Attendance at IFB colleges

Oklahoma Baptist College  an amazing 10 this semester!!  Amazing there are any after the sins of the preacher
 
Just me said:
Oklahoma Baptist College  an amazing 10 this semester!!  Amazing there are any after the sins of the preacher

Are you serious or just being sarcastic?
 
RAIDER said:
Just me said:
Oklahoma Baptist College  an amazing 10 this semester!!  Amazing there are any after the sins of the preacher

Are you serious or just being sarcastic?

I've been reading their forum page and it looks like ten is the number from those who know.
 
There are a fair number of very small IFB colleges around the country. One that I know of off top of my head is Atlantic Coast Baptist College. I've casually known the president/founder for some twenty years or so. He was the president for Northeast Baptist School of Theology up in Pennsylvania until he left and I believe he went to another small college in New York. He's now in Delaware, where he started this school. I don't know about their numbers, but I'd be surprised if they had more than thirty students. I see that they still run the same program that Bro Miller ran at NEBST: All students did a double-major in the Bible and whatever their primary major was(Pastoral Theology, etc). Bro Miller has for years primarily focused on training preachers and workers who would work in churches in the Northeast and north Mid-Atlantic.  http://www.atlanticcoastcol.com/
There is also Heritage Baptist University in Indiana. I knew a fellow who was on their board for many years. I'm not sure if he is still on it or not, but he was also on another board or two for IFB colleges. Their website has very little content, so here is their Facebook page. Probably pretty small, I don't recall them having a lot of students. They have been around probably since at least the 80's. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heritage-Baptist-College/165427623085?sk=timeline
There is also Landmark Baptist, and I'm rather surprised that nobody else has mentioned their name. But, maybe I just traveled more in some of these other circles. I'm pleased to see that Bro Carter is still living. He was a pleasant fellow, even though we'd probably disagree on a number of issues these days. This is probably more of a small-medium sized school, maybe 200 students? They would have started in the early 80's.  http://www.landmarkbaptistcollege.com
And then there is Tri-State College, down near Memphis. Maybe fifty students? But I'm not sure. Fun fact: Their church routinely has Phil Kidd as a revival speaker. They also give students free tuition for the first year. They were started not too long after Hyles-Anderson was, the pastor was a student there I believe. http://www.tristatebaptistcollege.com

And of course, there are a few IFB diploma mills like this one: http://slidellbaptistseminary.org

And then there are a fair number of Baptist churches that have their own system of study for laymen who want to be trained for ministry and the pastors are usually trained at an IFB college. I know of one that has a couple of pastors from nearby churches who come over to teach classes for the students.
 
Citadel of Truth said:
Dunkard said:
And then there is Tri-State College, down near Memphis. Fun fact: Their church routinely has Phil Kidd as a revival speaker.

Word on the street was that Westmoreland and Kidd had a falling out a couple of years ago because Westmoreland blew a gasket when Kidd took an I-Pad to the pulpit instead of a Bible. I was entertained reading Kidd's Facebook rant.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=39843727181&story_fbid=10151206105027182

That's entirely possible. Westmoreland always had a Hyles complex but without the personality or ability, and a falling out with one of his best friends over something stupid is entirely realm of possibility.
 
Any forum posters who currently attend an IFB school like to post about your first week of school?

Any moms & dads like to comment on your initial perceptions when dropping of your child?

Do we have any ON THE SCENE reports for us back at home?
 
50 years from today I predict (while gazing into my crystal ball) that Hyles Anderson College will not exist. When the name is mentioned in the distant future people will respond with an inquisitve "Huh, What's that?" and then just as quickly Google the name.

With the present rate of decline as well as the lingering putrecence from all their scandals HAC will be lucky if it lasts ten years.
 
