After previously furloughing all employees for the summer in the hope of being able to open this fall, Clarks Summit University (better known to many as BBCPA, Baptist Bible College of PA), announced on July 1 that it would be closing permanently, having “exhausted every viable solution to bridge a significant financial gap.” The CSU announcement provides answers to FAQ’s for current students and other constituents.
This type of story is getting as old as it is sad. Christian schools faced demographic factors that led to declining student enrollment as operational expenses increased. Cheap online programs proliferated. As schools struggled to adapt, COVID-19 exacerbated an already challenging situation. These stories greatly sadden us, yet they remind us that God’s sovereignty isn’t just something we talk about during the good times.
Let’s recount the Clarks Summit University story before we comment on this sad turn of events.
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This is the tenth post in our Seminaries at the Crossroads series. Go here for the complete archive.
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The BBS/BBC&ST/CSU&BBS Story
The alphabet soup of changing names reflects chapters of growth and transition in CSU’s story. Art Bowser, history prof at BBC decades ago, wrote an indispensable narrative of the school’s first 50 years, but it’s out of print now. As I write, the CSU website has a nice summary here.
Here’s a brief timeline of significant events:
- 1900 Practical Bible Training School is founded in Lestershire (now Johnson CIty) NY by evangelist John A. Davis, who had attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. The school became Practical Bible College in 1993 and Davis College in 2004. Davis now shares the Word of Life Bible Institute campus in Pottersville NY.
- 1932 Baptist Bible Seminary splits from Practical Bible Training School under the leadership of Pastor Richard J. Murphy. The school begins with 40 students, utilizing the facilities of First Baptist Church of Johnson City NY. Additional buildings are added later to accommodate growth in the student body..
- 1947 The NY State Board of Regents approves the expansion of the three-year diploma program into four-year programs leading to bachelor’s degrees.
- 1968 Cramped for space, the school moves to a new campus in Clarks Summit PA (near Scranton) The new campus was formerly a Roman Catholic facility.
- 1971 Baptist Bible Seminary becomes Baptist Bible College of Pennsylvania.
- 1972 The school adds a graduate seminary program, Baptist Bible School of Theology. The Master of Divinity degree is first awarded in in 1975. Additional programs begin later: Master of Theology (1980), Master of Ministry (1987), Doctor of Ministry (1992), Doctor of Philosophy (2000), and Master of Arts (2012).
- 1984 The school receives accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
- 1989 The school receives approval for the Master of Science in Christian School Education degree, the first of several non-seminary master’s programs to be offered.
- 2012 Enrollment reaches 1107 students.
- 2015 The Middle States Commission expresses concerns over the school’s finances and governance.
- 2016 The school receives University status from the state of Pennsylvania and becomes Clarks Summit University and Baptist Bible Seminary.
- 2022 Enrollment declines to 552 students.
- 2023 In November Middle States requires the school to prepare teach-out plans due to its tenuous financial situation. A publically available non-profit institution tax form shows a 2023 revenue of 8.97 million dollars and expenses of 10.8 million dollars. A similar nearly $2M deficit appears on the 2022 form.
- 2024 On June 5 the school furloughs all employees for the summer, yet announces intentions to open in the fall. Most employees continue on a volunteer basis. On June 26 Middle States orders CSU to show cause why their accreditation should not be withdrawn due to non-compliance with certain Commission standards. On July 1 the school announces it will permanently close due to an unspecified significant financial gap. Teach out agreements with Liberty University (Lynchburg VA) and Cairn University (Langhorne PA), will enable current students to transfer credits and complete their degrees. Nearby Marywood College (Dunmore PA) also offers to help students complete their programs.
Why I take this personally . . .
I have to say that the closing of CSU hits me harder than most of the other sad stories I’ve written about on this website. Alumni/ae of CSU have been and continue to be a significant part of my life. The pastor whose Bible study on Romans opened my eyes to Jesus in 1967 had been a student, albeit briefly, at BBS in Johnson City NY. Two of my undergrad Bible and theology prof’s were alumni of the school. Everywhere I have taught, I have had CSU alumni colleagues. I still hear from CSU alumni/ae regularly, and I go to church with some of them each Sunday. Three of them are my pastors.
