Chesapeake Baptist College & Seminary is an

independent Baptist Independent Baptist churches (some also called Independent Fundamental Baptist or IFB) are Christian congregations, generally holding to conservative (primarily fundamentalist) Baptist beliefs. Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse af ...

school located in

Severn, Maryland Severn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Severn is 57,118, a 22.6% increase from 44,231 according to the 2010 census. The zip code is 21144. Geograp ...

, United States. The school is devoted primarily to training pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and Christian school teachers.

History

Chesapeake Baptist College was founded in 1991 by Dr. Barney Lyon, former pastor of Chesapeake Baptist Church. The college states that "The school is a distinctively Christian institution that is characterized by its goal of academic excellence and its desire to build Biblical character, moral virtue, and a lifelong pursuit of knowledge in its students." The school is associated with the

Christian fundamentalist Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...

movement, though it does not include itself as a member of any group or organization. It takes a historical Baptist position on most issues and bases it doctrine and practice on the Scriptures.

Change in Leadership

In January 2016, Matthew Lyon was chosen as the new pastor of Chesapeake Baptist Church, and the head of the college. With new leadership came new changes. and though committed to education, Matthew Lyon chose to scale back the college. As a result, the school will no longer offer four-year degrees, and will instead focus on less formal mentorship and ministerial training.

Academics

Though small in size, Chesapeake Baptist College has placed very high stress on its level of instruction. The founder, Dr. Lyon, has an earned doctorate from

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to t ...

, Philadelphia; the new president, Matthew Lyon is working on a PhD from

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at ...

; all of the instructors in the school are required to have their master's degree before teaching.

Accreditation

Chesapeake Baptist College is not

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

State of Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to it ...

or any other accrediting organization. They are, however, recognized by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and are permitted to grant religious degrees.

External links

Chesapeake Baptist Church
{{authority control Independent Baptist universities and colleges in the United States Baptist Christianity in Maryland Seminaries and theological colleges in Maryland Universities and colleges in Anne Arundel County, Maryland Severn, Maryland