Dunkard said:
There are a fair number of very small IFB colleges around the country. One that I know of off top of my head is Atlantic Coast Baptist College. I've casually known the president/founder for some twenty years or so. He was the president for Northeast Baptist School of Theology up in Pennsylvania until he left and I believe he went to another small college in New York. He's now in Delaware, where he started this school. I don't know about their numbers, but I'd be surprised if they had more than thirty students. I see that they still run the same program that Bro Miller ran at NEBST: All students did a double-major in the Bible and whatever their primary major was(Pastoral Theology, etc). Bro Miller has for years primarily focused on training preachers and workers who would work in churches in the Northeast and north Mid-Atlantic.  http://www.atlanticcoastcol.com/
There is also Heritage Baptist University in Indiana. I knew a fellow who was on their board for many years. I'm not sure if he is still on it or not, but he was also on another board or two for IFB colleges. Their website has very little content, so here is their Facebook page. Probably pretty small, I don't recall them having a lot of students. They have been around probably since at least the 80's. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heritage-Baptist-College/165427623085?sk=timeline
There is also Landmark Baptist, and I'm rather surprised that nobody else has mentioned their name. But, maybe I just traveled more in some of these other circles. I'm pleased to see that Bro Carter is still living. He was a pleasant fellow, even though we'd probably disagree on a number of issues these days. This is probably more of a small-medium sized school, maybe 200 students? They would have started in the early 80's.  http://www.landmarkbaptistcollege.com
And then there is Tri-State College, down near Memphis. Maybe fifty students? But I'm not sure. Fun fact: Their church routinely has Phil Kidd as a revival speaker. They also give students free tuition for the first year. They were started not too long after Hyles-Anderson was, the pastor was a student there I believe. http://www.tristatebaptistcollege.com

And of course, there are a few IFB diploma mills like this one: http://slidellbaptistseminary.org

And then there are a fair number of Baptist churches that have their own system of study for laymen who want to be trained for ministry and the pastors are usually trained at an IFB college. I know of one that has a couple of pastors from nearby churches who come over to teach classes for the students.
Actually the church Slidell Seminary comes out of is SBC (Though a KJV only flavor of SBC) Look up Ridge Memorial Baptist Church in Slidell.
 
RAIDER said:
On another thread we were discussing the attendance at HAC this year.  While no one is sure, the general consensus is about 420.  It makes me wonder what the attendances are at some of the other IFB colleges of the somewhat HAC stripe.  Here are a few that came to my mind.  Please feel free to add others.

HAC - 420
Providence Baptist College (Elgin, IL)
Grace Baptist College (Gaylord, MI)
Commonwealth Baptist College (Lexington, KY) - 186
Shawnee Baptist College (Louisville, KY) - 30
Golden State Baptist College (Santa Clara, CA) - 325
West Coast Baptist College (Lancaster, CA) - 1000
Crown College (Powell, TN) - 900
Heartland Bible Baptist College (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) - 400
Texas Independent Baptist Seminary (Longview, Texas)


The buzz now is that PCC has enrolled 2k freshman students this year. I don't know how many upperclassmen they have or grad students.
 
Tom Brennan said:
Binaca Chugger said:
Schaap was not a Johnny-Come-Lately.  He was an integral part of the college beginning in 96 when he became VP.  Even before that, he was one of the chosen - a charismatic speaker who drew long lines for his classes and counseling (if we can call it that).  The system in place had backed him and his heresy for almost a decade as their pastor.  His doctrinal and procedural errors were theirs.  Then the court case and criminal trial.

Just because Schaap is in prison, doesn't mean anyone should trust the same establishment that booted him and turned him into the police.  If the establishment didn't have the wisdom to see....... how can they train me?

This is a valid part of the problem (regarding student enrollment at HAC). I know dozens of alumni pastoring churches. I can count on one hand those who still actively seek to send their students to our alma mater. Most of that withdrawal began under Schaap long before he ever blew up, and that blow up only solidified/made easier such decisions of withdrawal. The decline in student enrollment is also aggravated by the other options available, some of which have been mentioned on this thread.

In the circles I used to move in, the decision to no longer recommend HAC started when Schapp tried to (correctly, in my opinion) point out that the KJV is a translation and not inspired.  That was it for the Gail Riplinger and her ilk who despise the original languages and hold that the KJV is "inspired".


...but, back to this quote, there are still a bunch of men, including myself, who even though JS is gone cannot find it in themselves to recommend HAC. There has been no large scale shake up of the staff at either the church or the school, and most of us think there desperately needed to be one. In a sense, I can understand why Wilkerson won't do that. I'm assuming he doesn't want to damage an already fragile church situation. But the result of that is many alumni don't trust the staff at either institution. Either they were too spiritually inept to notice what was wrong with Schaap, or they were too cowardly, too much yes men to do anything about it. In either case, who would trust them with their children?

Exactly this.  Much depends upon what they desire to do or be.  If they want to get back to the "glory" days, there must be a shakeup.  If they just want to minister to those in the area, they can probably get by without a shakeup, but then they should close down any attempt to influence other churches.

