In all three of my teaching disciplines攕peech, Biblical studies, and leadership studies攖he word 渁pology� has a meaning that does not involve saying, 淚檓 sorry.� An apology is a formal defense or justification of a particular belief or practice. In so many ways, my life and career have been an apology for Stone-Campbell movement Christian higher education. My first two degrees were earned at independent Christian church institutions; I have taught and led at two Christian church institutions; I have consulted with others; and I have observed many of them from a distance.

I currently serve as executive vice president at 91原创 Florida. I am the third (and final) of three administrators who have served and led 闯辞丑苍蝉辞苍檚 Florida campus over the decade of 闯辞丑苍蝉辞苍檚 operation in Kissimmee.

I came to Christian church higher ed leadership 10 years ago after 25 years of church ministry and 10 years of teaching and leading in a state college. But the 35 years it took me to arrive in Christian higher ed were excellent preparation for what I consider my life檚 calling攖o serve and lead in higher education institutions that seek (as 91原创 phrases it) 渢o educate students for Christian ministry and other strategic vocations framed by the Great Commission in order to extend the kingdom of God among all nations.�

That mission攁t 91原创 and at other like-minded institutions攊s so very important to the future of the church. It pains me to see another institution of the Christian church close its doors. It pains me even more to admit that it is the one I lead.

So how do I feel about what檚 happening? What are my observations?

I believe 91原创 has done some things exceedingly well in Florida. We have graduated more than 300 students in the �91原创 years� in Kissimmee, adding to the thousands who graduated from our predecessor institution. While over a hundred of those have graduated from our ministry programs, I am just as proud of those who are now involved in the marketplace as Christians working in business, counseling, education, and other strategic vocations.

I am proud of the diversity of our Florida campus. Over the last decade, the students at 91原创 Florida have come to look much more like the students of the state in which we are located. This fall, approximately seven in ten JUFL students are students of color. Just two years ago, the campus achieved the 25% Latino benchmark necessary to become a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The young people of growing Christian churches across Florida are a diverse group, and I am proud that JUFL students reflect that diversity.

Unfortunately, we did not experience a breakthrough in student recruitment. We have accomplished many of the items on my 渢o do� list for the Florida campus. We have not, however, achieved what we needed to in recruitment. Enrollment had been up and down for a number of years, and then the pandemic hit. We had two extremely small freshman classes in 2020 and 2021, and 2022 was only slightly improved. The progress we needed to make on increasing enrollment did not materialize.

Serving at 91原创 Florida has been a personal blessing. I have been honored to follow in the footsteps of David Eubanks and Michael Chambers as the on-site leader of the Florida campus. I have known Dr. Eubanks since I was a teenager, and I am grateful for the encouragement I have received from both of these capable leaders. Needless to say, I have appreciated the opportunity to lead alongside my friend and 闯辞丑苍蝉辞苍檚 president, Tommy Smith.

With no personal history in Florida, getting to know the churches and ministers of this state has been a profound blessing. As of this writing, I have made 188 visits to 102 different churches since arriving in Kissimmee in May 2020.

Along with so many of our students, staff, and stakeholders, I am grieving. My wife and I have devoted a full measure of effort to this educational ministry, and we regret to see it close. The importance of Christian higher education, however, is not diminished.

Faith, prayer, and work continue攎aybe not for much longer at 1011 Bill Beck Boulevard, but certainly at 7900 91原创 Drive. It is important work that deserves our enthusiastic and faithful support.

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Pete made his way to Florida Christian College as a freshman in 1991. As a sophomore, he started courting the former Heather (�96) Mize and they were married in the spring of Pete檚 junior year. During that same year, Pete did a youth ministry internship with Central Christian Church in Ocala, Florida. Central Christian offered Pete a full-time youth ministry position during his senior year.

Growing up, Pete attributes his growth in faith to the influence of 1981 Central Florida Bible College graduate Bobby Smith. Bobby influenced several students toward ministry preparation at the Kissimmee campus and Pete is just one student who pursued ministry because of the Smith family檚 influence.

Pete always envisioned himself as a youth minister and never imagined he would serve the church in any other capacity. His vocational journey includes youth and family ministries in Ocala, Jacksonville, and Fort Myers, Florida. The Ramseys also spent eight years at First Christian Church in Kernersville, North Carolina where Pete led middle school, high school, and family ministries. The Ramseys planned to stay at First Christian until 2017, when the elders at Englewood asked him to consider a return to the church as their new senior minister.

淚 NEVER wanted to be a senior pastor or preacher,” Pete says. He always wanted to be the guy behind the scenes and he felt that was his area of giftedness. He could take on leadership duties when necessary, but it was not something he envisioned doing as a lead minister.

