John Wesley College - A Christian Education in the Heart of North Carolina
John Wesley College was established in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1903. Following a series of revivals that May by the Reverends Seth Rees and Charley Weigle, several prominent citizens from Greensboro organized the finances and resources necessary to found the Greensboro Bible and Literary School, an institute of higher learning designed to educate the Christian youth of North Carolina. In 1913, the school changed its name to the Apostolic Holiness University to mirror its close association with the International Apostolic Holiness Union, later known as the Pilgrim Holiness Church.
During the Depression era, the Apostolic Holiness University suffered financial setbacks due to lack of funding and new enrollments, as well as the physical calamity of a disastrous fire that engulfed the main buildings of the campus. As a result, after the spring semester of 1931, the doors to the school were officially closed. Nevertheless, with the advent of support from renowned evangelist Jim Green, the school was able to reopen the following year under the new name of the People's Bible School.
An independent, non-denominational Board of Trustees was formed with Dr. John R. Church as Chairman. Although the Board of Trustees adopted no religious affiliation, the College continued to keep with its strong historical and faith-based ties to its Wesleyan-Arminian background. Throughout the remainder of the 1930s, several new construction projects were started on campus. Students, faculty, and volunteers from a variety of local churches built many of the original buildings on campus.
The institute officially adopted its current name of John Wesley College in 1956. The campus subsequently moved to High Point, North Carolina in 1980 after businessman Edwin H. Shufelt graciously donated 25 acres of land to the institution.
Following many years of affiliation with the Southern Association of Bible Colleges, John Wesley College sought accreditation from the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC), receiving accreditation officially in 1982. Currently, the College offers the traditional four-year Bachelor of Arts degree, the five-year Bachelor of Theology degree, and the one-year Christian workers program. With a curriculum of study largely focused around the Bible, John Wesley College has evolved into an institution of higher education that provides students with a solid foundation for Christian ministry and leadership in a variety of professions.