Beverly and I joined the BBC&ST community in fall 1976. I was to be an instructor in Bible and Greek and Beverly became the administrative assistant for the ministries faculty. I was 26 years old, definitely the new kid on the block, with a ThM diploma hot off the press in my hip pocket. I was amazed to be there, and to have the opportunity to get to know the students and help them prepare for the ministry vocations to which God had called them.
I joined an accomplished Bible and Theology Division at BBC—Wayne Knife, John Lawlor, Tommy Thomas, Dick Engle, Bill Arp, Chuck Emert, and Jack Clagett were my colleagues. Ron Clutter and Joe Schloegel soon arrived. Rem Carter, stalwart baptist historian, kept watch on us to make sure we got it right. Ruth Haycock was the legendary professor of Christian Education. She’d been teaching there since 1942. The growing student body kept all of us busy. Ernest Pickering was president. Whenever “Doc Pick” spoke in chapel, there was always something you could work with in your class the next hour. There was biblical depth and compassion that tempered Pickering’s fundamentalism. He later wrote a book on biblical separation that concluded with a chapter on avoiding “the pitfalls of separatists.” He was well aware of the ugliness that all too often characterized that movement.
My first year there, there were more that 50 students signed up to take Beginning Greek, so they broke the class into two sections and assigned me a grader from the School of Theology. His name was Rod Decker. Rod went on to become an expert in Greek verbal aspect theory. I used his Reading Koine Greek and Koine Greek Reader textbooks in my own Greek classes for several years. Though he passed into the presence of the Lord in 2014, his NT Resources website continues to provide excellent training for students.
My last year there, 1978-79, I met a transfer student from Practical Bible Training School (now Davis College) in Johnson City NY. At that time, Practical offered only three-year diplomas, and this student wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree. I made him take another year of Greek, in which he excelled. His name was Jim Jeffery. After three strong pastorates over 26 years he became the president of CSU from 2001-2015. Now he’s “one of the pastors” at our church, Chapel Pointe, in Hudsonville MI. It’s surprising how God some times works in circles, but I guess it shouldn’t be.
Grief and Gratitude, Concern and Hope
I share in the sadness of the CSU community, along with its alumni/ae and other stakeholders. After 92 years, the school’s academic ministry from the Lord to his church has come to an end. As CSU Director of Communication Erika Bruckner stated, “There’s a combination of grief and gratefulness and just sadness that this is over, because it has been so good.” The legacy of CSU—and of any school that exists to train people for gospel-related ministries—is not the scenic campus and the impressive buildings that are situated on it. The legacy of CSU is the students who were taught there, who are now faithfully teaching others, who in turn will teach others, who . . . (2 Tim 2:1-2). This person-to-person succession of apostolic truth is nothing less than Jesus’ Great Commission in action.
Concern and hope accompany this grief and gratitude. The pressing concern is for Christian schools like CSU that are almost totally dependent upon tuition dollars for their very lifeblood. According to the tax doc I cited above, contributions amounted to only 12.8% of CSU’s 2023 income. Investments (apparently from endowments) brought in a minuscule 1.2%. A whopping 84.7% of the budget came from services provided to the students—tuition, room, and board. These figures are not atypical: they’re roughly equivalent to the budget situation at Cornerstone University mentioned in a comment on our previous post. This sort of budget has instability baked right into it, and this instability can mean heartbreak for the faithful Christian administrators, faculty, and staff at these unstable schools. I suppose we might adopt a callous “survival of the fittest” view of these things, but I have to wonder whether evangelical churches really care about the education of those who will fill their pulpits, lead their worship, teach their children, and counsel their downtrodden. Where their treasure isn’t, neither is their heart.
Yet there is hope. I’m privileged to play a small role with postgraduate students in New Testament at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids. Under the blessing of God, this school has grown by coupling rigorous academics with authentic piety, combining a traditional curriculum with innovative delivery systems. I’m sure there are other flourishing institutions I know nothing about.
As God raised up Baptist Bible Seminary in 1932, we trust that in 2024 he will continue to raise up gifted teachers and faithful schools that are committed to “holding fast the faithful word.”
