Driving into eastern Kentucky at any time of year is scenic, but especially in the spring. Trees are coming into bloom and the grass is turning green as the mountains are teeming with new life.
Turning off Hwy. 25E onto 190 in Bell County is also a blessing. Itis the final road leading up to the beautiful and spacious campus of Clear Creek Baptist Bible College — the Bible college of the Kentucky Baptist Convention.
Since 1926, Clear Creek has been training pastors and ministry leaders for service in the local church. The school is known for its emphasis on Bible courses and commitment to preparing leaders for ministry. Clear Creek has multiple degree options but only one program — a ministry program. It has been turning out faithful leaders since its founding days.
I was on the Clear Creek campus recently and here are some of my observations about how God is at work there:
1. God is sending students for ministry training. Clear Creek is enjoying its highest enrollment in the past 12 years with 173 students working toward a ministry degree. In fact, Clear Creek is the only SACS accredited school that offers only ministry degrees. Other schools offer ministry degrees as one of their options, but CCBBC has maintained a commitment to only prepare men and women for Christian ministry.
2. God is leading the work forward. Through the leadership of Dr. Charlie Goodman and his capable faculty and staff, Clear Creek is striving to advance the mission of the school while answering the challenges of higher education in our day. The school is 9.5% ahead of revenue over last year. Clear Creek has enjoyed three consecutive years of growth in student enrollment — the first time that has happened in 98 years. Applications for new students are up 33% with acceptance of those students up 55% versus 2019 before the pandemic. By every measure, the work is moving forward at Clear Creek.
3. God is sending out men and women to the local church. Clear Creek prides itself in preparing ministers, and churches are eager to receive its students. Clear Creek graduates have always been in demand in Kentucky and beyond — and that continues today. It has a hard time keeping students on campus because local churches hire many of them for ministry positions before they even graduate.
4. God is meeting needs. 99% of Clear Creek’s students graduate debt free. That is due in no small part to the gracious and sacrificial giving of Kentucky Baptists through the Cooperative Program and the generosity of other donors. Clear Creek likes to say it wants to put students in the ministry — not in debt.
5. God is impacting the community around the school. Every Christian institution needs to ask what difference it would make to the community if it ceased to exist. It would certainly make a big difference to southeastern Kentucky and neighboring Tennessee counties as CCBBC students serve faithfully in church ministry and volunteer roles.
Years ago, my wife Connie and I loaded up a church van and took two young couples to visit Clear Creek. One of those couples decided to return. The husband enrolled in classes, moved his family to the school, graduated with a ministry degree and has invested his life in faithful Christian ministry. Clear Creek made a difference in his life and the lives of so many others just like him. Please join us in celebrating the great work God is doing at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College and pray for God’s continued blessings on the school and its work of preparing men and women for Christian ministry.
Dr. Todd Gray 