Institute in Basic Life Principles


The Institute in Basic Life Principles is a nondenominational Christian fundamentalist organization established by American Christian minister Bill Gothard in 1961.
The organization's stated purpose is to provide instruction on how to find success in life by following biblical principles, via programs that include seminars for ministry, community outreach, troubled youth mentoring, and an international ministry. IBLP is a 501 tax-exempt, nonprofit organization. However, it does not publicly release financial information; such information must be obtained from other groups which routinely obtain and publish said data.
From its inception through the early 1980s, the organization grew rapidly, both in the United States and internationally. However, reports of sexual impropriety involving Gothard and his brother, Steve, would result in a decline in popularity. Another growth spurt beginning in the mid 2000s through the mid 2010s, spurred in part by the popularity of the Duggar family, would end when Gothard was once again accused of sexual impropriety, resulting in his eventual permanent removal from the organization.
IBLP was headquartered on a 223-acre compound in Hinsdale, Gothard's hometown. However, according to Chicago Magazine, sometime around 2015 it moved its headquarters and nearly all of its remaining operations to a facility east of the small East Texas town of Big Sandy. The facility was originally obtained by IBLP from Hobby Lobby President David Green in 2000, when he purchased the former Texas campus of Ambassador College and leased it to IBLP. As of 2026, the only facilities shown on the ministry's website are:
  • the organization's headquarters in Texas, which houses most of its operations,
  • the Northwoods Conference Center,
  • a post office box in Conway, Arkansas for its prison ministry, and
  • several locations in other countries.

    History

IBLP was originally organized in 1961 under the name Campus Teams. The organization changed its name to Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts in 1974 and adopted its current name in 1989.
IBLP started promoting Basic Youth Conflicts seminars in areas around the United States and other nations, which, according to its own history, saw attendances of up to 20,000 during the 1970s.
In 1976, the Institute published its first book, Character Sketches, the first in a series of books meant to provide instruction on the character of God. The Institute continued to publish books and pamphlets and in 2006, In These Times reported the IBLP earned .
In the 1980s, Gothard's brother, Steve Gothard, resigned as administrative director after having affairs with several secretaries of the institute; Bill would "resign" for a brief time, only to return and establish near total control thereafter until his eventual removal in 2014.
In 2008 the rise to celebrity status of one group of IBLP followers, the Duggar family, through the TLC series 17 Kids and Counting and its subsequent shows, brought a new wave of interest in the organization and its teachings.
However, notwithstanding the increased interest, the public became increasingly aware of controversy associated with the organization and Gothard. Gothard allegedly selected young women for administrative positions within the organization, then manipulated and harassed them while in his employment. Gothard would again resign from IBLP in 2014. This time, however, an investigation into the allegations by the IBLP board concluded he did not act "criminally" but did act "inappropriately", and therefore was "not permitted to serve in any counseling, leadership, or Board role within the IBLP ministry", thus making this resignation permanent. Since that time, Gothard has not been involved in IBLP in any manner, and the organization's website mentions him only in its historical section.
The sexual misconduct issues of the early 2010s led to a negative impact on IBLP's finances, which continues to this day: according to IRS Form 990s publicly available, since 2011 the organization has consistently had more expenses than revenues and a steady decline in total assets.