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“Holding Fast the Faithful Word,” By Vera Stilwell and Walter Miller
School song of CSU since 1932.
Faithful He who promised life, True is the Word He gave.
Faithful is His blessed Son, Believing souls to save.
Jesus Christ the living Word, Comforter, Guide and Stay,
Bids us point lost souls to Him, The Life, the Truth, the Way.
He our Master lives on high; Soon He will come again;
Then we’ll go to be with Him, And with Him we shall reign.
Holding fast the faithful Word; Holding fast the faithful Word;
Until He comes again, we’ll follow in His train. Holding fast the faithful Word.
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The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:5-9 NIV)
Thank you Dr Turner for this heart felt synopsis. Definitely praying for the administration, faculty and students as they seek the next step in their journey.
Amen David, lots of heartache in the CSU community right now.
The important movement some 100 years+ ago to get believers formed theologically and spiritually in an encapsulated Christian education no longer matters to most in the evangelical movement. That movement sent young maturing adults to Christian colleges to study the Bible, to grow up spiritually, and to find their calling in the larger purposes of God. That this is waning today is sad. Christian colleges matter. I like a well rounded education, whether it takes form with the Humanities or Sciences or Education or Business, but passion for the Lord in a Christian college can become a culture that leads young adults into a mature faith. To be sure, if passion for Christ wanes even a Christian college offers little more than heartless and mere professional preparation. Enough said.
Amen, and thanks for weighing in Scot. I wonder whether competency-based theological education is an answer to these problems. Your thoughts?
Interesting to hear the “voice” of 2 former profs. (BBC, TEDS). I too was deeply saddened to hear of this closure. I wrestled with finances as an administrator of a Christian camp & retreat for 8 years. I always had in mind the staff, facilities, mission, and future of the camp.
Some hurtful expressions that are being put forward are perhaps grief responses. I appreciate your focus on honest statements of appreciation and sorrow. I continue to pray for all of those walking though this very difficult and challenging event. Great memories, great foundation in The Word, and great examples in the lives of so many faculty and friends. They continue to be a “great cloud of witnesses” as we continue our earthly journey.
There is one issue that I believe has impacted the CSU situation– the separatist/fighting fundamentalist attitude that often becomes enshrined in movements like CSU. This mindset became couched in terms and expressions held dear by this organization. As time moved on, the real battle changed, but the previously enculturated battles continued to be fought. Some support networks were not onboard with the old fight and were confused about where to stand. “Holding fast” was too often expressed in terms of the old issues, not current ones. The ageless battle of faithfulness to His Word has to take into account the new adversaries. I believe this may have played a part in lack of financial support.
Side note @davidturner—-Smiled many times about the ah-macron or oh-macron issue. Blessings from the distance of time.
Good to hear from you Greg. Maybe the ah-micron vs. oh-micron controversy is a parody of what you’re talking about. Or maybe that Don Quixote fellow jousting windmills.
Beverly and I were married 53 years ago by Pastor Roy T. Plank at Calvary Baptist Church, Meadville PA. He had a great slogan– “Blazing new trails with the old faith.” I think it encapsulates what you’re getting at: holding fast the faithful Word requires us to confront current issues, not to exhume the corpses of enemies that have already been vanquished.
Thank you Dr. Turner for this insightful analysis of the situation at Clarks Summit University aka Baptist Bible College and Seminary. I am thankful to be numbered with those you call the legacy of the school. You played a major role in my training during your tenure there.
Thanks Rick, great to hear from you again after all these years.
that’s so sad to hear
I join you in sorrow for the passing of CSU (Baptist Bible College of Pennsylvania). I enjoyed the 7 years of service there from January of 1977 through June of 1984. It was a special time of fellowship with a faculty, administration and students that helped enrich my life. I am sorry to hear of the demise of the school and seek the Lord’s blessings for other institutions that need assistance in these days. I pray regularly for some of the better schools throughout the country trusting that the Lord might help them to survive this decline that we see so tragically in our land. Thank you for your concern Dave. I always enjoyed working with you at BBC and at Grace. May God continue to bless you in your service for him and his.
