Trinity Lutheran College

Trinity Lutheran College was a private Christian liberal arts college in Everett, Washington. It offered bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and 1-year certificates. The college ceased instruction in 2016. History Lutheran Bible Institute of Seattle (LBI) was founded in 1944 as an extension of the Lutheran Bible Institute based in Minneapolis and became independent in 1959. The college initially provided a biblical studies education and enrichment courses and in the 1970s began to add bachelor's degree programs in biblical studies, global missions, Christian education, and youth ministry. LBI initially operated out of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in downtown Seattle. Growing enrollment led to relocating to a new campus on Seattle's Greenwood Avenue in 1949. In 1979, after a decade of sustained enrollment growth, the college purchased the former Providence Heights College campus in Issaquah, Washington, from the Sisters of Providence, with staff and students relocating to the new campus mid-school year. Shortly thereafter LBI sold a significant portion of the unused property on the south side of the school to a developer. LBI played a key role in the development of this property, transforming it into a thriving retirement community presently known as Providence Point in honor of the previous school. In 1982, LBI became regionally accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (now Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities). LBI changed its name to Trinity Lutheran College in 1999 to reflect its status as an accredited four-year college. Trinity began to add new majors, including music and worship, early childhood education, business management, psychology, and communications. Enrollment began to decline in the 1990s and, faced with financial uncertainty, the college decided to sell the Providence Heights campus and relocate again, moving to downtown Everett, Washington, in the fall of 2008.