Since 1926, Clear Creek Baptist Bible College has prepared men and women called by God to work in Christian service. I have found when people consider the influence of this small Pineville school across our state, many remark on the impact of individual graduates in our churches and associations. However, Clear Creek’s effect on Baptist life goes much further than the actions of a handful of students.

Sophomore Christine Potter is like generations of students before her who have followed in their parents’—and sometimes even their grand-parents’—footsteps into theological education. Only she has a unique bond with Clear Creak because she was born while her parents were students at the school.

“Since coming to Clear Creek, I have been able to learn about practical ways to minister more effectively to the world around me, as well as using what I have learned to minister to those in the community,” Christine said.

“I have been blessed with the opportunity to be one of the first women to be on the Great Commission Project Team, going to different churches, and using the talent God gave me for singing.”

Christine performs during chapel with the Clear Creek Singers.

“I have been blessed by all the opportunities God has given me while at Clear Creek, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the future,” she said.

One day Christine will graduate and like so many students before she will begin a new life of denominational service. Sometimes graduates find themselves working alongside a fellow Clear Creek alumnus. Their bond over shared experiences is immediate and forms brotherhoods and sister-hoods that will be pivotal in their ministry to the church. They are not bonds of arrogance or exclusivity, but bonds of God-called servants who have trained on ordained ground. These are the bonds that span generations and fuel cooperation between churches that results in a greater impact in the kingdom of God.

The training our students receive at Clear Creek goes beyond a single generation. It goes beyond impacting one church or one association. Clear Creek, through its partnership with Kentucky Baptist churches, is reaching people across our state and even the world to impact the kingdom until the Lord returns.

Matthew Black is dean of Institutional Advancement at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in Pineville, Ky.