Good to hear from you Ron. There were good days at BBC and GTS, for the most part. Just like life in general I guess.
My Parents met at BBS in Johnson City and often spoke of Miss Vibbard and Mark Jackson and others. I was blessed to be a student at BBC from ’81 to ’85. These were great years for me learning and growing in my faith and creating many memories. I met my wife (Wendy Ronk) at BBC in the fall of ’82 and have been blessed to have her by my side to this day. I was saddened by this news but I am grateful for BBC and will continue to HOLD FAST THE FAITHFUL WORD as long as I have breath by God’s Grace.
Good to hear from you Mark. I’m sure many CSU alum would echo your words. If we don’t hold fast to the Word and hold it forth to others, we’re doomed.
David: thank you for your reasoned and accurate response on the closing of CSU. All of us who have been impacted by the school over the years, including alumni, and former staff and faculty, are grieving at the demise of this once great ministry school.
Although I agree with you on the many external factors that you cited that have led to the closing of many schools, I also believe, having worked at BBC&S for 20 years and being involved in upper administration with the President ‘s office, that there were also a number of internal factors of administrative weakness that led to its untimely closing. The common notion, “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” comes to mind. We must ask, why are some institutions of Christian higher education continuing to thrive, while others are not making it? One factor that seems to be essential for schools to thrive is to have a President (and supportive trustees) who has the ability to clearly communicate the mission of the school to its stakeholders, and translate that mission/vision into a comprehensive development plan that leads to long-term financial stability. In other words, whether we like it or not, a president must be the key in leading a comprehensive fundraising plan. Schools benefit from this type of financial leadership.
You mentioned Jim Jeffery, whom I have known as a close friend since my student years. I had the privilege of working with him as the executive director for the president’s office toward the end of his term. Jim was an excellent leader and a seasoned pastor. He was a gifted and successful fundraiser for the school. The present administration at CSU did not have that. The entire development department was depleted and no comprehensive plan was in place. Statistics that you cite in your summary identify how weaknesses in this area are crippling. On top of this, in the midst of financial stress, the current administration tried to add new academic programs that were outside the mission of the school. Best practices in higher education agree that expanding academic offerings, at a time of financial stress, is counterproductive. You can’t reap the gains of adding new programs fast enough, while you’re actually adding more stress to the budget by hiring new faculty to teach in those new programs.
The current administration was too late in owning up to these problems, and it drove the accreditation probation status to a point of no return. If they knew this in November, they should have taken steps then to notify their stakeholders that this would be the last year of operation for the school. Instead, they waited to the last hour, and left staff, students, and parents in the lurch, trying to figure out how to acquire new jobs and a new school to attend with only six weeks until the fall semester. I am disappointed in the way that all of this was handled.
Having stated this, I also affirm that BBC&S greatly enriched my life, both as a student in the college and the seminary, and as part of the administrative team at the seminary and in the office of the President for those 20 years. I grew up in the church in Johnson City, New York, where the school was founded in 1932. This legacy for me, my family, and thousands of alumni serving Christ around the world will remain.
Thanks for weighing in Lee. I didn’t speak of internal dynamics at CSU in my post because I had no information about such matters.
I’m sure your comments will rankle some in the CSU community, but I believe these matters need to be aired in the responsible manner that you have chosen.
CSU stakeholders have the responsibility to assess the demise of the school in constructive way.
For those who reply to Lee, make sure your comments are directed to the principles and issues he has raised. This is not a forum for negativity and personal attacks.
“Let all things be done for building up.”
Thanks Lee for sharing your thoughts on the internal contributions to the demise of BBS/C/CSU. I wondered if some of the things you mentioned might have contributed, especially after talking with one of the trustees. It sounds like you’re onto a strategic path forward for training new leaders for the years to come.
This is truly a sad day. I did my Greek and Hebrew studies by extension from CSU with Rod Decker. The school will be missed.
As my grandfather would say, Rod “done good.” That’s an understatement. I wish he had had more time to teach us, but God’s ways are higher than ours.
