A Brief History of OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

Ozark Bible College was established in Bentonville, Arkansas, on June 12, 1942, committed to training men and women for Christian service by teaching the Word of Christ in the Spirit of Christ. An earlier OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE was established in St. Joe, Arkansas, in 1938. It moved to Harrison, Arkansas, in 1939, and then to Bentonville in 1940. This school was to provide occupational training as well as to provide Bible teaching.

Ozark Bible College was founded to be a Bible college training full-time and part-time Christian workers. Workers were prepared to be ministers, missionaries, evangelistic singers, church secretaries, educational directors and assistant ministers, as well as elders, deacons and volunteer workers in the local church. The trustees elected F. W. Strong as president and Seth Wilson as dean, positions they held in the former college.

Many churches in the four state area of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma were closed and hundreds were without preachers. Ozark Bible College desired to provide Biblical preachers whose preaching would revive the churches.

In October of 1944, Ozark Bible College moved to Joplin, Missouri. A large house located at 516 N. Wall Street became the new home for the college. Joplin was chosen as the new location for the college because it was easily reached by car, bus, train or plane. Many churches surrounded Joplin, which provided opportunities for student ministries. Joplin also had job opportunities for students.

In 1946, Edwin B. Strong succeeded his father as president of Ozark Bible College. The college grew from sixteen students in 1942 to 123 students in the fall of 1949. An addition to the building in 1948 provided a dining room, a small chapel and two classrooms. At this time most of the full-time faculty preached every weekend. Area ministers assisted as part-time instructors. Students were involved in service in the churches on weekends.

The curriculum has always stressed a knowledge of the Bible gained through a direct study of the Biblical text, with every degree carrying a major in Bible. Strong emphasis has been placed on apologetics (knowing why we believe in God, Christ and the Bible) and hermeneutics (principles and methods for understanding the Bible). Skills for ministry were also taught.

In 1952, Don Earl Boatman became the third president of Ozark Bible College, a post he held for 27 years. The college had a vision and desire to grow. A 1953 addition to the college building provided a large chapel, a library and additional classrooms. This enabled the college to accommodate the 176 students who enrolled in the fall of 1954. In 1955, seventy-five churches were served by Ozark faculty, staff and students. Soon the college reached the maximum capacity in the 516 N. Wall building.

In 1959, forty acres were purchased on North Main Street, a mile north of downtown Joplin and less than a mile from the Wall Street location. The Missions Building and Alumni Hall were completed in 1963 providing classrooms and a dormitory for women. This enabled the college to move to the new campus to welcome 309 students in the fall of 1963. The Administration Building was completed a few weeks after the fall semester started. Under the direction of Walter Goodman thirteen buildings were constructed on the new campus during its first two decades. The functional buildings on a beautiful campus have been called home by several thousand students.

Every year during the 1960's enrollment increased, reaching its peak of 803 in the fall of 1974. New faculty and programs expanded the outreach of the college. The college was known for its emphasis on evangelism and missions.

In 1979, new leaders assumed responsibilities at Ozark Bible College. Ken Idleman became president and Wallace Wartick was named academic dean. Lynn Gardner became academic dean in 1981. In 1981, OCC began the process of accreditation and received accreditation from the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges in 1988. On July 1, 1985, Midwest Christian College of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, consolidated with Ozark Bible College on the Joplin campus under the name of OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE.

In 2001 a visionary Board of Trustees including President Ken Idleman employed the services of the architectural firm Gaskin, Hill, Norcross of Springfield, Missouri to do a thorough audit of OCC's facility needs in order to accommodate a future student body of up to 1200. The resulting Master Plan document would provide orderly campus growth for the next decade.

A capital campaign, entitled Building Leaders - Changing Lives, was initiated in 2002 to raise the needed $3.5 million for the first phase of the Master Plan. And on July 7, 2004, OCC's Vice President of Stewardship, Gordon Venturella, made the announcement at a special Victory Dinner that the goal had been reached, including cash and intentions.

A special groundbreaking ceremony took place on March 26, 2003, for the first new building to be built on OCC's campus in twenty years, the Casteel Administration Building. The building was completed in December of 2003 and several other major projects followed. Air-conditioning was added to all six residence halls by August, 2003. The Missionary Residence and Hospitality House was completed in October, 2003. New seating and carpet was installed in the Chapel by February, 2004. The Mabee Student Center and the first stage of expansion for the Dining Hall were completed over the summer of 2004.

Today the attractive campus includes the Chapel, Missions Building, Library, Casteel Administration Building, Christian Service & Internships Building, Dining Hall, Multi-Purpose Building, Physical Plant Building, six dormitories, the Mabee Student Center and the Missionary Residence & Hospitality House. Future plans for the campus include expanding the current Chapel, Multi-Purpose Building, Library, Dining Hall and available parking space. Plans also include four new Residence Halls, a new Physical Plant building, a new classroom & office building, and a new Learning & Performance Center.

The college today continues to prepare men and women for vocational and volunteer Christian service. We reaffirm our historic purpose by teaching the Word of God to men and women who will be equipped to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).