Officials from St. Louis Christian College and Central Christian College of the Bible anticipate the two schools will officially merge in the coming days.
When completed, SLCC’s campus will be sold, some residential students and seven SLCC employees will relocate to CCCB’s campus in Moberly, Mo., and property will be leased in the St. Louis area where classes will continue to be offered to evening students, graduate students, and commuter students.
“I’ve been thankful to work with St. Louis Christian College’s team over the past few months to continue their legacy as they finished their work at the Florissant campus [in Greater St. Louis],” said CCCB president David Fincher. “Central’s employees and students have been including the staff and students [of SLCC] in plans for the coming school year in Moberly, where over 20 students will be continuing their education.”
Merger discussions were announced last September and received initial approval in October 2021. The boards of both schools gave final approval to a merger in April of this year.
SLCC’s enrollment and tuition income have slipped in recent years, necessitating the merger.
Leaders of the colleges shared a news update on their merger efforts late Tuesday afternoon. The goal of the merger, according to the release, is to raise up many more servant-leaders with a sound biblical education in new and affordable ways.
The Solomon Foundation—which owns the campuses of both institutions—has been assisting with the merger.
The merged institution will be known as Central Christian College of the Bible; the school will offer programs in the traditional service areas of both colleges.
In addition to the more than 20 SLCC students expected to relocate to Moberly this fall, Fincher said, “another dozen students will be enrolled in the St. Louis area at our site there to continue their education before we begin recruiting new students there.”
St. Louis-area classes will be offered in Westport, about 13 miles from downtown. CCCB has signed a lease on almost 6,000 square feet of space in The Westport, 11960 Westline Industrial Drive. The space, which is on the same floor as a satellite campus of Lindenwood University (but on a different wing), will be remodeled with offices, a library of 7,000 volumes, and two classrooms.
OTHER MERGER NEWS
Here are some additional highlights from Tuesday’s update:
• The Association for Biblical Higher Education’s Commission on Accreditation approved the initial merger proposal in February, with final approval received early this month.
• Preliminary paperwork necessary for the merger was approved by the state of Missouri in May. Documents have been submitted to the Attorney General’s office. When approved, a filing with the Secretary of State should complete the merger.
• The SLCC Legacy Scholarship Fund will be established with The Solomon Foundation, with endowment funds from SLCC benefiting 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 for SLCC’s Florissant, Mo., campus. The buyer is a Christian school that will enroll metropolitan and international boarding students. Paperwork is being completed.
• SLCC’s final academic and fiscal year closed May 31. Auditors have begun the final review of records which should culminate in the completion of all business by June 30. A few SLCC employees are continuing through the end of June to pay bills, finalize audit details, and complete necessary paperwork.
• CCCB has taken over the legacy paperwork and records for SLCC. All gifts made payable to SLCC will be receipted by SLCC until the final merger papers are signed (which is expected to happen in the coming days). At that point any remaining SLCC funds will go to CCCB to continue the work of ministry education 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. It tells the story of SLCC’s history and contains photos of key personnel through the school’s 66-year history.
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