Thanks Dave for your posts. It is sad to hear of the developments at Grand Rapids (Cornerstone) and now the news of Clarks Summit. I think the development of online classes has contributed decline in the strength of the schools. I think the in-person experience develops a stronger theological education. The give-and-take of the classroom, the personal discussions with faculty, and the discussions over coffee with other students better equips for ministry and cannot be duplicated in online communication.
Lord, have mercy!
Thanks Dennis, remember the “iron triangle” form previous posts? Schools are out to recruit more students to less expensive programs. Quality of the education inevitably suffers if the other two corners of the triangle dominate.
Online classes can be done well when they include assignments that develop critical thinking and synchronous meetings via Zoom (or whatever) that develop something of a learning community. It’s not easy to do. I’ve tried. Students gravitate to online because it’s cheaper to study from home without paying for room and board. For all too many students, it’s also easier to slide through with less effort. With motivated students and well-designed classes, online can do a good job.
I’m still pondering whether competency-based education is the way to go.
Dr. Turner, thank you for this remembrance and sentiment which I share. The faculty at BBC were very formative for me at a crucial point in my life. I couldn’t bring myself to “upgrade” my diploma when the name of the school changed. From what I heard of your teaching, I was disappointed to have arrived the year after you left, but was glad to catch up with you at GRBS. I share Dr. McKnight’s perspective that such an education is no longer a priority among evangelical churches, both in supporting good schools financially and urging their youth to consider attending. In the atmosphere in which I grew up, it was assumed that one of the first options to consider after HS was Bible college, if only for a year or two, for continued spiritual formation and the possibility that the Lord might lead one into a ministry vocation of some sort. It certainly was a good place to find a spouse!
If you and Beverly are ever in the SW, come see us in Sedona!
Thanks Dean. Assuming that Bible colleges are going the way of all flesh (I don’t think that’s inevitable), can we achieve the same results through other means? Competency-based education tries to marry academics (often online) to a church-based context where students are constantly being mentored in spiritual formation and ministry competence. Seems promising to me.
Dr. Turner, I was one of those 50 in your first Greek classes in ’76., which laid the foundation for further Greek studies at BBST & BBS, & continued study & use in ministry to this day. The professors & classes shaped not only who I am, but also what my ministry is like. I am forever indebted to you & those other professors & am saddened at the school’s demise.
Great to hear from you Randy. Comments like yours reflect the true legacy of CSU and the need for biblical higher education to continue for the glory of God and for the good of the people of God.
Dr. Turner,
Thank you for your faithfulness – for receiving the truth and commiting it to so many others. Many of us have continued to do likewise. May God grant you and others the wisdom to chart a path forward through this difficult time.
Doug, long time. You’re welcome. Those in leadership over Christian schools need great wisdom these days.
As I contemplate the closing of the college I graduated from and was so significantly impacted spiritually from, my mind turns to the old adage, “everything rises and falls on leadership.” That being said, to blame everything on the leadership is not fair. Covid-19, the change of mission, and the declining pool of students are all legitimate factors. But the single most profound factor was the decision to jump from a Bible college to a university. That decision in and of itself was the death knell to the institution.
There was no liberal arts college foundation to draw from. Nearly all the alumni were missionaries and pastors. In 20/20 hindsight, the transition was a very heavy lift. The decision to become a university during the declining pool of students killed the school. Why couldn’t the school continue being the very best Bible College with its rich heritage?
Then again, the Bible College model has had flaws from the beginning. Maybe now we need to start to look at different model for training future pastors and missionaries, one centered in the local church or a bi-vocational model.
This is a sad day, but not an unanticipated one.
Rick, long time, thanks for your thoughts.
If you look at the trajectory of Christian colleges and universities, many of them began as Bible training institutes. Eventually they became Bible colleges. The Bible colleges added seminaries. Sometimes the institutes became seminaries which added Bible colleges. Then the Bible colleges expanded into liberal arts colleges. During the process, sometimes the vital link of the school to the churches it was founded to serve got damaged or even broken. In my view this is the heart of the problem.
As you say, new models may be the answer—as long as the new models are based on the old biblical values. The competency-based model (CBTE) that I’ve written about previously in this series has great promise. This model entails constant synergy between churches and seminaries, pastors and prof’s. I like it!