Very well stated!


Yes, John Wilkerson is working hard at repairing relationships with alumni around the country and he is wise to do that. But other than him being in the pulpit what has changed about the church or the college that would make us comfortable with it? Nothing that I can see, and therein lies a serious problem.

Personally, I don't think they are willing to admit that their problems go back to Jack Hyles.  Until they publicly admit the areas in which he was wrong (doctrinally as well as the leadership philosophy that demanded unquestioning loyalty), I don't think that the problem can be healed.
 
Walt said:
Tom Brennan said:
Binaca Chugger said:
Schaap was not a Johnny-Come-Lately.  He was an integral part of the college beginning in 96 when he became VP.  Even before that, he was one of the chosen - a charismatic speaker who drew long lines for his classes and counseling (if we can call it that).  The system in place had backed him and his heresy for almost a decade as their pastor.  His doctrinal and procedural errors were theirs.  Then the court case and criminal trial.

Just because Schaap is in prison, doesn't mean anyone should trust the same establishment that booted him and turned him into the police.  If the establishment didn't have the wisdom to see....... how can they train me?

This is a valid part of the problem (regarding student enrollment at HAC). I know dozens of alumni pastoring churches. I can count on one hand those who still actively seek to send their students to our alma mater. Most of that withdrawal began under Schaap long before he ever blew up, and that blow up only solidified/made easier such decisions of withdrawal. The decline in student enrollment is also aggravated by the other options available, some of which have been mentioned on this thread.

In the circles I used to move in, the decision to no longer recommend HAC started when Schapp tried to (correctly, in my opinion) point out that the KJV is a translation and not inspired.  That was it for the Gail Riplinger and her ilk who despise the original languages and hold that the KJV is "inspired".


...but, back to this quote, there are still a bunch of men, including myself, who even though JS is gone cannot find it in themselves to recommend HAC. There has been no large scale shake up of the staff at either the church or the school, and most of us think there desperately needed to be one. In a sense, I can understand why Wilkerson won't do that. I'm assuming he doesn't want to damage an already fragile church situation. But the result of that is many alumni don't trust the staff at either institution. Either they were too spiritually inept to notice what was wrong with Schaap, or they were too cowardly, too much yes men to do anything about it. In either case, who would trust them with their children?

Exactly this.  Much depends upon what they desire to do or be.  If they want to get back to the "glory" days, there must be a shakeup.  If they just want to minister to those in the area, they can probably get by without a shakeup, but then they should close down any attempt to influence other churches.

Very well stated!


Yes, John Wilkerson is working hard at repairing relationships with alumni around the country and he is wise to do that. But other than him being in the pulpit what has changed about the church or the college that would make us comfortable with it? Nothing that I can see, and therein lies a serious problem.

Personally, I don't think they are willing to admit that their problems go back to Jack Hyles.  Until they publicly admit the areas in which he was wrong (doctrinally as well as the leadership philosophy that demanded unquestioning loyalty), I don't think that the problem can be healed.
This may help:

Jn 6:63
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Some of us contended that Whatever language it is in, the word is spirit, by definition, inspired.

2Ti 3:16
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

God breathed the Scripture, because the Scripture IS His Breathe (Spirit).

Of Course, JS didn't ask any of us what our position was, he just accused us all of mot knowing as much as him about it.
He was very arrogant, in his presentation of this discussion, when he shouldn't have been, because he was trying to change a 10+ year long position held publicly by the Church (FBCH).

Yeah, B.G., and the gang pulled back.
So what?
They werent the major source of HAC students anyway, they all had their own schools.

The product that HAC put out, in the last 20 years, was a reflection of the pride that saturates  FBCH, and that was the biggest cause of the decline.

 
Updated info on Shawnee Baptist College: It is closed. Someone I know (who had attended there a few years back) called the college recently to request a grades transcript and was told the college is closed. Guess you have to call the church office now to get any transcript info.
 
Latte.Lover said:
Updated info on Shawnee Baptist College: It is closed. Someone I know (who had attended there a few years back) called the college recently to request a grades transcript and was told the college is closed. Guess you have to call the church office now to get any transcript info.

Lousiville?
 
kaba said:
Latte.Lover said:
Updated info on Shawnee Baptist College: It is closed. Someone I know (who had attended there a few years back) called the college recently to request a grades transcript and was told the college is closed. Guess you have to call the church office now to get any transcript info.

