Heartland Baptist Bible College is an unaccredited Independent Fundamental Baptist Bible college in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which offers undergraduate diplomas (HBBC is not allowed by the state of Oklahoma to issue degrees) in pastoral theology, missions, youth, Christian ministries, music education, Christian education (elementary and secondary) and secretarial science. Sam Davison, president of the institution since 1999, retired as pastor of Southwest Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, in May 2010. Before 1998, the college was located in San Dimas, California, and was known as Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College.
History
In November 1966, the Western Baptist Bible Fellowship, composed of pastors from that region, met in Las Vegas and created the Pacific Coast Baptist Fellowship. The school received the approval of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI), but was not owned by the BBFI and retained its independence.
Classes at Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College, a co-educational college, began in fall, 1966 in rented facilities upstairs at the NE corner of the intersection of Glassell and Chapman - "The Circle" - in Orange, California. Under the direction of Rev. Ted Hicks, one of the founders and the first president, and then pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Santa Ana, the college grew and became a preacher-training facility. From Orange, it moved to progressively larger campuses in Walnut and Pasadena. In 1972, the college acquired a 150-acre (0.61Â km2) campus in San Dimas that had been built in 1928 as a home for underprivileged boys, then became a campus of California State Polytechnic University. The school enforced a strict code of student conduct. Enrollment at PCBBC reached 500 students in the late 1970s, with students coming mainly from 300 churches in the western United States which were also responsible for a portion of the college's budget. However, enrollment declined in the following decade and by 1990 the school had 170 students. The college then proposed to demolish the campus, sell 53 acres (210,000Â m2) for a luxury home development, donate 80 acres (320,000Â m2) for park land, and rebuild a more compact campus on the remainder.
Ultimately, the school moved to Oklahoma City in summer 1998 and was renamed Heartland Baptist Bible College. The move was a consequence of both its financial problems and policy disagreements within the Baptist Bible Fellowship International education establishment. Heartland withdrew from its affiliation with the BBFI.
Heartland's executive vice president is Jeff Copes of Oklahoma City and the vice president is Jason Gaddis, current pastor of Southwest Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Until his death, Kevin F. O'Brien (1955â€"2008) was the Heartland secretary-treasurer, a leading figure among Independent Baptists, and the pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas.
Beliefs
HBBC believes that the King James Version of the Bible is God's preserved Word for English-speaking people.
Accreditation status
Heartland Baptist Bible College is not accredited by any recognized accreditation body, nor does it seek accreditation.
Sports
Although Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College did have intercollegiate sports teams when it was in California, HBBC does not now participate in any intercollegiate leagues, but it does offer intramural sports for students who wish to participate.
Notable alumni
- Paul Chappell, Pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church and President of West Coast Baptist College
- David J. Edmondson, former RadioShack CEO, did not graduate
- Ralph Shortey, former Oklahoma State Senator
References
External links
- Official website