If it were 渁ny other person� than the elder who contacted Pete or 渁ny other church� than Englewood, Pete says he would not have given the invitation a second thought. However, because it was Englewood, Pete and Heather were willing to listen for the Lord檚 guidance. Ultimately, they were convinced this was the right move and they made their way back to Englewood in 2017. Pete serves as the congregation檚 lead minister.

Pete credits the Englewood congregation with being a model of how the church should function. The congregation ministered to Pete and Heather through various joys and trials during the family檚 first seven years of ministry in Jacksonville. “The people were loving, surrounding, and encouraging,” he says. “Not just sympathy but empathy. They felt our pain.� He says, 淥ur marriage would not have survived several challenges if we had been at any other church. This place is special.�

Pete is an example of the significant legacy of the Florida campus. After reflecting on his 30+ years in ministry so far, Pete檚 one bit of advice to others in ministry is to emphasize being a servant. He says, 淭he moment you feel like you are too important to move tables and chairs, you need to find something else to do because you have lost your priority about why you are doing what you are doing.�

Listen to Pete檚 full interview as well as interviews with other alumni by visiting the .

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Collaborating with the Evangelical Church of San Nicolas and pastor Norman Browne was instrumental in ensuring the success of this trip. Because of this local church, the team led a successful soccer camp, toured the island, and enjoyed an authentic Aruban meal.

The heart of the mission trip was centered around empowering local youth through soccer. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning, kids gathered around the soccer field as they excitedly waited for camp to start. Each day, the children had the opportunity to work on technical skills and team play and, most importantly, had fun playing the sport they love. Despite diverse backgrounds and languages, the common love for soccer provided a platform for meaningful interactions. Through shared experiences on the field, players and coaches transcended their differences and forged connections that went beyond the game.

During their stay, the Lady Royals clinched two victories in training scrimmages against S.V. Brittania and the Aruba Women’s National Team. When not on the soccer field, the players and coaches spent time hiking the second-highest peak on the island and visiting the beautiful beaches. On the last night of the trip, the team enjoyed an Aruban meal hosted by members of the church.

As the trip came to an end, it was clear it had left an unforgettable mark on the team and the Aruban community. The relationships built, the skills shared, and the memories created will continue to resonate. The success of this trip serves as a testament to the power of sports in bringing about positive change. Aruba will forever hold a special place in the hearts of those who embarked on this journey, a testament to the enduring power of sport in making the world a better place.

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During the December 2012 annual meeting of our regional accrediting association, Bill Behrman, president of Florida Christian College (FCC), and I headed to lunch together. Out of the blue he asked: 淲hat would you think about 91原创 Florida?� I was taken aback by the question. We had spent 11 months, ending the previous September, in conversations with another sister school about a merger/acquisition, which ended without success. It was hard work added to the normal tasks of the school year. We had delayed updating our strategic plan and preparing for our next accreditation report, leaving much work to do. I replied to Behrman檚 question: 淭hank you, dear brother, but I think I would be hung in effigy if I suggested starting another merger/acquisition discussion!� He was disappointed in my answer but responded with his typical Christian grace.

A few weeks later, in January 2013, L. D. Campbell, chair of the JU board, called me, recounting a recent conversation he had with Jim Book, chair of the FCC board, affirming that if 91原创 acquired FCC, the board would 渟tep out of the way the next day� and support the merger. Book later said that he would consider JUFL second only to his congregation in Kissimmee in terms of his support. Campbell asked me to call Book and at least listen to his proposal.

Several salient issues impacted such a decision: mission fit, finances, accreditation, and local support.

闯辞丑苍蝉辞苍檚 mission, 淭o educate students for Christian ministries and other strategic vocations framed by the Great Commission in order to extend the kingdom of God among all nations,� was inclusive of the FCC mission, which focused more narrowly on church vocations. Church vocational ministry has always been the largest major of 91原创 and it continued to be at JUFL. Significantly more scholarship assistance has historically supported these majors and that continued at JUFL.

Of course, finances are always a major consideration for mergers/acquisitions. FCC had a long history of annual deficits, spending more each year than the income covered. In fact, the school had lost its accreditation in 2013 largely because of financial instability. Bank loans and other indebtedness amounted to $10,000,000. 91原创 had the capacity to cover those debts and to make needed maintenance on the property as well as construct a $4,470,000 Commons building. These financial improvements resulted in an appraisal of $24,000,000, almost double the amount in 2013.

