The rediscovered history of a continuing Baptist institution
Built Before It Had a Building
The story of Florida Baptist College and Emmaus Baptist College, from a traveling Bible school organized in 1944 to the restoration of the historic name in 2026.
Organized in 1944
Teaching since 1945
Historic name restored
1944-1945
The Idea Became a School
The educational ministry began before it had property, classrooms, or a permanent address. It began when Missionary Baptist churches decided that preachers and Christian workers needed concentrated, Bible-centered training.
On December 30 and 31, 1944, churches from Florida and Georgia met at McDuff Avenue Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville. During that gathering, the idea of a cooperative Bible school was presented and an organizing committee was appointed. The surviving record names B. W. Sweat, J. G. Sparkman, E. E. Swearingen, and S. J. Akers among the early organizers.
In January 1945, the committee met at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church near Mulberry to complete the plans. Mascotte Missionary Baptist Church hosted the first session during the first quarter of 1945. A permanent organization was established, with E. E. Swearingen serving as moderator and S. J. Akers as clerk-treasurer.
1945
Established 1945 is the clearest general designation for the college. The work was organized in 1944, but instruction and the continuing school organization began in 1945.
1945-1954
A School Before It Had a Campus
The early Florida Baptist Bible School traveled from church to church. Host congregations provided rooms, meals, lodging, and willing hearts. Students came for concentrated sessions in Bible doctrine, missions, evangelism, church history, prophecy, Baptist polity, Christian conduct, and practical ministry.
Quarterly Sessions
The school met for several days at a time, usually once each quarter, rather than operating from a permanent campus.
Church-Supported
Local churches hosted the sessions and pastors served as instructors, keeping the work practical, affordable, and closely connected to the churches.
A Continuing Organization
The school elected officers, scheduled courses, conducted business sessions, assigned teachers, and maintained a recognizable program from year to year.
The Baptist Anchor
Bible School News began in March 1946. By its seventh issue, it had become The Baptist Anchor, preserving the voice and history of the churches and the school.
MascotteChristmasJacksonvilleLacoocheeGreenvilleMulberryWelcomeAuburndale
1954-1958
A Permanent Home for a Lasting Work
The traveling school had proven the need. The next task was to establish a permanent, full-time institution.
In 1954, Earl Lewallen began the Lakeland work that would lead to a permanent school. First Missionary Baptist Church of Auburndale, pastored by W. W. Watson, sponsored the Lakeland mission. The first service was held on February 10, 1955, and Grace Baptist Church was organized on July 1.
That same year, the former Southern Baptist Bible Institute property near Lake Beulah was secured. Earl Lewallen and W. T. Bridges carried the project to churches and associations, traveling thousands of miles and promoting a bond campaign to finance the property.
- February 2, 1956: Florida Baptist Institute opened its first semester.
- Fifty-six students: Most were ministerial students, meeting on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
- 1957: Dr. Albert Garner became the first full-time president and regular campus instruction developed.
- February 8, 1958: Florida Baptist Institute and Seminary, Inc. was legally incorporated.
The History at a Glance
One Work Through Many Seasons
Each date marks a stage in the development of the same educational ministry.
Dec. 1944
The Vision
The idea for a cooperative Bible school was presented in Jacksonville and an organizing committee was appointed.
1945
Instruction Begins
The first session met at Mascotte Missionary Baptist Church. Four sessions were completed during the year.
Mar. 1946
Bible School News
The first issue documented the school’s completed first year. The publication soon became The Baptist Anchor.
1954
The Lakeland Work
Earl Lewallen began the church-planting and permanent-school work that brought the ministry toward a fixed campus.
1955
Grace Baptist and Lake Beulah
Grace Baptist Church was organized, and the former Bible institute property was purchased for the school.
Feb. 1956
Florida Baptist Institute Opens
The first semester enrolled 56 students and established the permanent Institute as an operating school.
1957-1958
Full-Time Campus and Incorporation
Albert Garner became the first full-time president, regular campus instruction began, and the corporation was chartered.
1968
Florida Baptist College
Florida Baptist College, Inc. and Missionary Baptist Schools, Inc. were incorporated. The Florida Baptist College trademark was registered.
1974
Florida Baptist Schools
Florida Baptist Schools, Inc. became the broader corporate structure for the Institute, College, and Seminary.
1989-1990
The Brandon Campus
The Lakeland property was sold, the college moved to Brandon, and a new educational building was completed.
2007
Emmaus Baptist College
After another institution obtained the active Florida Baptist College corporate name, the historic school adopted the name Emmaus Baptist College.
2025-2026
The Historic Name Returns
After the later Tampa corporation dissolved, the historic institution once again secured the Florida Baptist College name for the legacy that began in 1944.
1968-1989
From Institute to College
The permanent school continued to mature. On July 22, 1968, Florida Baptist College, Inc. and Missionary Baptist Schools, Inc. were incorporated. The Florida Baptist College trademark was registered on August 1, 1968.
In 1974, Florida Baptist Schools, Inc. was formed as the broader legal structure for the Institute, College, and Seminary. Through the following decades, the institution trained pastors, missionaries, teachers, and Christian workers who carried the gospel into churches and mission fields across the United States and around the world.
“To teach the Bible, prepare Christian workers, strengthen the churches, and train another generation to preach the Word of God.”
A name known across generations
FLORIDA
BAPTIST
COLLEGE
EST. 1945
1989-2007
A New Campus and a New Name
The Lakeland campus was sold in 1989, and the college moved to Brandon. A new educational building was completed in 1990, beginning a new chapter on the ten-acre campus that remains the home of the institution.