Re the need for new models of ministry training, I heartily agree that there is a need to return to church-based ministry training. We need look no further than the New Testament model of Paul mentoring Timothy and others, setting the foundation for multi-generational mentoring (2 Timothy 2:2).
After I left Baptist Bible Seminary to return to Pastoral ministry, I had good conversations on this topic with my friend, Dr. Jim Vogel. Jim and I became close friends during our student days at BBC&S, and our friendship has continued through the years. He has served as a pastor and in numerous ministry leadership roles, including the executive Director for the Northeast Fellowship of independent Baptist Churches. Noticing the rapid decline and closing of Bible colleges in the northeast, we became concerned about where the next generation of servant-leaders for the church would come from.
We decided to form a new school, with the support of the Northeast Fellowship: Northeast School of Theology & Ministry has just completed its third year of operation. We have had about 70 students take Bible college level classes. We offer a 48 credit certificate program in pastoral ministry with a curriculum consisting of courses in Bible, theology, and ministry. Our model for this new school is found at our website: http://www.northeaststm.org
Our faculty consists of well-trained pastors and other ministry leaders, with a minimum of a masters degree in Bible or ministry and some with earned doctorates. Our courses are delivered in a module format, 1 weekend each month, September-May. We have four teaching sites at churches in New York State. Our vision, which has developed into a promotional tagline, is “Pastors Training Next Generation Pastors.”
Thanks for the info on NESTM Lee. In view of 2 Timothy 2:1-2, pastors training next generation pastors just might work!
I like the focused mission statement and the mentoring relationship that the pastor/instructors have with the students. I think the time has come for schools like yours who train people who want a credible education without the added cost of an accredited degree. You are up front about the lack of accreditation not compromising the level of instruction. This distinguishes NESTM from the degree mills that are handing out all kinds of degrees to pastors who hand in their sermon notes.
Another alternative to traditional residential seminaries is Expositor’s Seminary (https://expositors.org/). This school utilizes video conferencing to connect faculty with students who are being mentored in several churches around the USA.
David, when you wrote about degree mills it reminds me of a quote from Dr John Bear. Bear had his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He wrote many books about non-traditional education and was an expert for the FBI concerning non-traditional education. He wrote: “One person’s degree mill is another person’s non-traditional university”.
It is my privilege to be involved with NSTM as a teacher for the evangelism component. I feel deeply that schools like these are needed in our day and serve a tremendous purpose for the church in America. In my national position I have heard from several similar, well-established schools that are seeking to improve the quality of their programs, including their evangelism component. How encouraging amidst some tough times! I continue to pray for people like my friends Lee and Jim who are taking bold steps to help make a difference.
Thanks for the input Don. Schools like NSTM are quietly and faithfully doing the work that Paul envisioned and mandated in 2 Timothy 2:1-2. God bless your ministry.
How would the CBTE work for those going into Healthcare chaplaincy or military chaplaincy?
That’s a good question, Mark. I guess, generally speaking, students would be embedded in the military or healthcare institution while taking their academic training. Instead of taking a residence or internship class near the end of their program as the cherry on top of the sundae, they would be serving in an institution under the mentorship of a seasoned chaplain or chaplains, the whole time they are in school. That way each class would be contextualized for spiritual formation and ministry practice.
Mark, the system won’t let me reply to what you said below, so I’ll put it here. The theological position of the chaplain trainers—-liberal, conservative, whatever—-shouldn’t be an issue if the three-pronged military model is followed. The issue is competence and skill in ministry to those in need, not agreement with any set of sectarian doctrines held by the trainers.
Perhaps. Most CPE educators are very liberal. If one is praying to their heavenly Mother, I don’t believe that they would have good exegesis on “baptism for the dead.” And our Healthcare system in the U.S. has other issues that are more pressing.
The military has something similar to this. Non-active duty people can join the chaplain candidate program. The military believes that seminaries will teach people to be theologians. The churches, temples, and mosques will train them to be ministers, and the military will train them to be military chaplains. This is one way civilians can be trained to be military chaplains, whether they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist.
