B. H. Carroll Theological Institute and East Texas Baptist University Merger

B. H. Carroll Theological Institute was founded in 2004 as an independent seminary offering theological education online and within local churches. The independent model has worked well for B.H. Carroll, allowing the Institute to create long-lasting relationships inside and outside of Baptist life. The Institute’s success was made possible by donors who supported the vision of Carroll’s founders. As a result, B.H. Carroll is today as strong financially as it has ever been.

Both B. H. Carroll and East Texas Baptist University believe that being good stewards of what the Lord has built means we must look to the future and decide how to position B. H. Carroll for its next generation of growth and service. America’s religious landscape has changed, and the number of Christian schools merging with partners or closing has accelerated. On some occasions, these partnerships are strategic. In others, they are born out of necessity. Our partnership with ETBU is strategic. It will allow B. H. Carroll to have a larger role in the life of Texas Baptists, Southern Baptists, and like-minded evangelical denominations, while preserving our close relationships with supportive churches. It will also grow ETBU, a legacy institution of Baptists in Texas, adding masters and doctoral degree programs accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.

B. H. Carroll Theological Institute will begin operating under the name “B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary,” effective immediately. After the official merger, B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will retain its identity and stand as one of the eight academic schools/divisions of East Texas Baptist University, where all graduate theological education programs will be offered.

In order to provide for the continuity of leadership and instruction, ETBU intends to retain all full-time faculty from B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary. B.H. Carroll full-time faculty will become a part of the instructional faculty at the institution upon completion of the merger. 

The Board of Trustees of East Texas Baptist University will be the governing body for the merged institutions. B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University will have a dedicated Board of Advisors. ETBU will work to incorporate Trustees from the current and past B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary Board of Governors onto the ETBU Board of Trustees.

Until the merger is officially approved, B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will continue to operate as an independent organization. B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will use the offices in the current location under its present facility lease agreement.

President Gene Wilkes will continue to serve as President of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary and will lead the institution’s ongoing operations until the merger is approved and completed. Upon approval of the merger, President Gene Wilkes will be appointed Dean of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University.

ETBU and B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will work cooperatively to complete substantive change prospectuses for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission (SACSC) on Colleges and Association of Theological Schools (ATS). In the transition, both institutions will identify appropriate steps for approval and notification with other organizations such as the Association of Biblical Higher Education, National Council for State Authorization and Reciprocity, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and the Department of Education.

The general timeline is that curriculum and administrative proposals will be finalized by May 2023, and the proposals for SACSCOC and ATS will be completed and submitted by August 25, 2023. Documentation for SACSCOC onsite visit will be completed by January 31, 2024. The final agreement and merger of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will occur during the window of September 2024 and January 2025. The complete merger of all operations will occur by fiscal year June 1, 2025.

Both SACSCOC and ATS begin their standards of accreditation with statements related to integrity. Both bodies require that all curricular and support programs align and proceed from the institution’s mission statement. Given the similarity of the two mission statements, it is not difficult to see from the beginning that these institutions mirror each other.

Mission of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary 
B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary is a graduate-level community of faith and learning, dedicated to equipping men and women called to serve Christ in the diverse and global ministries of His church. 

Mission of East Texas Baptist University
As a Christ-centered institution, East Texas Baptist University educates students by integrating biblical faith and learning to develop mind, body, and soul through community engagement to prepare graduates to be Christian servant leaders in their calling to God and humanity.

The mission of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will continue to be as described above given its unique graduate theological education assignment within the greater institutional context. 

East Texas Baptist University Board Trustees must act in accordance with the Principles of Accreditation of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The following are excerpts from Section 4 of The Principles of Accreditation, which guide institutional policy and operations:

• The institution has a governing board of at least five members that (a) is the legal body with specific authority over the institution, (b) exercises fiduciary oversight of the institution, (c) ensures that both the presiding officer of the board and a majority of other voting members of the board are free of any contractual, employment, personal, or familial financial interest in the institution, (d) is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or institutions separate from it, and (e) is not presided over by the chief executive officer of the institution.
• The governing board ensures a clear and appropriate distinction between the policy-making function of the board and the responsibility of the administration and faculty to administer and implement policy.
• The governing board protects the institution from undue influence by external persons or bodies.

The 36 trustees of East Texas Baptist University are provided with a regular orientation to their roles and responsibilities and, each year, sign a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement.  All trustees are recommended by a Trustee Nomination subcommittee of the Board of Trustees of East Texas Baptist University. Seventeen are then approved by the Board of Trustees of East Texas Baptist University. These individuals may be members of any Baptist congregation in or outside of the state of Texas. The remaining nineteen are recommended to the Committee on Nominations for Board-Affiliated Ministries of the Baptist General Convention, where their membership is confirmed as a part of a BGCT congregation before individual trustee nominees are approved by the Annual Meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Trustees serve three-year terms. All trustees must remain free of influence from a minority of the board members or outside organizations or institutions. This includes any denomination, church, association, or convention.

In addition, the Board of Trustees of East Texas Baptist University remains focused on their fiduciary oversight and policy-making responsibilities. Executive leaders, deans, and faculty are responsible for administering and policy-making. These leadership and administrative responsibilities include but are not limited to academic policy, curriculum, faculty hiring, and promotion.        

