Churches everywhere are praying for more servant-leaders with a sound biblical education. To raise up many more such future leaders in new and affordable ways, the Trustees of Central Christian College of the Bible (Moberly, MO) and Saint Louis Christian College (Florissant, MO) approved a formal merger of their institutions. This merger was completed with the assistance and approval of The Solomon Foundation (Parker, CO), the owner of both campuses. The Missouri Secretary of State accepted the Merger Agreement on December 5, 2022, completing a process that began in August 2021.
The merged institution is legally known as Central Christian College of the Bible, offering programs in the traditional service areas of both colleges.
Since initial approval in October 2021, these steps were taken to continue ministry education for SLCC students and open up new options for Christian church ministry training in the St. Louis area.
- At their February 2022 annual meeting, the Association for Biblical Higher Education’s Commission on Accreditation approved the initial merger proposal. The final approval by the ABHE’s COA was received on June 2.
- Both boards of Trustees gave final approval to the merger at their meetings in April 2022. The SLCC board remained in place through December 2022.
- Under the direction of attorneys from SpencerFane, with assistance from HamiltonWeber, various merger documents were submitted and approved between May and December 2022 to the Missouri Secretary of State and Attorney General’s offices.
- The SLCC Legacy Scholarship Fund has been established with The Solomon Foundation, using endowment funds from SLCC, to benefit currently enrolled SLCC students, SLCC alumni and their descendants, or new students from the Greater St. Louis Area who enroll at CCCB.
- The Solomon Foundation has identified a buyer from the St. Louis area, a Christian school that enrolls metropolitan and international boarding students. They are occupying and improving the property while leasing it before completing the purchase.
- CCCB is leasing almost 6,000 square feet of space in The Westport, located at 11960 Westline Industrial Drive, in the Westport region of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The space, which is on the same floor as a Lindenwood University satellite campus, has been remodeled to include three offices, a 7,500 volume library, and three classrooms that can serve evening students, graduate students, and commuter students.
- Seven SLCC employees continued their service by joining the CCCB team in May 2022. Seven other SLCC employees were offered jobs with CCCB, but chose to retire, take a different ministry, or remain in the St. Louis area.
- SLCC honored its graduating class, its alumni, and its former employees through a special celebration in late April. A final newsletter for Summer 2022 is available online at this link. It tells the story of SLCC’s history and contains photos of key personnel through its 66 years of history.
- SLCC’s final academic and fiscal year closed, effective May 31. Its final audit was complete and its final 990 will be submitted in 2023.
- CCCB has taken over the legacy paperwork and records for SLCC. All business pertaining to SLCC is now being managed by CCCB. All gifts made payable to SLCC were receipted by SLCC through December 2022. All remaining SLCC funds will go to CCCB to continue the work of ministry education in the St. Louis area.
- Day and evening students from SLCC have been scheduled for courses to continue the completion of their studies through a teach-out plan with CCCB.
- Up to three former SLCC Trustees will be invited to join the CCCB board. Those interviews have already begun.
- CCCB will begin offering undergraduate evening classes later in 2022 and will open its Master of Arts in Preaching program in St. Louis during the Fall of 2023.
Further questions about the merger may be sent to Dr. David Fincher (president@cccb.edu) via email.