Lousiville?

Yes
 
I think the falling attendance numbers at IFB colleges can be traced to the falling attendance numbers in IFB churches. Eventually, the same thing will happen in mainstream Evangelical Schools.
 
Can someone please explain to me how attendance can be sliding. I routinely peruse the websites, facebook pages, blogs, etc. of many ifb writers, pastors, evangelists, etc. and they all claim that every week revival is happening. Don't want to get into naming people here but I know of a popular evangelist who will write about everywhere he goes that scores were saved, altars were full and warm, and revival took place.

Bob Gray has tried to revive the ifb "movement" through his cooperation with whoever runs the independent baptist website. They originally had planned, along with Russell Anderson, to have Independent Baptist Conferences all around the country and they did have a couple. Bob always said that when these services started that the atmosphere was 'electifying'! And all of the decisions that took place. Yet, they can't generate enough interest to keep these conferences going.

We have often been told that evangelists around the country have said that the only hint of revival in America is in a handful of ifb churches and particularly among hac grads. (you had to go to hac to hear this one)  Now, imagine my surprise to start listening to different types of speakers who are doing great works who scoff at this. I just heard a pentecostal minister (Donny Swaggart) say that around the world the only true moving of God seems to be in pentecostal or charismatic circles.

So, What is the problem here? :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
BALAAM said:
Can someone please explain to me how attendance can be sliding. I routinely peruse the websites, facebook pages, blogs, etc. of many ifb writers, pastors, evangelists, etc. and they all claim that every week revival is happening. Don't want to get into naming people here but I know of a popular evangelist who will write about everywhere he goes that scores were saved, altars were full and warm, and revival took place.

Bob Gray has tried to revive the ifb "movement" through his cooperation with whoever runs the independent baptist website. They originally had planned, along with Russell Anderson, to have Independent Baptist Conferences all around the country and they did have a couple. Bob always said that when these services started that the atmosphere was 'electifying'! And all of the decisions that took place. Yet, they can't generate enough interest to keep these conferences going.

We have often been told that evangelists around the country have said that the only hint of revival in America is in a handful of ifb churches and particularly among hac grads. (you had to go to hac to hear this one)  Now, imagine my surprise to start listening to different types of speakers who are doing great works who scoff at this. I just heard a pentecostal minister (Donny Swaggart) say that around the world the only true moving of God seems to be in pentecostal or charismatic circles.

So, What is the problem here? :eek: :eek: :eek:
1 Corinthians 1:11-13
 
BALAAM said:
Can someone please explain to me how attendance can be sliding. I routinely peruse the websites, facebook pages, blogs, etc. of many ifb writers, pastors, evangelists, etc. and they all claim that every week revival is happening. Don't want to get into naming people here but I know of a popular evangelist who will write about everywhere he goes that scores were saved, altars were full and warm, and revival took place.

Bob Gray has tried to revive the ifb "movement" through his cooperation with whoever runs the independent baptist website. They originally had planned, along with Russell Anderson, to have Independent Baptist Conferences all around the country and they did have a couple. Bob always said that when these services started that the atmosphere was 'electifying'! And all of the decisions that took place. Yet, they can't generate enough interest to keep these conferences going.

We have often been told that evangelists around the country have said that the only hint of revival in America is in a handful of ifb churches and particularly among hac grads. (you had to go to hac to hear this one)  Now, imagine my surprise to start listening to different types of speakers who are doing great works who scoff at this. I just heard a pentecostal minister (Donny Swaggart) say that around the world the only true moving of God seems to be in pentecostal or charismatic circles.

So, What is the problem here? :eek: :eek: :eek:

If Bob Gray said the sky was blue, I'd want to check on it myself.

This is the man who claims to have had one million people saved, yet his church runs around 200 on Wed night (a good indicator of the true size of the church).

This is the man who claims to have preached 12 messages a week every week without fail for decades (I don't remember the total # of messages, but math breaks it down to 12 messages a week).
 
Heartland Baptist Bible College ... This was in a news release received from Heartland just this morning. 

"We are very thankful to the Lord for sending 404 students into the on-campus undergraduate program, 17 into the resident graduate program, 14 into the online graduate program, 69 into the undergraduate distance education program, and 27 into the Heartland Baptist Academy."
 
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