From classrooms equipped with flat-screen TVs to a student lounge boasting a coffee bar, a local Bible college has breathed new life into what was a nearly-century-old house of worship in west Medford.

Pacific Bible College, a private nonprofit, is putting the final touches on its new location made from the former Zion Lutheran Church ahead of a grand opening scheduled for later this month that will celebrate the building’s transformation into a 21st-century college campus.

Zion Lutheran Church dissolved in early March 2022, the same weekend the church celebrated its 125th anniversary and its place in history as Medford’s first Lutheran congregation. Zion sold to Pacific Bible College its 1927-built sanctuary designed by prominent local architect Frank Clark, best known for his work on numerous historic buildings including the Holly Theatre and the 1937 Art Deco Harry & David packing house, according to the Oregon Encyclopedia.

Turning the building into a space designed for education involved nearly two years of planning and months of construction, according to Pacific Bible College Student Success Coordinator and spokeswoman Gracie Jones.

“It’s just been this last week that we’ve wrapped up some of those finishing touches,” Jones said. 

Construction started in September following a longer-than-expected permitting process, according to Jones. The new campus was complete enough for the college’s 50 students to start class for spring semester Jan. 8, while crews tackled odds and ends. For instance, the college completed a new faculty lounge just last week.

The new 11,000-square-foot campus is significantly larger than the college’s prior location on South Fir Street, which Jones estimated at “only a few thousand” square feet.

“We went from two classrooms at our old campus to five to six depending on occupancy,” Jones said. The new campus’ close proximity to the old location simplified the logistics of moving, however. 

The college’s history goes back to 1989, when Perry Atkinson, owner of Christian radio station the Dove, met with a group of pastors to start a Bible college in Southern Oregon. The college was founded in 1991 as Dove Bible Institute, according to the college’s website. It changed to Pacific Bible College in 2000.

The college says it is not affiliated with any church or denomination, and “is the only Christ-centered institution of higher learning” between Eugene and Redding, California.

Many of the college’s most exciting amenities are still months away, such as a greatly expanded library and a new cafeteria.

According to the college’s website, the library will be “the premier theological library in Southern Oregon” once completed. Adding to the college’s 3,500 physical books, they recently bought a collection of 10,000 books from Eternity Bible College in Simi Valley, California. The California college sold them as part of its transition to an online-only institution.

The new campus preserves the building’s Gothic chapel and stained glass windows.

“It’s kind of nice because our chapel preserves our history,” Jones said. “Now with our remodel in the ed building it also has that up-to-date university feel to it.”

Pacific Bible College’s open house is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at 516 W. Fourth St. For more information call 541-500-1234 or visit pacificbible.edu.