assistant superintendent of the Assemblies of God, accepted the position of president. Also in 2007, David Green, CEO and founder of the Hobby Lobby chain of hobby stores, purchased the former Bradford College campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The campus was given to Zion Bible College, and Zion was to fund the repairs and upgrades needed before commencing operations there. The college reopened on the new campus in the fall of 2008, and enrollment doubled from 200 to 400. In 2012, the school's trustees changed the college's name to Northpoint Bible College, effective January 1, 2013. Also in 2013, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved the addition of Master's degree and Associate degree programs. In that same year, Crabtree stepped down as president and David Arnett was chosen to be his successor.
Campus
The campus, formerly that of Bradford College, is located in the South Haverhill section of Haverhill.
Academics
The college offers programs leading to the following objectives:
a one-year certificate in Biblical Studies
an Associate in Arts degree in Bible and Theology, with a concentration in Church Ministry
Bachelor's degree students complete core coursework in Biblical Studies and Systematic Theology. Each student is required to specify a second major in an area of ministry. These second majors are in Church Ministry, Youth Ministry, Children and Family Ministry, Music and Worship Ministry, World Missions, and Pastoral Ministry. The college has an open admission policy. The Master of Arts program offers concentrations in Pastoral Leadership Development, Preaching, Spiritual Formation, and Church Planting and Revitalization.
is held Monday through Thursday. Attendance is mandatory for all full-time students. On one Friday per month, there are class prayers. Each class meets in a specified location to pray with one another and handle class business. Each student is required to complete S.P.I.C.E. hours. S.P.I.C.E. assignments include grounds, cleaning crew, security, audio/visual, and mailroom, among others. All full-time students are required to participate in the S.P.I.C.E. program. A full-time, on-campus student must complete five hours per week. A full-time married student or off-campus student must complete three hours per week. There is a dress code for class attendance, chapel attendance, and leisure time.
Residence life
Unmarried students without an established residence in the area are required to live on campus while attending Northpoint Bible College. There is one dormitory for men and one for women. Some married students live on the upper floors of Academy Hall. Unmarried students who are not yet in their senior year are held to nightly campus curfew, room curfew, and weekly room inspections.
Extracurriculars
There are several traveling teams at Northpoint. These teams provide ministry opportunities to the students attending Northpoint Bible College. The teams are overseen by Northpoint Bible College staff, but the teams are made up of students who hold a 3.5 Gpa. These teams can provide music, dramatic presentations, and special speakers to churches, camps, and other organizations.
"Dwelling Place" — Traveling music team
"Appointed" — Dramatic arts team
"Missions Teams" — Teams dedicated to spreading the heart of missions to local churches. Furthermore, some of these missions teams travel around the world to spread the Gospel message in accordance of the Great Commission. As of 2017, some of these mission trips took place either locally or in Europe or Africa.
From 2006 to 2011, NPBC offered a program in which students participated in "hands on" ministry at one of six local churches. This "Catalyst" program was to serve as a college-based alternative to the Master's Commission program founded by Lloyd Zigler.
