Lincoln Christian University (LCU) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

university in

Lincoln, Illinois Lincoln is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. First settled in the 1830s, it is the only town in the United States that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president; he practiced law there from 1847 to 1859. Lincoln is ho ...

. It maintains extension sites in

Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and Illinois' seventh most ...

, metropolitan

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, and

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. LCU is affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ. LCU provides four year, co-educational,

Bible college A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological educ ...

offerings including

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

s.Association for Biblical Higher Education Directory
Accessed 9 May 2009.MEMO
/ref> LCU's graduate

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

offers

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

degrees (including a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

). The university also offers

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

al programs at its various sites and online."LCCS to become LCU." ''Lincoln Courier'', 6 May 2009.

History

LCU was founded in 1944 as Lincoln Bible Institute, a four-year

aligned with the

Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone–Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the United States frontier during the Second Great Awakening (179 ...

. Its first president was Earl Hargrove and its first dean was Enos Dowling. The seminary opened in 1951. In 1993, LCU became affiliated with Eastern Christian College, which was renamed ''Lincoln Christian College-East Coast''. ECC then closed in 2005 and was absorbed by

Mid-Atlantic Christian University Mid-Atlantic Christian University (MACU) is a private Christian university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It is supported by Christian churches and churches of Christ, which is part of the Restoration Movement. MACU awards bachelor's degrees, ...

. LCU's most recent construction projects were new athletics facilities in 2006 and new housing in 2007 with ongoing renovation of office and classroom buildings. In May 2009, officials from then-LCCS announced that the institution would change its name to Lincoln Christian University, effective September 2009.

Athletics

At the time of the school's cancellation of the athletic program, Lincoln Christian athletic teams were known as the Red Lions. The university was a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA) as an NAIA Independent within the Continental Athletic Conference from 2014–15 to 2021–22. They were also a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic co ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the North Central Region of the Division I level. The Red Lions previously competed as a member of the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

ranks, primarily competing in the

St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) is an NCAA Division III collegiate athletic conference in the Midwestern and SouthernUnited States. There are 9 full member institutions as of 2022. History Chronological timeline Sour ...

(SLIAC) from 2006–07 to the 2007 fall season (2007–08 school year). Lincoln Christian competed in seven intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports included baseball, basketball and soccer; while women's sports included basketball, soccer and volleyball; and co-ed sports included eSports. The university discontinued varsity athletics program at the end of the 2022 spring season (2021–22 school year).LCU Athletics Update: Next Steps , Lincoln Christian University Athletics
/ref>

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Lincoln, Illinois Association for Biblical Higher Education Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian churches and churches of Christ Education in Logan County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Logan County, Illinois 1944 establishments in Illinois Private universities and colleges in Illinois