IBLP Teachings

IBLP's Statement of Faith states that the organization holds to what it calls "historic" statements of Christian faith, and that "he Bible itself is the source of all that we believe". However, IBLP's teachings were developed through Gothard's idiosyncratic interpretations of Biblical texts, which differ in many respects from Biblical interpretation as held by Evangelical Christians and have been accused of being elevated above the Bible itself. This has continued even after Gothard's departure from IBLP, though some of his teachings have been de-emphasized.
IBLP's teachings are based on what it calls seven "principles" or "steps to freedom":
  1. Design
  2. Authority
  3. Responsibility
  4. Suffering
  5. Ownership
  6. Freedom
  7. Success
Of the seven principles, much of IBLP teaching is centered around Authority. IBLP emphasizes this principle via:
  1. a strong view that authority is to be obeyed in nearly all circumstances,
  2. an adherence to traditional gender norms and family roles, and
  3. a belief that many Old Testament laws are either still binding on Christian believers or are beneficial to keep.
IBLP teaches a version of Biblical patriarchy through what Gothard termed "umbrellas of authority": God is the largest umbrella, the husband/father is directly under that, then the wife/mother, and finally the child. The idea is that if each person stays under their umbrella, then nothing bad can happen to them, but if something bad does happen to you, it is because you moved out from under your umbrella, or that the umbrella had a "leak" due to "secret sin" causing harm to those under them.
IBLP's teaching focuses heavily on the roles and responsibilities of men and women within a marriage covenant. A husband's authority over his wife is God-given, as is his wife's non-negotiable duty to submit to him; she must respect his position regardless of his "deficiencies". Within marriage, IBLP teaches that God "grants spouses full access to each other's bodies for sexual gratification" and warns against "resistance or indifference to a husband's need for physical intimacy",even going so far as to label wives as "goods" belonging to the husband. A married woman should not seek financial independence, take "matters into her own hands", resist her husband's physical affection, or ask for outside counsel without his permission. Inwardly, married women are admonished to nurture a "meek and quiet spirit", while outwardly maintaining beauty, remaining "well-groomed", and striving to dress to "please their husbands".
Women are raised to become good wives and mothers, and to raise children according to IBLP principles; they are discouraged from seeking higher education, as their role in the IBLP system is in the home. IBLP teaches that an extensive family history needs to be compiled prior to a child being adopted, in order to "bind generational curses" that the child might bring into the adopting family. Gothard taught that divorce was never permitted for any reason.
Unmarried adult children are expected to continue to live with their parent until marriage or parental death and submit to them during that time. Adult children are not expected to "flirt" or date; instead, a male suitor is to request permission from the female's father, and eventually couples are matched after a complex courtship overseen by both sets of parents.
The consumption of media, such as television, movies, most music, and the internet, is limited due to concern about immoral or "worldly" content. Similarly, some toys are prohibited for the same reasons. Substances that have mentally impairing properties are not permitted.
Women are expected to wear dresses or skirts that are knee-length at a minimum, and loose-fitting, opaque shirts and blouses. Text printed onto dresses is not allowed, as it is thought to bring attention to the body. Jewelry and makeup, though not explicitly forbidden, are discouraged; head coverings are not required but can often be seen within IBLP groups. Men are expected to wear dark suits and white shirts when not wearing work gear. Men are also expected to be circumcised, as being uncircumcised is seen as impure.
Parents were encouraged to homeschool their children. IBLP produced its own homeschooling curriculum, which IBLP adherents were strongly encouraged to use in lieu of more well-known curriculum. Sexual education is not part of IBLP teachings, leading some children and teens to not understand what sexual assault is, and the practice of not teaching sexual education has been criticized by adults who have since left the IBLP and struggle with relationships.
IBLP endorsed the teachings of Michael and Debi Pearl on physical discipline, which have come under scrutiny over the last several years.
IBLP teaches that borrowing money is wrong in all cases, and that churches and Christian ministries should never publicly solicit funds to meet financial needs. Families are expected to tithe and the tithe is only to go to their local church, never to another ministry. IBLP states that it follows all three principles in its financial dealings.

IBLP Programs

Upon Gothard's resignation and eventual permanent removal from IBLP, the organization significantly revised how it presented its teachings, in some cases canceling entire programs which were started under Gothard.

Current Programs

ALERT

The Air Land Emergency Rescue Team is a training program for young men. It was started in 1994 and originally was held at IBLP's Northwoods Conference Center before relocating in 2000 to the Big Sandy complex.
It consists of three components :
IBLP does not offer any similar structured programs for young ladies.