In the summer of 2001, the imago Dei institute and Cascade Bible College officially merged together. Cascade brought with it a respected track record with students and faculty from several Northwest churches. The imago Dei institute (iDi), which was started by Antioch Bible Church in 1998, brought to the table a heart for theological training, multicultural ministry and cultural relevance. Though both ministries had their own distinctive strengths, each was committed to effectively train people to know the Lord and to reach their communities for Christ. These are the pillars that we still hold to.

The imago Dei institute is different than many theological institutions. Here are a few reasons why:

• COST:
  

  Why is the imago Dei institute roughly one quarter the cost of other Bible Colleges? Because we are committed to offering our students a high level of education that won’t force them to go into debt. While the cost of ignorance will always be greater than the cost of an education, we believe that too many students are turned away from Christian Colleges because they can’t afford the program or are unwilling to go into debt. The bottom line is that we never want to see money get in the way of someone being a part of this educational ministry.

• CONVENIENCE:
  

  To accommodate our students’ busy schedules, we intentionally try to offer both day & evening courses. We also host various workshops throughout the school year that work nicely for students who want training but can’t commit to a quarter’s worth of class time. And for people who work better on their own time schedule, we offer certain classes for independent study and enrichment.

• CONTENT:
  

  The imago Dei institute is an educational ministry that offers classes for adults wishing to deepen their Christian education, experience and worldview. We offer courses in Theology, the Arts, Church History, Biblical Studies, Cross-Cultural Ministry, and Interdisciplinary Studies. Students who attend our program will gain a well-rounded view of their Creator and His work in our current culture. They are also encouraged to incorporate the life-changing truths they glean back into their home, workplace, church and community.

• COLLABORATION:
  

  Partnership is at the heart of everything we do here at the institute. Though iDi remains an educational ministry of Antioch Bible Church, we have partnered with several other local churches in Seattle's suburbs. Through shared faculty and facilities, iDi is a working model of how churches can work together to train their people and prospective leaders.

• CROSS-CULTURAL:
  

  It has been said that 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings is the most segregated time in America. Sadly, this statement holds true for most ministries across our nation. By defining “cross-cultural” as the Cross for all cultures, we at the institute have committed ourselves to training our students to minister effectively to the radically changing, global society that exists outside their front doors. While some colleges are fixated on color and quotas, we at the imago Dei institute are concerned about character development, no matter what a person’s ethnicity, age, gender, or socio-economic background may be.