The separate Florida Baptist College corporation had been administratively dissolved in 1990, although the school continued operating through Florida Baptist Schools, Inc. and remained widely known as Florida Baptist College. In 2003, another Baptist institution in Tampa incorporated under the same name.
Rather than enter a prolonged dispute with another church and Bible college, Dr. Ray McAlister guided the historic institution through a name change. On May 18, 2007, Florida Baptist College became Emmaus Baptist College, drawing its new name from the teaching of Christ on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24.
The name changed. The institution did not. Its records, students, faculty, property, programs, alumni, doctrinal position, and educational mission continued.
2007-Present
Emmaus: The Same Mission Continued
Emmaus Baptist College carried the historic school forward through changing circumstances while preserving its conservative, Landmark Missionary Baptist identity.
Campus and Online Education
The college serves students in Brandon and through online instruction, extending Bible-centered education beyond the limits of a single campus.
College, Seminary, and Academy
Undergraduate programs, graduate theological training, and Emmaus Academy courses prepare students for pastoral ministry, missions, Christian education, Biblical studies, and other fields of service.
A Global Reach
Alumni and students serve in churches and mission fields around the world. International teaching partnerships continue the early vision of accessible ministerial education.
The Baptist Anchor
The publication born from the traveling Bible school remains a living record of Baptist work, doctrine, missions, and the history of the college.
People Who Carried the Work
Faithful Leaders Across the Generations
No single person built the institution. Pastors, teachers, churches, students, and supporters shared the work. These leaders represent several decisive stages in the college’s history.
ES
E. E. Swearingen
Organizer and ModeratorSwearingen helped formulate the Bible school in 1944 and 1945, served as moderator, and wrote the first issue’s historical account of the school’s origin and first year.
SA
S. J. Akers
Organizer and RegistrarAkers served as clerk-treasurer of the traveling school and later as secretary-registrar of Florida Baptist Institute, connecting the earliest organization with the permanent school.
EL
Earl Lewallen
Missionary Founder and First Institute PresidentLewallen led the Lakeland church work, organized Grace Baptist Church, helped secure the Lake Beulah property, and served as the first president of Florida Baptist Institute.
WW
W. W. Watson
Pastor of the Sponsoring ChurchAs pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church of Auburndale, Watson supported the Lakeland mission and permanent-school effort. Contemporary records identify him as a key sponsor and teacher, not as president of the Institute.
WB
W. T. Bridges
Vice President and AdvocateBridges traveled more than 3,600 miles with Lewallen to present the property and bond campaign to churches and associations, helping secure the permanent campus.
HH
Hugh Harris
DeanHarris served as dean during the opening of Florida Baptist Institute and helped shape the instructional work as the school moved from quarterly sessions to regular operation.
HC
Harris W. Crittenden
Writer and Faculty MemberCrittenden wrote “A Yielded Life,” the first article in the first issue of Bible School News, and later taught in the opening semester of Florida Baptist Institute.
AG
Dr. Albert Garner
First Full-Time PresidentCalled in 1957, Garner brought full-time leadership and a more formal academic structure to the developing college. He served as president until 1970.
RM
Dr. Ray McAlister
President During the Emmaus TransitionMcAlister led the institution through the 2007 name change, preserving the school’s ministry and continuity while avoiding a prolonged dispute over the Florida Baptist College name.
DJ
Dr. Danny S. Jones
President and Historical RestorationJones has led the digitization of The Baptist Anchor archive, the recovery of the school’s 1944-1945 beginnings, and the return of the historic Florida Baptist College name to the institution.
Names Through the Years
Different Names, One Continuing Institution
A cooperative traveling school organized by Missionary Baptist churches.
The permanent school opened and began regular instruction.
The legally incorporated institution and its growing theological program.
The name known by generations of students, churches, and alumni.
The historic institution continued under a name drawn from Luke 24.
2026 and Beyond
The Historic Name Is Home Again
Florida Baptist College once again belongs to the institution that built the name and carried its legacy for generations.
After the later Tampa corporation dissolved in 2025, the historic institution acted to secure the Florida Baptist College name. The name is now once again under the stewardship of the school whose work began in 1944 and whose first classes were held in 1945.
Emmaus Baptist College preserves the chapter written since 2007. Florida Baptist College preserves the name known by generations before it. Together, they testify to one continuing institution, one body of alumni and records, and one enduring commitment to train men and women in the Word of God for faithful Christian service.
Rooted in the Past
Faithful in the Present
Preparing for the Future
Preserving the Record
The Archive Changed the Story
For many years, the published history began in 1954. Digitizing the earliest issues of The Baptist Anchor and its predecessor, Bible School News, recovered a fuller account. The records show that the Bible school was conceived in 1944, began teaching in 1945, and continued as a traveling institution for a decade before the permanent Lakeland phase.
The archive permits the college to honor each stage accurately: the churches that began the school, the leaders who established the permanent Institute, the presidents who strengthened it, and the generations who carried the work forward.
Explore The Baptist AnchorHistorical Sources and Editorial Note
This history is based chiefly on the digitized issues of Bible School News and The Baptist Anchor, together with the corporate charter and institutional records. Principal archival issues include March 1, 1946; October 25, 1954; February 25, March 25, July 10, August 10, October 25, November 10, and November 25, 1955; June 25 and September 10, 1956. Corporate dates are drawn from the charter and amendment record.
The 1944, 1945, 1954, 1956, and 1958 dates identify distinct stages: organization, first instruction, the permanent-school movement, the opening of Florida Baptist Institute, and legal incorporation. They are complementary milestones rather than competing founding claims.