Dr. Jeremy Langley, President
Greetings from Central Baptist College! On behalf of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and students, it is a joy to bring you an update on the state of your College. CBC is owned by the churches of the BMA of Arkansas, and as I begin my tenure as President, I want each pastor and church member to know that we value your support, desire your input, and covet your prayers. In return, I pledge to provide regular and transparent updates about the state of your College.
Fall Enrollment
The most exciting news I bring to you this year concerns our enrollment. After more than a decade of steady enrollment decline, it brings me great pleasure to report that our 2025 Fall enrollment reflects an increase in total enrollment and a few new records. Total enrollment has increased to 570, a 4.2% increase over last fall. Within that number, we have 509 traditional students, up 8.5% from last fall. Our concurrent high school enrollment numbers have grown substantially to 72, up 18%. Our PACE and online studies program continues to be a weak spot in our enrollment. PACE (Professional Adult College Education) is a program designed to allow working adults to complete a college degree. This fall, we have 61 PACE and online students, a decrease of 21.8% from last fall.
Our strong enrollment numbers are a direct reflection of the excellent work of the CBC Office of Admissions and the entire Enrollment Management Division. God blessed their efforts, allowing us to see 177 new students this fall, 130 of which are first time freshmen. The 2025 freshman class is 21.9% larger than 2024’s class.
Campus Housing
As a result of our strong enrollment numbers, campus housing is stretched beyond capacity. The number of students living on campus grew by 26% this fall with 205 students living in Dickson Hall and our upperclassmen houses. This breaks the previous record of 186 students living on campus. One week before move-in day, we were scrambling to purchase more beds! We even rented two houses from private homeowners to meet the housing demand.
Accreditation
I am pleased to report that the Higher Learning Commission has reaffirmed and continued CBC’s accreditation following a lengthy review process this spring. CBC has held regional accreditation since 1993, and this designation is crucial to our ability to offer a high-quality higher education.
Upcoming Events for Your Youth
With such exciting enrollment news, I hope you will help us keep the momentum going. We would love to host high school students from your churches at one of three Stampede Preview Days scheduled for this academic year (October 8, November 12, and March 4). Our preview days allow students to learn about CBC, sit in on classes, eat in our dining hall, and attend a chapel service. We also invite your youth groups to participate in Youth Group Day on Saturday, February 21, 2026. This will be a fun day, filled with games, information about CBC, and a Mustang basketball game. Preview days and Youth Group Day are free to attend.
We are also excited to continue our WOW (Worship on Wednesday) events. WOW brings church youth groups together on the CBC campus for a Wednesday night worship service. It is a great opportunity for the youth of our association to fellowship, worship Christ in song, and hear powerful preaching. Our team also loves to hold WOW events off-campus. If you are interested in hosting a regional WOW event at your church, please let us know.
Campus Life
With so many students on campus, we have placed a renewed emphasis on campus life. Our greatest desire is to see our students grow spiritually while at CBC, and we all know an idle mind does not contribute to spiritual growth. Through wholesome campus activities, social gatherings, and Bible studies, we hope to see a greater sense of community and spiritual growth on campus.
Campus life is centered around the Word of God through our weekly chapel services. Held each Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. in the Burgess Auditorium, these corporate worship services are my favorite part of the week. This semester’s theme is “Press On: How the Gospel Shapes Our Future.” Students are hearing from phenomenal BMA pastors and missionaries about how living a life anchored in the Gospel propels us to God’s best for us. Please pray for our students each Wednesday at 1:00 p.m., that their hearts would be open and receptive to the Gospel and that they would be drawn closer to Christ.
CBC Finances
Over the summer, I met with pastors across the state in meetings we called “Together for the Future.” The idea behind the theme remains true. The future of CBC is dependent upon CBC and the churches of the BMA of Arkansas working together towards a common mission.
During our summer meetings, I shared about the critical state of the College’s finances. While CBC’s financial struggles may have been the “worst kept secret in the BMA,” it was evident that few understood the severity of what we were facing. Today, I bring you a different report. Although we have a long way to go, CBC’s finances are stabilizing, and we are in a better position than we have been in several years.
Over the summer, God provided for our needs day-by-day. He used churches and individuals to accomplish this feat. Additionally, the Board of Trustees allowed me to sell land the College owned outside our main target area. These funds were used to pay past-due invoices we could not previously afford to pay. We started the semester caught up with a little bit of money in the bank! To God be the glory!
CBC is not out of the woods by any means. We will continue to steward the resources with which we have been entrusted very conservatively. Several churches have committed to increasing their monthly support of CBC, some churches that had lapsed in their giving have renewed their support, and others have taken special offerings for the College during this time. If your church has the ability to increase its support to CBC or renew its support if it is not currently giving, I humbly ask that you consider doing so. I give you my word that we will be good stewards of the resources with which you entrust us, and I will always provide complete transparency any time you desire it.
CBC began in 1952 as an associational project, and we desperately need the renewed support of the association to continue our mission of “transforming lives through education that integrates Christian faith and academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment.”
CBC Day – September 28, 2025
Thank you to the churches that agreed to host a CBC Day this year! We were thrilled to have 112 churches participate this year. While CBC Day was officially recognized as September 28, many churches choose to hold CBC Day on other Sundays throughout the year. CBC Day gives churches of the BMA a dedicated time to pray for CBC and promote the College to their congregations. Vice President for Advancement Duffy Guyton or I would be happy to visit your church to share about the great things happening at CBC. For more information about CBC Day, please visit cbc.edu/churchrelations.
Scholarship Gala
Please make plans to join us for the 7th Annual Scholarship Gala on Friday, March 6, 2026. The event will be held at Antioch Baptist Church in Conway and will feature a keynote address from Dr. Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA, and chancellor of Liberty University. Dr. Falwell is the son of the late Jerry Falwell. This annual event raises support for student scholarships. With the cost of higher education rising each year, we work hard to ensure the students of the BMA have access to a college degree that is Christ-centered, conservative, and affordable.
Thank You
CBC is served by an outstanding Board of Trustees. As 2025 ends, Ali Chambers, Jim Fink, and Kellie Harper come to the end of their terms. We are thankful for the way these individuals have selflessly served CBC over the last five years.
I also want to thank the churches of the BMA. Your support makes what we do possible. I invite you to stop by campus any time. Join me for lunch in the Dining Hall or let me take you for a cup of coffee at Cafe 52. Spending time on campus will allow you to see first-hand that we are who we say we are – Christian, Conservative, and Affordable.
CBC is your college, and as president, I want to be accessible to you. If we can help you or your church at any time, please do not hesitate to reach out.