What Makes Heartland Baptist Bible College Unique?

Local Church Ministry

Many Bible colleges claim a close relationship to the local church—often because those colleges were established as ministries of individual local churches.  Yet, many of these same colleges receive their accountability through non-denominational, para-church accrediting agencies, and a growing percentage of these colleges’ funding comes through dependence upon grants from the federal Department of Education.

Heartland Baptist Bible College is unique. Our accountability comes through a board of directors comprised of 24 independent fundamental Baptist pastors who, in turn, were elected to serve as directors by independent fundamental Baptist pastors.  A strong percentage of our funding comes through several hundred local churches who support HBBC monthly and through our May College Offering.

With this local church accountability and support in place, Heartland Baptist Bible College still maintains a committed, special relationship to Southwest Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.  The vast majority of students are required to be members of Southwest Baptist Church and to serve weekly in ministry.  Pastor Jason Gaddis is not a pastor in name only; he and the other members of the church staff labor to provide personal, shepherding care for each student.

Finally, Heartland Baptist Bible College does not sever students’ relationships with their home pastors.  Rather, when students struggle or are making major life decisions, HBBC administration purposefully involves students’ home pastors—knowing these pastors understand the students’ background and have already invested deeply into them.

At Heartland Baptist Bible College, we are accountable to the local church, funded by the local church, work through the local church, and exist to train men and women to serve in the local church.

Biblical Doctrine and Baptist Distinctives

A Baptist college’s name no longer proves its devotion to right doctrine or to ecclesiastical separation.  Many institutions founded on precious, biblical beliefs slowly abandon them as expansion becomes more important than fidelity.

Heartland Baptist Bible College is unique.  “Baptist” and “Bible” are more than words in our name; they are convictions that dictate who we are and motivate what we do.

We reinforce our commitment to Bible doctrine by selecting only independent fundamental Baptist professors and staff (with more than 1,000 years of combined, faithful ministry experience), as well as accepting only independent fundamental Baptist students.

Our theology courses pulse with passion for the biblical view of salvation and the local church, and every student on campus—regardless of major—takes courses on both Baptist history and Baptist distinctives.  Through a 4-year program of study at Heartland Baptist Bible College, students absorb more than 700 class hours of rich Bible exposition.

To read our complete doctrinal statement, visit our “What We Believe” page.

Conservative Ministry Philosophy

Bible colleges often function as formative greenhouses for young preachers and resource centers for ministry instruction.  Between these two points of influence, a Bible college can shape the ministry philosophy of many pastors and churches.  Unfortunately, some Bible colleges spend their influence on style instead of substance and, thereby, implicitly communicate that ministry effectiveness lies primarily in appearance.

Heartland Baptist Bible College is unique.  We believe in the sufficiency of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the local church to accomplish God’s work.  We endeavor to do everything with excellence because the Lord and His work deserve it—not because culture demands it.  This belief in well-executed fundamentals for Jesus’ sake is the mainstay of our ministry philosophy.

When you visit Heartland Baptist Bible College, you will encounter a joyous, friendly, wholesome spirit that manifests itself in genuine fellowship, God-honoring music, and authoritative preaching.  You will not find an effort to reinvent, redefine, or repackage Christianity.

When you visit Southwest Baptist Church, you will experience stirring, impacting services that reflect the same conservative ministry philosophy as is present at Heartland Baptist Bible College.  In this way, students and guests receive a consistent and reinforcing message of biblical faith and practice, rather than a conflicting and confusing one.

We believe God’s work is worthy to be done God’s way.

King James Bible as the Preserved Word of God

Heartland Baptist Bible College is unashamed in its use and defense of the King James Bible.  Holding this position does not require a harsh or negative spirit, but it does require a firm and vigilant stance.

While some Bible colleges have become soft or ambiguous on the issue of Bible translation, Heartland Baptist Bible College is clear.  We confidently affirm that every administrator, every professor, every staff member, every class, and every student at Heartland Baptist Bible College—as well as every publication from Heartland Baptist Bible College—uses only the King James Bible.  We believe it is the preserved Word of God.

Biblical Preaching Emphasis

A centerpiece of any ministry education environment should be training men to preach God’s Word.  Disappointingly, many Bible colleges do not appropriately emphasize preaching among other ministry methods, and many that promote preaching do not understand biblical preaching.

Heartland Baptist Bible College is unique.  We believe preaching is God’s chosen method for impacting the world, and we’re determined to equip the next generation of God-called preachers to fulfill the responsibility fervently and accurately.  In fact, HBBC’s entire program of study for pastors, missionaries, and youth leaders is intentionally designed to culminate in two full years of preaching courses.  Through this emphasis, students learn that biblical preaching requires a man to find God’s intent and to follow Scripture’s pattern for how best to communicate that truth to the congregation.  This biblical philosophy, coupled with practical instruction, converge to provide future preachers with a powerful skill set for faithful exposition.

HBBC’s preaching emphasis can also be found well beyond the classroom.  When students assemble for chapel, we invite preachers to deliver God’s Word to them.  When we assemble for meetings and invite guests to join us, biblical preaching will be the lifeblood and engine of the meeting.  When our representatives minister to churches, they are eager to preach the Bible whenever possible.  When our graduates enter ministry, their training has prepared them to declare God’s Word with distinctive earnestness and accuracy.

From class times to meetings to ministry opportunities, Heartland Baptist Bible College is all about biblical preaching.

Great Commission Focus through Missions and Church Planting

In an effort to address every possible interest, Bible colleges can begin to do everything but train people for gospel ministry.  However, it just makes sense that Bible colleges that exist for the benefit of the local church should focus on training people to do the work Jesus gave His local church—the Great Commission.

To this end, Heartland Baptist Bible College intentionally points students’ attention toward soul winning, church planting, and foreign missions.

Students are required to participate in weekly outreach opportunities.  Bus ministry, two weekly door-knocking times, street evangelism, Neighborhood Bible Time, and new move-in visitation all provide occasions for students to share the gospel and to receive outreach training from seasoned soul-winners.  Oklahoma City is a thriving, diverse city that needs the gospel, and students get real-world opportunities to make a difference while training to make a difference.

The Heartland National Church Planting Conference is a highlight and delight every year, and God has used the meeting’s preaching and testimonies to call many students to church planting.  For some students, the theoretical becomes practical when they participate in one of many work trips, outreach trips, or internships alongside church planters all over the country.

Missions Emphasis Days at Southwest Baptist Church impacts students every year with our global mandate, and many graduates are on mission fields today who would point to HBBC’s missions emphasis as an integral part of forming their missions burden.  Every other summer, students visit a foreign mission field to assist a veteran missionary and to encounter the field first-hand.

If you want to summarize what is unique about Heartland Baptist Bible College, it’s all found in our simple motto: “Preaching the Word.  Reaching the World.”  That’s who we are, and that’s what we endeavor to do.