The East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions (ETSPM) began in the minds of the first two elders of the Karns church of Christ. Both men, Harold Duncan and Frank Huber, had a passion for teaching the Bible and they saw the training of ministers as a way they could, in effect, be missionaries in places around the world.

 

The vision for the school was to offer a two-year, college- level, course of study of the Bible and related subjects, with a strong emphasis on missions. The school was designed to give mature, capable men who had the desire to preach the gospel a concentrated course of study that would give a young minister a solid biblical foundation on which to build a successful ministry. There would not be a tuition charge for attending the school.

 

The Karns congregation, a relatively small rural church with modest facilities and limited resources accepted the challenge to train men to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. In February 1971, the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions was established under the direction and oversight of the elders of the Karns church of Christ. Clyde Findley, a former missionary and director of a Christian school, was selected as the first director. The teaching staff consisted of the director, Clyde Findley, John Waddey (the pulpit minister of the Karns congregation), and ministers from nearby congregations. The first class had four students.

 

The early years were filled with challenges and blessings. In 1973, the school was approved by the Veterans Administration so future students could receive veterans benefits while in school. In 1974, Clifford Reel replaced Clyde Finley as the director. That same year, realizing that the minister’s wife needs special training, classes for the students' wives were offered. The Karns congregation completed an expansion of the facilities, with help from sister congregations, that provided two additional classrooms and a room for the library which had grown to 2400 volumes. A year later, the first annual ETSPM Lectureship was held March 27-29.

 

As unlikely as the beginning of ETSPM, its survival and growth over the next several years cannot be fully explained without mentioning God's providence. The school began its tenth year on February 11, 1980 with twenty-five full-time students enrolled. In August of that year, Bill Nicks, was appointed director of the School of Preaching. With the school firmly established and with over 70 graduates, the ETSPM Alumni Association was brought into existence by three of the alumni. In an article in the school newsletter, The Messenger, a writer declared in part, “the school has had an uninterrupted existence since its beginning. The aims and purposes of the school have been carried out.”

 

 

By the year 1996, the 25th anniversary of the founding of ETSPM, approximately 200 men had graduated to preach the gospel. The school had four full-time teachers and a new 2000 square foot library building, housing approximately 10,000 volumes. The library was named in honor of the school's third director, Bill Nicks. A major building expansion and renovation of the existing building provided the school adequate facilities. With support from individuals and sister congregations, student housing capable of housing eight families was completed on a parcel of land leased from Hillbrook Christian Association.

 

In 1997, it was reported the school had graduates preaching in seven foreign countries and thirty-seven states. James Meadows succeeded David Pharr as director to become the seventh director of ETSPM, and served for ten years. In 2006, Gary Hampton was appointed director and served in that capacity through April 2012. Effective April 30, 2012, Dr. David L. Lipe became director of the school.

 

The school has maintained a strong academic standard and Bible-based curriculum. A graduate of Southeast will have completed over 40 courses, over 200 quarter hours, and will have spent over 2500 hours in classroom related activities. The school has four full-time faculty and a number of part-time teachers. Select brotherhood universities accept some of the courses taken for credit. The average age of the students is approximately 28 years.

 

By the end of the 2011-2012 school year, over 300 graduates have gone from Southeast to preach the gospel. Graduates of Southeast are ministers of some of the larger congregations in the brotherhood and are preaching the gospel in most of the states and in several foreign countries. The Bill Nicks Library, with over 16,000 volumes, has undergone a major renovation and is considered one of the best sources of religious materials in East Tennessee. The teaching and support staff of the school are the best qualified of any in the school's history.

 

The name of the school changed in June 2012 to Southeast Institute of Biblical Studies to better reflect the region from which the students and financial support come. As of May, 2013, the school is approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to offer a Bachelor of Biblical Studies degree. The curriculum has been adjusted to be more in line with college curricula to accommodate those who desire to continue their education upon graduating from Southeast.

 

After forty-three years of continuous operation, the vision and mission of the school remains the same, which is to train capable, mature men who have a desire to preach the gospel and offer the students a course of study that will provide them a strong Biblical foundation on which to build a successful ministry.

 

(Thanks to Natalie Davis)