TBC offering free tuition this fall
*Malcolm Hill's dream of free Christian college education now a reality

By AMY DAVIS
TENNESSEE BIBLE COLLEGE

COOKEVILLE — It began as a dream for a young Overton County man named Malcolm Hill growing up in the 1950s... a school where others, like himself, could train to become preachers, regardless of whether or not they could afford it.

Hill went on to graduate from David Lipscomb College and became a minister in the church of Christ, but he never forgot that early dream of making Christian education more accessible to would-be preachers. The plan eventually materialized in the form of a large administration building that today stands in the countryside of northeast Cookeville — Tennessee Bible College.

Preachers in training
Tennessee Bible College students, from left, Josh Brown of Bowling Green, Ky., David Millican of Reno, Nev., and Mark Day of Cookeville practice their preaching skills in the campus chapel. TBC offers a bachelor's degree in religious education, master's and doctorate degrees in theology and a two-year preaching diploma. For more information, call (931)526-2616.

For more than 34 years now, Hill has seen TBC do exactly what he had envisioned it to do, which is to provide preacher training and Christian education for all who desire it, with minimal fees for those who could afford it and scholarships for those who could not.

But come September, Hill is planning to take things a step further, as, for the first time, TBC is dropping tuition fees altogether for qualifying on-campus students.

"We had a good year in 2008, in which we received some sizable monetary gifts," said Hill, who has served as president since founding TBC in 1975. "In considering those gifts, as well as the financial condition our nation is in, I realized that now is the time to begin our new tuition-free program at Tennessee Bible College. We want to help worthy moms and dads get a college education for their children."

Hill said the free tuition applies toward all of TBC's degree-granting programs: a bachelor's degree in religious education, master's and doctorate degrees in theology and a two-year preaching diploma. Textbooks, food and housing are not included, nor are studies through TBC's Distance Learning program.

While Hill describes TBC as a "preacher manufacturing school," he says the college offers more than just pulpit training.

Courses, which are open to everyone, are in the areas of Bible interpretation, Christian counseling, church history, original biblical languages, sermon preparation, evangelism, world religions and denominations, extensive Bible textual studies, plus some general education courses, such as English, psychology and philosophy. TBC's specialty is apologetics (the study of Christian evidences), which prepares students for defending Christianity against atheism, skepticism and agnosticism.

"The opportunity we have at TBC to move toward free tuition is a wonderful blessing," Hill said. "Our supporters continue to give because they have confidence in us. We have been here long enough, and they have dealt with us long enough to know that we are solid and sound, and that we're going to continue to do what's right."

Preacher in training
Taking a stand behind the chapel pulpit at Tennessee Bible College in Cookeville is student Mark Day of Cookeville, who will be graduating in June with a bachelor's degree in religious education. TBC offers training for preachers, Bible school teachers, missionaries or anyone else seeking advanced Bible education. For more information, call (931)526-2616.

He added, "We encourage people who are interested in this tuition-free program to contact us as soon as possible because it will be on a limited bases, in that we can only serve a certain number. We encourage prospective students to meet and talk with us and get enrolled this September. It's a great opportunity for parents who want to send their children to a Christian college."

TBC, located at 1616 McCulley Road in Cookeville, is authorized by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and operates solely on contributions from church congregations, businesses and individual supporters. The college hosts several annual events, including Leadership Day (February), Spiritual Renewal Week lectureship (April, May) and Truth Bible Camp for ages 9-18 (July).

For more information, call (931) 526-2616.