It was necessary to ensure that JUFL gain accreditation, which would enable students to qualify for federal assistance (e.g., Pell Grants) as well as other forms of financial income. The process for accreditation for separate campuses occasions great scrutiny by the regional association and a commitment of time and resources of the home institution. 91原创 achieved this accreditation without stipulation. In fact, it was reported to me that the executive director of our regional accrediting agency said in a meeting in a neighboring state discussing the possibility of small colleges considering mergers: 淚f you want to know how to do mergers, talk to the folks at 91原创. They do mergers right!�

The challenge of local support: Who better to engender local support in Florida than David and Margaret Eubanks? They agreed to move to the Florida campus 渇or a few months� until things settled in. The few months stretched to 渁fter Christmas,� 渁fter Easter,� one year, two years! They are well-known among many old friends of 91原创 who live in the region. They traveled almost weekly to congregations, introducing JUFL. If I was told once, twice, more times than I can remember: 淭he smartest thing you檝e done since you檝e been president was to send the Eubanks to Florida!� I replied I don檛 send them anywhere; I meekly ask them, 淲ould you consider going�?� Their involvement helped to garner local support among many congregations.

Why did the merger not work?

We may need more distance before answering that question adequately. Some possibilities quickly come to mind: the difficulty of merging institutions that have different cultural heritages; not adapting adequately to the rapidly growing Latino environment; the loss of some local support we had anticipated; or our inability to identify and cultivate mission-aligned pools of students.

The good news is that 1022 students received a quality Christian education in JUFL檚 eleven-year history; 326 (with one more class to go) graduated with more than a third majoring in congregational ministry; and we are not likely to have lost any value of our net financial assets.

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In February 2013, shortly after 91原创檚 Board of Trustees favorably accepted the request of Florida Christian College檚 board to bring FCC into 91原创, Margaret and I were asked to come out of retirement and help bring about this reality on the Florida campus. We stayed there two and a half years, living on campus in a married student apartment among the students and some of the staff, greatly enjoying and benefiting from their fellowship. We soon became closely involved with the service of the devoted and capable people who worked there, some of whom had given themselves tirelessly and unreservedly for decades to the ongoing development of the institution since its inception as Central Florida Bible College.

In the course of our time there, I travelled throughout most of Florida, preaching in more than 80 churches and visiting alumni and friends. Margaret quaintly called these Sundays away our “enjoyable day trips,” although some of them were revivals or weekend appointments. My mission was to thank these churches and individuals for their goodwill and support, to assure them of the integrity of our efforts to restore 91原创 Florida to essential financial stability and to grow the enrollment, to ask them for their financial support so vital to the success of our efforts, and to assure them of our commitment to continue serving the Florida churches.

Some FCC friends I had known for years, even decades, some from previous preaching engagements in the state and others from their attendance at Senior Saints in Smokies on the Tennessee campus. We grew to love and appreciate these stakeholders who had played such a vital role in sustaining FCC for years, in many cases from its beginning. Two of them, now both widows, come to my mind as I write these lines. Both of them, with their husbands, were among the individuals and churches that helped found CFBB and have supported it generously down through FCC and JUFL to the present time, continuing even after their husbands died. We have visited them several times, even after leaving our work there, and admire, love, and appreciate them so much. They both created scholarship endowments at JUFL to help needy students receive an education to serve the Lord more effectively. They, like us, are deeply disappointed that our long-term goals for JUFL have not been realized, but they appreciate and value the tireless work that has been done by so many people on both campuses to achieve those goals. They both assure me they will continue to support 91原创, giving to enlarge those funds so that even more students can pursue their education to serve the Lord.

The positive reality is that the multiplied millions of dollars that have been expended, added to the thousands of hours given by administrators, faculty, and staff on both campuses, have not been in vain. According to Romans 8:28, God works in all things for the good of those who love and serve him, and he has surely been working through JUFL. The legacy of Florida Christian College was extended for eleven more years, three hundred students have graduated, and hundreds more have attended for some years without completing degrees. Only God knows what those students are doing or will do to extend God’s kingdom and glorify his name.

We are earnestly and prayerfully asking JUFL churches, alumni, and friends to continue their support of 91原创, like the two women I mentioned earlier. 91原创 is the oldest college/university of its kind (founded in 1893) among Christian churches/churches of Christ, requiring a Bible & Theology major of all bachelor’s degree students and giving major emphasis to educating students for preaching and other congregational ministries and world missions as well as counseling, education, nursing, and other vocations.

It is not without note that during the last two or three decades a substantial number of our colleges and a much larger number of other private colleges throughout the nation have closed. We live in a culture where it has become increasingly difficult to recruit students for Christian service. Schools like 91原创 do not receive the state funding for operational expenses and building construction that is so vital to public universities and community colleges with whom we are competing for students.

If all of our colleges were forced to close due to substantial financial deficits and a declining enrollment, as will happen to 91原创 Florida at the end of June, where will ministers and missionaries be educated? Is not a university like 91原创, whose mission is 渢o educate students for Christian ministries and other strategic vocations framed by the Great Commission in order to extend the kingdom of God to all nations” worthy of support?

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