Our History

Portland Bible College is located in the scenic Pacific Northwest in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. The Bible college is on a secluded hillside overlooking majestic mountains, the Columbia River and the city of Portland.

The college is an educational ministry of City Bible Church (formerly Bible Temple) where students are connected to strong biblical teaching and worship, where they experience personal growth and have opportunities for Christian service.

Pastor Dick Iverson, under the ministry of Bible Temple, founded Portland  Bible College in 1967. The Bible college was created to fulfill the need and demand Bible Temple had to train their own young people. In just a few years, PBC began to attract young people from other churches and places outside of our state and nation.  Since then, PBC has had a long and successful journey and is continuing to build great leaders.

In 1973, following the leadership of Robert Stricker Sr., the school came under the great influence of Kevin Conner. Kevin is a known and respected teacher and served as Dean from 1973-1983. He was followed by Ken Malmin who has served as Academic Dean since 1979 and Dean over the college since 1986. PBC has also been under the leadership of Dr. Frank Damazio since 1995 when he assumed the role of Senior Pastor of City Bible Church. The school has continued to grow under his leadership and has since added the Worship, Youth Ministry, and Leadership  Training programs. Frank graduated from Portland Bible College, and holds a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Oral Roberts University. He brings a strong educational background with him to lead PBC.

In 1996 PBC reached a milestone when the State of Oregon gave us a degree-granting status (not to be confused with accreditation) so that instead of offering certificates and diplomas, we now offer Associate and Bachelor degrees in both Oregon and more recently in Washington state.

We extend our deep appreciation to the pioneers of this institution and give thanks to God for His great faithfulness. People like Robert Stricker Sr., David Blomgren, Kevin Conner, and Dick Iverson are to be commended for giving their energy and strength to the establishment of Portland Bible College. It is clear that PBC has a distinguished past, a challenging present and an exciting future. The need for future world leaders remains the hope of the church and the world. We are determined to honor our heritage of the past and accept our responsibility to the future.  Dr. Frank Damazio, veteran senior pastor of a multi-site church, has given leadership to PBC since 1995; and with great passion for this generation, will continue to take PBC into the future.