CityView Magazine

64 | April 2016 Flexibility In the past five years, enrollment has risen by 63 percent and the number of courses taken has increased 109 percent. Nearly 60 percent of current enrollees have some affiliation with the military, whether they are active duty, dependents or veterans. "e GI Bill only pays for so much every credit hour, and we don't want that to be an issue," said Korver, of the decision to offer a military discount. Also critical for military personnel is flexibility, which is offered through the on- line degree program at the College. "We understand the frustration that, if a soldier comes here and studies for two or three quarters and gets deployed or changes duty stations, they can't finish. But online, you can finish anywhere on planet Earth," said Korver. Local Impact Cumulatively, more than 5,000 people have taken courses at the College since 1973. While the non-denominational institution has served students of more than 20 denominations, the three most common are Southern Baptist, Missionary Bap- tist and African Methodist Episcopal (AME). "At this time, we have 40 graduate pastors within 50 miles, who are preaching every Sunday. You can imagine the impact when that number gets closer to 100," said Boyd. Meeting the broad base of interests and student goals, the College currently of- fers a Bachelor of Arts and Associate of Arts in Biblical Studies. Online, students can major in Biblical Studies or Leadership & Ministry. Both are offered at bachelor and associate level. "Almost every student is deeply interested in ministry," said Boyd, of the 300 current enrollees. By 2020, the College estimates that it will confer degrees on least 50 students per year, whose goal will be to launch and lead ministries worldwide. In addition to fostering the development of its fair share of pastors, the College is an oen-used resource for laypeople of local ministry. Youth pastors, Sunday school teachers, bi- ble study leaders and volunteers of local humanitarian non-profit ministries enrich their education and gain the skills necessary to serve others. Minors "ere's a huge chunk of students who want to be able to teach Sunday school ef- fectively, who want to be effective deacons or elders in a church and want to see God use them somehow. ey don't want to just end life and never have a ripple for the Kingdom of God. ey want to make an impact," said Boyd. Tickets online at www.cfrt.org or call 910-323-4233 ON STAGE @ Starring Patty Cucco Martha Brewster Libby McNeill Seymour Abby Brewster on a music director search, a two- year process to find a new conductor led by a Transition Committee of nine voting members. Kastner explained the laborious process, "We received 273 ap- plications and we reviewed resumes, cover letters, conducting videos and performed interviews to come up with our top five finalists. e finalists will each come in and 'guest conduct' a con- cert on our 2016-2017 season. e musi Get 8 Issues per year of CityView delivered to your door for ONLY $24 CALL TODAY 910.423.6500 or visit us at www.CityViewNC.com Dr. Bill Korver at the Carolina Bible College Groundbreaking

• Cover