In response to several comments in this thread concerning CBTE (and other things), I found myself rereading The Log College by Archibald Alexander over the long July 4th weekend. While the school has long passed from existence, its graduates, formed under the guidance of William Tennent, Sr., and the wider Presbyterian church as a result, greatly benefited from the kind of approach you suggest. Former Systematic and Historical Theology prof at GRTS Albert G. (Joe) Crawford turned me on to this book nearly forty years ago. It continues to pack a punch.
Long time Bruce, thanks for your comment.
I’ve never read the Log College, but if memory serves, it’s about the origin of Princeton Seminary. Could you unpack the punch of the book and explain how it can help us today?
Wow, that school song is incredible.
This makes me sad. Clark Summit was always viewed as the “sister” of Grand Rapids Baptist Bible College when I went there.
I am truly hoping that Cornerstone will get some new leadership and right the ship, so I won’t have to join you in mourning the loss of my alma mater.
Good to hear from you Zach. Sadness is the word.
Actually, CSU is not my undergrad alma mater, the other CU is. But it almost seems like we went to college at CSU because we we served there so soon after our Cedarville experience.
Thank you for such a gracious and thoughtful article on this subject. As one of your very first NT Greek students in 1977 ( I think) I appreciate your early history of getting involved in the ministry/profession of higher education. Many memories of those early years as a junior at BBC come flooding back to my mind. Those were good days in many ways.
Now with this recent news of the University I cannot say that I am surprised, other than by the suddenness of the announcement. Beth and I are both so consumed in our present positions in national ministry that we hardly have any time to think about this development. And with the recent passing of my 90 year old father, I don’t have the grief capacity for it. Our ministry travels will take us through Clarks Summit this Saturday, and maybe that is providential so that we can say our final goodbyes to an always special place for us.
Thank you for your part then and now in our lives. Though I was never a stellar Greek or Hebrew student (the Lord knows I tried) I still learned as much as I could and continue to use it in pastoral and now wider ministry for Christ. Schools and ministries rise and fall – but your personal impact on many of us continues today in what God does through us. Thank you so much!
Thanks Don. My fondest memories of those days include wearing clothes-hanger antlers to class and receiving an honorary Doctor of Rhymes degree signed by the students. It’s a blessing to still be in touch with many of them nearly 50 years later.
You said it– “schools and ministries rise and fall.” Despite that, Jesus is faithfully fulfilling his promise to build the church. The word of the Lord endures forever!
I am/was a current PhD Candidate in New Testament Studies at BBS, working on my dissertation. The closure was a complete shock to the students (and, from what I have heard, the staff as well).
Needless to say, this has caused a great deal of stress for me and my wife (who is/was also a student). To find out suddenly, when you are 120 pages into a dissertation, that your school is closing in 12 days is beyond incomprehensible. I have been fortunate to find a place to land. Lancaster Bible College/Capital Seminary will allow me to keep my dissertation topic and graduate in about the same amount of time. It is going to cost me a decent amount of money to finish since I have to pay for the entire dissertation sequence again (I had paid for two of the three classes at BBS), but at least I am going to be able to finish (with a new advisor and second reader, my external reader is continuing).
I think it is unconscionable that the administration did not alert the alumni, staff, and students until the last minute. My wife started a master\’s degree program in January. The lack of transparency is unacceptable, especially for a Christian organization.
This is a sad and surprising story Joel, but God has been faithful in leading you to a new school where you can continue your project.
Closing universities are supposed to provide teachouts or expedited transfers for their students, so I’m curious as to whether CSU helped you connect with Lancaster.
All the best as you finish the dissertation!
I just saw your question, but no, Clarks Summit did not facilitate anything. I reached out to Lancaster, and they stepped up and were willing to help. They later reached out to Clarks Summit and became an official teachout institution, because several students (including myself) reached out to them. Liberty was the official teachout (Cairn was the other but they do not have any doctoral programs) that had a PhD program, and they were less than helpful. I was fortunate because I had two other schools make me generous offers but many of my other colleagues have struggled with the process. I ended up reaching out to several of my colleagues and facilitated the exchange of information about various options.
Joel
Thanks for the info Joel. This is an inherently messy situation and smooth paths out of it are are hard to find. From here it looks like Lancaster is a good solution for you and some of your peers. God is faithful.