Pacific Coast Discipleship School is an immersive discipleship program through Life Pacific University. It is designed to provide real-life ministry experience while offering a fully accredited education through LPU’S Immersive Training Program.
At PCDS, students will intern at Crescent City Foursquare Church in Crescent City, CA, as well as spend a portion of their time in San Francisco through an Urban Exchange Missions program sponsored by Pastor Noah Coombs and Bay Church. While attending PCDS you will live, learn and minister with other LPU students in a completely unique way. You will not only be supported by LPU staff, but by the Pastoral team at CCFC and the house parents at the PCDS house, so that you are not only successful academically but that you are healthy emotionally, physically and spiritually.
It is the goal of PCDS to teach, train and equip its students for their careers either in the ministry or in the marketplace through hands on ministry experience, community involvement, leadership development and life on life discipleship.
To find out more about LPU’s Immersive Training Program, watch the video below!
ABOUT LIFE PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
LPU is a WSCUC and ABHE accredited institution of biblical higher education. It exists for the transformational development of students into leaders prepared to serve God in the Church, workplace and the world.
https://www.lifepacific.edu/about-life-pacific
"Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. "
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
ABOUT URBAN EXCHANGE
One thing that is unique to PCDS, is our partnership with Bay Church in the heart of San Francisco, California. San Francisco is one of three global cities in the US. the world has come to San Francisco and SF has a global impact because of its culture and tech influence.
San Francisco is both wealthy and poor, beautiful and gritty. It is progressive and liberal, as well as, homey and family friendly. SF has many beautiful sites including the Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park and about 40 distinct neighborhoods. SF has many social challenges including a rising homeless population, high drug addiction, sexual liberalism and more.
Pastor Noah Coombs has been hosting short term mission’s teams to this city for years. His heart is to ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ through a variety of ministries that include Laundry Love, Homeless Outreach, Park Clean-Up, Anti Human-Trafficking Campaigns and much more. The big idea of Urban Exchange is the missional model that your experience in SF can be replicated and brought back to your own city.
Students enrolled at PCDS will periodically travel down to SF with Pastor Noah to help lead missions teams, expand on the ministry opportunities, recruit potential students and even speak at other churches and campuses to help promote both PCDS and Urban Exchange.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the cost for this program?
The estimated cost per year is around $16000. The cost breakdown is as follows:
-$8085 tuition ($330 per unit @ 24.5 units/year)
-$2500 Site Fee/Year
-$1000 books/materials (max)
-$4500 housing @ $500 per/mo
Is Financial Aid available?
Yes! You are eligible for financial aid the same way you would be if you were an on-campus student. You want to begin the FAFSA as soon as possible as funds are often made available on a first-come, first-serve basis. In addition, California residents may qualify for the CAL-GRANT which could help subsidize the cost of school. Students are also able to utilize student loans, apply for grants and scholarships (there are THOUSANDS of them) and fundraise to help cover their tuition and fees.
Go to studentaid.gov to begin the process today!
What degrees are offered?
There are four degrees to choose from through the ITP (Immersive Training Program).
AA – General Studies AA – Biblical Studies BA – Organizational Management BA – Ministry & Leadership
What is the housing situation like?
PCDS offers on housing for its students in Crescent City. They will live in one of the churches on-campus houses that is newly renovated for this program! It is for our student interns only and offers a great space for study, hangout, privacy and basic living. The house is managed by our PCDS House Parents, who will act as RA’s, mentors, teachers, and coaches. Housing is $500 per month and can be a part of the students financial aid package.
How will my time be divided up between Crescent City & San Francisco?
Students will spend most of their time in Crescent City, with the exception of a few weekend trips per year. On these weekend trips, the PCDS students will help lead missions teams through Urban Exchange.
What will the internship aspect of PCDS be like?
Students Interns can plan on spending around 15 – 20 hours per week serving at Crescent City Foursquare Church (Crescent City, CA). The specifics of the internship will vary based on season but students will experience what it is like to serve in a variety of church ministries both within and outside of the church building.
How will I balance academic studies with the internship requirements?
PCDS is committed to the health of their student interns! Part of what makes this partnership program so great is the ways in which the leadership is devoted to student success academically, physically, emotionally and spiritually! Balancing coursework with your internship responsibilities is essential and we will work with the students on an individual basis to adjust schedules, life habits, routines and whatever else to ensure success!
THE PCDS TEAM
Mark and Steph Broom
Mark and Steph have been faithful servants of Crescent City Foursquare and this community for many years! They have a heart for youth and young adults and have a passion to help them ‘win’ in life and to see them love and serve Jesus!
After retiring as a Correctional Officer, Mark has consistently given his time, talents, and resources to the Kingdom. Steph is currently working at Crescent City Foursquare Church as a Pre-school teacher, and is attending school online as well. Both Mark and Steph live lives of OBEDIENCE. Their only aims are to live out the calling that the Lord has placed on their lives, and to follow His leading wherever, whenever, and however.
We are blessed and excited that Mark and Steph will be living alongside the students in our PCDS house as ‘House Mentors.’ Their roles will be ones of mentorship, guidance, accountability, security and more!
Pastor Noah Coombs
Noah pastors a diverse congregation in a family friendly working-class neighborhood (Bay Church) and leads a missional ministry (Urban Exchange) in San Francisco, CA.
Noah passionately follows Jesus’ model of discipleship, walking alongside disciples while meeting physical and spiritual needs of people in the community. Loving thy neighbor is seen at the core of a variety of urban ministry projects throughout the city, (Laundry Love, serving the homeless, fighting human trafficking). Noah is an active member of his local neighborhood association, involved with many community activities – such as Halloween block parties, 4th of July Parade, Easter festivities and hosting voting polls in his garage.
Noah graduated from Life Pacific University and holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Regent University. Noah spent a decade in church planting training under New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In Noah’s free time, he coaches baseball in the spring. He is actively working through his list of adventures which includes sky diving, flying solo in an airplane, driving in a demolition derby and being featured in a movie.
Noah is married to his wife Rachele. They have three children (Hudson, Harlan and Hazel).
Pastor Roger Bodenstab
Roger is the Lead Pastor of Crescent City Foursquare Church and has been a follower of Jesus since the age of 10 and loved “growing in the knowledge of the Lord at an early age.” A value that guides his life and teaching is having a biblical knowledge along with practical life application guided by an understanding of the heart of God the Father.
Roger believes that one must experience the love of the Father in the context of His holiness and that this can create a better awareness of one’s relationship with God. When we experience His love and respond by loving Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, we can then love ourselves and love others better. This has to work out practically in our lives as believers.
Roger has served in many different areas of the church. Since the age of 13, Roger has taught children, youth and adults and has had a unique perspective of how important it is to connect knowledge with life experience. It has been his experience that most of church experience is to create transactions instead of transformation; and any supposed transformation was ultra-spiritual and didn’t relate past the church experience into real life.
Roger’s heart is to help create true life experiences in training people to not only prepare them for roles in church leadership but have a transformation of the heart so that they will have a Christ-centered approach in every area of life.
Roger is excited for the partnership with LPU with the Immersive Training Program to offer biblical education along with daily life, hands-on experiences to allow for transformation. He believes this program will allow for a discipleship process that will influence and transform lives in the local church and community from the “cradle to the grave.”
REQUEST MORE INFO
If you are interested in learning more about PCDS, email the Site Director:
roger@ccfoursquare.org
To begin the admissions process, or learn more about LPU’s Immersive Training Program, email the Director of the Immersive Training Program at:
bhowell@lifepacific.edu
