Hill had envisioned a school in which “no worthy student would be turned away” for lack of funds. Remembering how he himself had struggled as a young preacher to find the means to make it through college, he worked tirelessly to gain support and recruit dedicated instructors for what would become Tennessee Bible College. And he succeeded, becoming its first president.

TBC began as a night school in a church auditorium in Cookeville, Tennessee. Prospective preachers and men who were already in the ministry came from all over the area to learn more about the Bible in a higher education setting. 

Initially, TBC offered a two-year preaching diploma. Soon after, the college was authorized by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to award the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. In 1986, TBC became the first church of Christ-related school to confer the Ph.D.

TBC’s faculty and staff moved into a new academic building in 1995, where they have continued their mission of preparing men and women to teach and defend the Gospel of Christ either as preachers, Bible class teachers, missionaries, counselors or Christian workers in a variety of other service areas.

The college is today led by David Hill, who carries on the work of his late father as TBC’s second president. As of 2021, 128 graduates from 21 states and 8 in foreign countries have gone on from their TBC studies to spread the saving truth of God’s Word throughout the world.