About

Christian Life College provides associate's, bachelor's degree, and certificate programs at our Chicagoland campus and numerous off-campus sites throughout the Midwest and beyond. Our diverse student body includes individuals from various denominations and traditions who collaborate in studying, serving, and worshiping together.

Administration

  • Dr. Daryl Merrill, Jr.

    President

  • Dr. Harry R. Schmidt

    President Emeritus

  • Wayne R. Wachsmuth

    Academic Dean

  • Roger K. Stevens

    Director of Finance

  • Haley Benson

    Library Services & Registrar

  • Donna Schmidt

    Library Technical Assistant

  • LeAnn Riveness

    Student Services & Resident Housing Supervisor

Board of Directors

  • Dr. Daryl Merrill, Jr.

    President

  • Dr. Harry R. Schmidt

    President Emeritus

  • Michael Novelli

    Secretary

  • Ernest Mall

  • Fred Goldschmidt

    Treasurer

  • Igor Bogun

Christian Life Around the World

Christian Life College has off-campus programs located in the following countries:

Albania, Armenia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Portugal, Tanzania, India, Russia

It is an honor for us to be connected with not just schools in the United States, but also campuses across the world. We are passionately dedicated to nurturing connections and forging bonds with Christian schools and universities internationally, in order to prepare students for a life of ministry in their communities.

Christian Life College has its beginning over 70 years ago as Chicago Bible College. Even before its incorporation in 1950, classes had been held at Philadelphia Church, Chicago, where people gathered to learn God’s Word and be trained for ministry.

As other churches began to send students, the concept of a 4 year Bible College was birthed. Thus, CBC became a full-time school to train and raise up pastors, evangelists, missionaries, and Christian workers.

CBC had various Chicago locations until 1977, when the college moved to the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, eventually finding its permanent campus in Mount Prospect with Christian Life Church in 1981. It was at this time that Chicago Bible College changed its name to Christian Life College.

In 1987, Christian Life College was approved by the State of Illinois Board of Higher Education to grant Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees.

Through the years, CLC has expanded its worldwide footprint, built the finest student apartments, and has increased its level of academic and spiritual development.

Today, CBC/CLC continues in its mission to train the generations for a lifetime of Kingdom work.

Yesterday & Today

  • We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of both the Old and New Testaments in their original autographs

    II Timothy 3:16, 17; I Peter 2:2; II Peter 1:21.

  • We believe that God created all things in time and space by the power of His Word. The events of the creation week are literally and historically true, and we believe in the Biblical record, including the literal existence of Adam and Eve as the progenitors of all people, the literal full and resultant divine curse on the creation, the worldwide cataclysmic deluge, and the origin of nations and languages at the tower of Babel.

    Genesis 1-11; John 1: 1-3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1-3, 11:3.

  • We believe in one Triune God; God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As a person of the Divine Trinity, God the Father is spirit, infinite, sovereign, eternal, and unchangeable in all His attributes. He is worthy of honor, adoration, and obedience.

    Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; I Timothy 1:17; John 4:24

  • Item descriptionWe believe that man was created in the image of God, historically fell in Adam, and now the entire human race shares in total depravity.

    Genesis 1:26, 3:1-24; John 3:3-6; Romans 5:12, 19; Ephesians 1:7; 2:1-5

  • We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, suffered and died a substitutionary death on the cross for the sin of the world.

    Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 1:26-35; John 5:19, 36; 8:26; Acts 10:38

    After His literal, physical death as a redemptive sacrifice on the cross, Jesus Christ was literally and historically resurrected and ascended bodily into heaven, where He ever lives to make intercession.

    Acts 2:32, 36; Ephesians 1:7; I Corinthians 1:17,18; 15:1-4; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 3:18; I John 2:2; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:25

  • We believe that salvation is the gift of God by grace alone and is received through personal faith in the person and finished work of Christ.

    John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 6:23; Ephesians 2:4-10; Acts 2:38,16:3; Hebrews 6:1

  • We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, fully God, convicting, regenerating, and sanctifying the in-dwelt believer to live a holy, Christ-like life.

    John 16:7, 8; 3:3-6; Acts 5:3, 4; Romans 8:1-6,8, 9; Galatians 5:17-22; I Corinthians 6:11; I Peter 1:2

    The promise of a personal baptism in the Holy Spirit is evidenced by subsequent gifts which empower the believer for a victorious life, the edification of the church, and the evangelization of the nations.

    Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:20; Luke 11:13, 24:46-49; John 7:38, 39; Acts 1:5, 8, 2:4, 32, 33, 39, 5:32; I Corinthians 12-14

  • We believe in the New Testament pattern of a local church: indigenous, self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating. The ordinances of Christ include water baptism by immersion for believers only and the Lord's supper

    Acts 1:4-8; 2:42-47; 5:32-35; 6:1-6, 13:2, 14:23; 20:28; I Corinthians 1:2; 1:26; 12:26, 27; Ephesians 4:11; Colossians 1:18; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9

  • We believe in healing as a provision of God in answer to believing prayer.

    John 14:13,14; I Corinthians 12:9; James 5:14-16

  • We believe in the personal, visible Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is the "blessed hope" of the church; the bodily resurrection and final judgment of all mankind resulting in eternal death for the wicked in a place of eternal punishment which was prepared for Satan, (a personal, malignant being who acts as tempter and accuser). All who die outside of Christ shall be confined in conscious torment for eternity, whereas those who die in Christ are saved and shall receive eternal reward in the presence of God.

    Matthew 24:30-46; Acts 1:9-11; I Corinthians 15:51, 52; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Titus 2:13; II Peter 3:13; Revelation 11:15; 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:1-4

Statement of Faith