Founder

Apostle William L. Bonner, Founding President of W. L. Bonner College, made significant strides in evangelism and church-planting, both at home and abroad. He is recognized as a visionary leader, building, pastor, as well as an evangelist and church planter. As an evangelist and church planter, he was personally involved in the construction with each church that was erected; laying concrete or painting or constructing “the dome.” He designed and built each phase of the Detroit’s first Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. That church evolved from a storefront on 13126 Orleans Street, to Michigan’s modern Church; the House built by God on Halleck and Dequindre Streets to Noah’s Ark on East Seen Mile Road and finally to the present Solomon’s Temple. The COOLJC Mother’s Church, Greater Refuge Temple, evolved from a former movie theatre on 124 th Street and 7th Avenue in New York to the Greater Refuge Temple. Refuge of Jackson, Mississippi, also known as the “Space Age (Rapture) Church, Refuge Temple of Washington, D. C. and Refuge Temple of Columbia, South Carolina, were all built from the ground up and were personally founded by Bishop Bonner. The buildings exquisitely fit in each community where they are located.

Apostle Bonner also established other institutions to meet the total needs of children and families. He erected educational and social institutions, which were housed on the grounds of Solomon’s Temple Church in Detroit, Michigan, Refuge Temple Church in Jackson, Mississippi, and Greater Refuge Temple in New York. Royal Palace Malls were also built in Detroit, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi.

Apostle Bonner established the Commission for World Evangelism to increase the involvement of leaders and parishioners in missionary work. As an evangelist, he was led him beyond his borders to plant churches and build up congregations in numerous places.

Apostle Bonner was empowered and anointed by the Holy Spirit to persuade and motivate people to respond to the Gospel in saving faith. Through his labor, many souls were led to Christ, enriching and expanding the Kingdom of God. Under his leadership as Presiding Prelate of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the organization experienced phenomenal growth. In 1961, there were 155 assemblies with a combined membership of 45,000. Numerical and spiritual growth continued, and today there are 506 congregations, with a combined membership of 100,000. Congregations are located in most major cities in the United States, with missions in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, West Africa and Europe. Evangelism and church planting efforts have impacted the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Apostle Bonner has not only established church congregations, but he has started educational institutions, as well as health facilities. In Bokaytown, Liberia West Africa, he built a clinic so that women could come from the “Bush” to have their babies in sanitary conditions.

Apostle Bonner has written several books which enable Christians to know and understand who they are in Christ and to comprehend, more thoroughly, tenets of the Christian faith. Some of these include Another Comforter, The African Story, The Battle of Armageddon, The Uncontrolled Emotions of Young People, Life in the Holy Spirit, The Three Women: Sarah, Rebecca and Jezebel, The Apostolic Dilemma, Part I and II, My Father in the Gospel, and Add Thou to It. Books have also been written by others as a tribute to Apostle Bonner and his contributions to church growth and evangelism. One of the most distinguished of these works is The Man and His God.

W. L. Bonner College is recognized as the crown jewel of Apostle Bonner’s educational ministry. Since 1995, the College has trained approximately 2,000 men and women for ministry and professional development. This trained has earned many of them eligibility for promotion and advancement within their denominational institutions. The College obtained its first accredited status with the International Christian Accrediting Association (ICAA) in 1999. As the Founding President, Pastor Bonner traveled extensively to various conferences, recruiting for the college. The mass number of students who commute to campus from various states is a testimony to his ability to change lives. His charismatic personality and kind spirit enables him to draw many.

As the college’s Founding President, Dr. Bonner was also its chief donor and benefactor. In addition to his ability to recruit, he was also a masterful fundraiser. Many have responded to his appeal for support in funding the mission of the college. As he transitioned from labor to reward, April 3, 2015, he left to the College revenue and land (32 acres). It was Dr. Bonner’s aim and desire to build an institutional endowment that would transcend the now, ensuring the future of the college’s mission.

---