American Baptist College

The mission of ABC is educating, graduating and preparing a predominantly African American student population for Christian leadership, service and social justice in the world. The school offers a quality educational program with a liberal arts emphasis, equipping diverse students intellectually, morally, spiritually, socially and theologically.

The vision of ABC, a historically black college, founded in 1924 by black and white Baptists, is to provide educational opportunities for gifted students who have limited academic experiences and resources but unlimited potential for leadership in society. The school continues today firmly rooted in its historic purpose to promote higher education through a Christ-centered vision of the world for under-served students. This commitment entails the education of persons regardless of their age, class, ethnicity, gender or race in an environment that frees persons to be active learners, servant-leaders, and moral citizens of the world.

We can help you here at American Baptist College. We have an outstanding faculty that is committed to helping you grow and holding you accountable to the gift of God within you.

Education at American Baptist College prepares students to develop lives that are ready to be lived in human virtue and public service. Our educational curriculum synthesizes Christian-centered spirituality and higher learning of the humanities and social sciences that embodies justice performed through service.

The curriculum at ABC is designed to help you become a moral leader, a critical thinker, and a servant-leader. Take a look at our academic programs and you’ll recognize that ABC's commitment to training students to becomes agents of change in the world not only permeates the Biblical/Theological Studies degree but is a significant component of the degrees in other areas of study. Teachers, entrepreneurs, musicians, and case workers are ministers in their workplaces too.

American Baptist College welcomes people with disabilities and, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, does not discriminate on the basis of disability.ABC emphasizes the education of the whole person, the importance of service and leadership, and the promotion of a more just society.

ABC is committed to creating an environment for students with learning disabilities by doing what the college can to remove obstacles to learning. In this spirit, the college attempts to provide students with reasonable accommodations needed to ensure equal access to learning.

Students who believe they will need classroom accommodations to participate fully in the activities inherent in their academic programs at ABC should make those needs known as early as possible, preferably as soon as they have received notification of admittance into the college.

Requests should be made to Office of Student Success and must be accompanied by documentation of the student’s disability, including suggested accommodations, completed by an appropriate professional.

Title III is a federal program that supports the development and academic progress of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Title III funds are used to purchase computers and software supplies, instructional supplies, faculty and staff development and contractual services.The Title III Program began as part of the 1965 Higher Education Act.Over the years Title III funding has been an integral part of providing necessary academic services to HBCU's.Without these funds most of our colleges and universities would not be able to address the needs of students.

Since 1924, American Baptist College has been a Christian College dedicated to educating and developing Christians for worldwide leadership and service.

The idea of a seminary for the training of Black Baptist ministers grew out of conversation between National Baptist leaders and Dr. O.L. Hailey, one of the founding fathers of the College. At its annual meeting in 1913, the National Baptist Convention appointed a committee to investigate the possibility of establishing a seminary for the education of its ministers. In a resolution presented by Dr. E.Y. Mullin and adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in that same year, the convention pledged its cooperation and appointed a similar committee. The committees of the two conventions met together and the following year recommended to their respective bodies that the college be established in Memphis, Tennessee. It was later decided to establish the College in Nashville.

The present site of 53 acres was purchased with the help of the National Baptists in 1921, and a plan calling for the management of the seminary by a holding board and a governing board representative of the two conventions was adopted.The first building, Griggs Hall, was erected in 1923 and housed dormitory rooms, dining hall, library, and classrooms.

To this day American Baptist College continues in the tradition of scripture which admonishes us, “to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God.” The school continues its commitment to educate students to become leaders in whatever profession of their choosing, instilling in them a passion to advance God's mission of justice, compassion, and reconciliation. The horizon is bright and the College is forging a path of excellence as it strives to continue in the legacy it has inherited: living up to the mission of training men and women for Christian leadership.