Parole de Vie Béthel

Our Mission

The primary objective of the Parole de Vie Béthel Bible Institute is to help equip young men and women to live effective lives for the Lord. Whether the Lord leads a student to the mission field, other full-time ministry, a trade, business, a profession, or any other field of endeavour, in light of eternity, the most important issue is how effective that person is for the Lord. Effectiveness in Christian service is measured by the influence that is exerted in the lives of others to lead them to Christ or to help them toward spiritual maturity.

The purpose of the French Immersion in Biblical Studies program is to provide young people who possess a basic knowledge of French an opportunity to perfect their language skills while deepening their knowledge of the Word of God and broadening their exposure to French ministry and world missions.

Our Philosophy

• We believe that the Bible is not only the foundation for morality, but that it is authoritative in every area that it addresses. It is therefore the beginning of wisdom and a prerequisite for any academic endeavour.
• We believe that any study of the Bible must be built on a proper relationship to Jesus Christ.
• We believe that intellectual"knowing" is only a beginning step, and that a student has not learned until he has put this knowledge into practice.
• We believe that character development is a legitimate concern of education.
• We believe that staff and faculty are more than teachers; they are role models and as such must display Christian character and commitment before the student.
• We believe that doctrine is the foundation of all our endeavours.

Our Program

Parole de Vie Béthel is a great place to perfect your French in a dynamic setting of Bible study and French ministry! In addition to our regular Bible Institute program, since 1950 over 1000 students have studied French in our language program in preparation for missions around the world. Now, for the first time, elements from both courses of study are being creatively combined into an exciting 11-month program unique in all of North America. The Bible Institute program at Parole de Vie Béthel is designed for those who wish deepen their walk with the Lord and lay a great foundation for a victorious, balanced life. In addition to acquiring a greater understanding of the Bible, students will have the opportunity to put into practice the principles learned in class.

Students in the French immersion program will have a balance of French and Bible courses. During the fall semester they will receive ten hours of language training per week while also taking selected Bible Institute courses. Bible Institute assignments may be done in English. During the winter semester, students will participate fully in the Bible Institute program with an additional five hours per week of language study. All assignments will be done in French. In the spring semester, students will complete their academic year as full-time Bible Institute students. This will be followed by a seven-week French ministry internship in our summer camping program.

The best way to learn a language is to be immersed in it. For this reason, single students will be housed in dorms with our regular Bible Institute students and will participate fully in the multiple ministry opportunities that are part of that program. These include choir and drama tours, children's ministry, open-air evangelism, youth rallies, snow camps, a mission's conference, and a mission's trip either to Haiti or to First Nations communities located in northern Quebec.

Our Objectives

A knowledge of the Word of God

The Bible Institute offers only Bible courses or courses on related subjects. These are designed to equip students with a solid grasp of the Scriptures as well as the necessary tools to study the Word for themselves.

An exemplary life

The development of an exemplary life in conjunction with the study of God’s Word is encouraged by a daily personal quiet time, a weekly chapel service, dorm devotions, Scripture memory, a Christian character program and a code of conduct designed to teach the principles of a life of separation from the world.

The capacity to influence the lives of others

This objective is attained by several means. An evangelism course is designed to help students share the Gospel with others and practical experience is gained through a wide variety of ministry opportunities.

Our History

No one could imagine the extent to which the ministry of Word of Life would grow when Jack Wyrtzen, its founder, began to preach the Gospel in the streets of New York city in 1934. While the ministry has grown to include rallies, youth clubs, camps and Bible institutes, the emphasis on evangelism remains unchanged. The main goal of Word of Life has always been to proclaim the message of the Gospel to those who have never heard. Today, over 500 missionaries work with Word of Life among youth in some fifty countries around the world.

During the time that Word of Life's ministry was developing elsewhere, a group of Christians concerned with the spiritual needs of French Quebec was establishing a different ministry near the city of Sherbrooke. In 1948, property was purchased to begin a French Bible Institute, called l'Institut biblique Béthel. During more than forty years this school trained hundreds of young people in the Word of God, many of whom have served the Lord as pastors or missionaries throughout the world. In addition to the regular Bible Institute program, a French language program was also established to prepare missionaries to reach the French-speaking world with the Gospel. Since 1950 over 1000 students have studied in this program.

In December 1992, the Board of Directors of l'Institut biblique Béthel asked Word of Life Canada to take over its ministry as a work among francophone youth. In September 1994, Parole de Vie Béthel opened its doors to welcome the Pioneer class of eight students! Since then, the ministry has seen significant growth. To date, over 250 young people have completed the Bible program. In addition, thousands of young people have been reached through snow camps, summer camps, choir tours and province wide rallies organized with the help of the students. By the grace of God, an army of young men and women is taking up the cause of the Gospel.