Breaching these Standards of The Principles of Accreditation could result in accreditation disciplinary action by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

East Texas Baptist University does receive funds through annual support and ministry scholarships from the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baptist associations, Baptist churches, other denominational churches, and nondenominational churches. The BGCT’s gifts to ETBU are less than 2% of its annual budget. Churches and Christian Camps also provide funding through Church/Camp matching scholarships where students may benefit from matching scholarships of up to $2,000. 

Students from B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will have the added opportunity to pursue Federal Student Financial Aid through the U.S. Department of Education and enhanced offerings of ministerial scholarships in addition to the current scholarship and grant provisions of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary. As a University, students will also have access to academic support services, campus student engagement, NCAA and club sporting events, and student support services like counseling services, health services, and career planning and development. The merger of the two institutions will also bring a stronger portfolio of library resources to graduate and doctoral students.

Each institution will develop a plan for every student to ensure they will have the opportunity to complete the degree they have selected prior to the official merger and after that merger. These mapping out processes and plans are a critical part of the substantive change prospectus with SACSCOC and ATS. Students who graduate after the merger is completed will graduate from B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University in the identified and approved degree program. Spring 2025 will be the first commencement of the merged institutions on ETBU’s main campus.

Upon completion of the merger, ETBU’s graduate theological and ministry programs will be housed in B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University. ETBU undergraduate Christian Ministry courses and programs will remain under the ETBU School of Christian Studies and Humanities. 

B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will continue to operate independently until the merger is complete, and current Carroll students will incur no additional expenses related to the merger. Once the merger is finalized, students attending B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University will pay the required tuition as approved by the Board of Trustees of East Texas Baptist University. Graduate tuition at East Texas Baptist University is currently comparable to tuition at B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary. As has been the commitment of ETBU and its Board of Trustees, ETBU will continue to work diligently in making graduate theological education at B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary as affordable as possible. Following the merger, Federal Student Financial Aid and scholarships not previously available to B. H. Carroll students will be offered to Seminary students.

B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will continue to operate independently until the merger is complete. If a student graduates prior to the finalization of the merger, the degree will be awarded by B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary. If a student graduates following the approval of the merger, the degree will be awarded by B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University.

ETBU digital resources will be an enhancement of the B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary digital library with the opportunity to have access to traditional print resources, eBooks, dissertations, full-text journals, online newspapers, magazine, streaming audio, and streaming video. Print and eBook collections are searchable through the library’s robust SIRSI Dynix Enterprise online catalog and integrated library system. Students can search across the library collection using the library’s EBSCO Discovery Service. Items not available through the Jarrett Library collections are accessible via OCLC interlibrary loan services via email or postal delivery directly to the student’s home address. Additionally, the Jarrett Library participates in the TexShare card program allowing students to borrow materials directly from over five hundred library collections across the state of Texas.

Research assistance is provided to distance students via Zoom video conference, email, phone, and online chat by faculty librarians and staff. These services are available 88.5 hours the library is open during the regular fall and spring semesters and 40-60 hours during other terms. At the graduate level, librarians work with faculty to create course specific research guides to provide students with relevant items from the library collection and tutorials for accessing resources. Faculty may request librarian-led information literacy instructional sessions to equip students with 21st century information literacy skills needed for graduate and doctoral-level research.

The Jarrett Library provides access to more than 106,000 Spanish language eBooks with approximately 4,000 of those items classified within the subject of religion.

The Jarrett Library provides access to digital theological collections including ATLA Religion Database with ATLASERIALS, Biblical Archaeological Society Archives, JSTOR, Ministry Matters, Oxford Handbooks: Religion, EBSCO Religion & Philosophy collection, Gale Religion & Philosophy collection, Religious & Theological Abstracts, and Southern Baptist Periodicals Index.

Once the merger is finalized, alumni from B. H. Carroll Theological Institute and B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will continue to be recognized as alumni of B. H. Carroll and will receive communication from B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary and East Texas Baptist University. Students who graduate from B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University will also be considered alumni of East Texas Baptist University. Following the merger, graduates of B. H. Carroll Theological Institute and B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary may request a new diploma from ETBU, which will display the original degree earned under B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University.

B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will continue to operate independently until the merger is complete. Fundraising is a vital component that sustains and advances the ongoing ministry of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary. Once the merger is complete, separate and dedicated fundraising for B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University will remain a necessity in order to ensure that theological education can be offered at a reasonable cost. All advancement programs and activities will be coordinated with ETBU and B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary leadership.

B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary will operate independently until the merger is complete, and endowment funds from B. H. Carroll Seminary will continue to be used for the purposes for which they were given to B. H. Carroll. Once the merger is finalized, the endowed gifts will transfer ownership to B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University, and the donor intent and designation of the gift will remain intact. The investments of the endowments will then be managed by East Texas Baptist University and will be distributed in accordance with the donor’s gift agreement for B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary and under East Texas Baptist University’s policies. 

Alumni and donors of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary are encouraged to support the institution’s mission and ongoing operations. Following the merger, designated gifts will be used to support B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University according to the donor’s intent. Gifts given to B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University will directly support the students and ongoing operations of B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary. Scholarships for B. H. Carroll students will remain a top priority. Donors, now and in the future, can select the B. H. Carroll Theological Seminary academic program or student scholarship they desire to support and be assured that the gift will be used for the purpose they have intended and designated.