The History of the International Apostolic Bible College

The International Apostolic Bible College (IABC) has had a long and exciting history. It all started back in 1929 where a large group of young Christians met on a farm close to Kolding for summer camps. As the years went by the conferences grew. After five years there were close to 1000 participants. It was in the year of 1939 that the first 6-week-long Bible College course started with 27 students in the farmhouse. The course consisted of exegesis, English, singing and music.

The growing number of summer camp participants and the continuing course activity inspired a group of leaders headed by Sigfrid Beck in 1941 – in the Second World War – to build a Bible College that would influence all of Europe.  The vision was presented with the motto: “Build the temple of faith by the example of faith.”  In the same year, the owners of the farm, Beate and Hans Beck, donated the whole current terrain of IABC with the lake and a park covering 33,000 square meters for the project.  A big donation project for the construction was then initiated. An amount of 900.000 DKK was collected from 1941 – 1953. 

Meanwhile, the Bible College had become publicly recognized within the Danish school system. In 1951, the first foreign students attended the college, coming from countries such as Switzerland, Norway and Germany. The new building was officially dedicated in the summer of 1957, with 100 students from Denmark and abroad.

The building consists of five stories covering 5000 square meters.  If you were to fold out the wings of the building and connect them with its façade, it would have – by all accounts – the same dimensions as Noah’s Ark.

Today the building is not only accommodating the Bible College but also facilities for the local Apostolic Church (Kirkeibyen), the Apostolic National administration office, and soon also Euroclass.

By studying at IABC more than 5000 students from Denmark, Europe and the whole world have been inspired to continue to write history, both their own and that of the college's. What about you?