By Dr. Stan Scroggins, Asia Pacific Regional Coordinator & Retired Missionary to the Philippines

Missionaries across the centuries have had the enormous responsibilities of providing the training needed to sustain the work of bringing converts to Christ and establishing churches. In fulfilling this colossal task, BMA Global missionaries over the past 75 years have founded Bible colleges and institutes in the United States and around the world.  I’ve had the distinct pleasure to teach in many of these institutions. From Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas, and Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Texas, to international colleges and institutes in Mexico, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Bolivia, Philippines, and even in the country of Lebanon.

With BMA of America approaching its 75^th anniversary and the Baptist Missionary Association Bible College in the Philippines approaching its 50th, it seems appropriate to reminisce a bit of the history of this college, which has been so instrumental in the success of the spread of the Gospel across the Philippians and is now poised to continue that legacy internationally.

Pioneer missionaries Doyle and Linda Moore arrived in the Philippines in 1976 with the distinct call to establish a training institution for the fledgling churches and new pastors of the BMA of the Philippines. A rented two-story house in Silay City, Negros Occidental, served as the first “campus” with Bro. and Mrs. Erlito Carillo as the house parents and Doyle and Linda Moore as the only qualified teachers. Forty-two years later, the Moores, with support of BMA Global and faithful BMA America partners, purchased prime property in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, and subsequently built academic classrooms, a library, an administrative building, men’s and women’s dormitories, staff housing, a nursing station, and an outdoor athletic pavilion.  Bro. Carillo established the First Missionary Baptist Church located on the campus, and now Dr. Carrillo is the longest tenured instructor of over 20 staff members.

In the late 1980s Doug and Diane Lee and Stan and Donna Scroggins began traveling to the Philippines and serving as adjunct professors teaching music, religious education, and theology classes. Under the Lord’s timing the Lees moved to the Philippines in 2012 as full-time missionaries teaching music at the Bible College, and the Scrogginses followed in 2017.  Little did they know that before the end of 2017 Doug Lee would become the president of the BMA Bible College and Stan Scroggins vice president. With an impressive 42-year tenure as BMA Global Missionaries and President of the Bible College, Doyle and Linda Moore would retire, leaving Dr. Elwin “Doug” Lee at the helm to steer the college into the 21^st century.

Under Dr. Lee’s leadership, the college has renovated literally every building on campus, most recently a complete upgrade of the dining hall and the establishment of a virtual teaching studio to facilitate a growing virtual enrollment.  2019 saw the arduous process of accreditation, finally being recognized in 2023 as a fully accredited Bible College by the Philippine government’s Commission on Higher Education. In 2021 the dream of establishing a K–12 academy on campus began. With enormous backing from BMA America’s national WMA and many other wonderful partners, the Darlene Carey Christian Academy opened its doors to the first K-6^th grade students with the goal of reaching 200 students through the 12^th grade before the decade is out.

The BMA Bible College in the Philippines has certainly been the impetus for the tremendous growth and stability of BMA Global’s missionary efforts in the Philippines. Today, it is estimated that over 95% of all BMA churches in the Philippines are pastored by a graduate of the college, and many local kindergarten schools and academies have teachers trained at the school.  Recently online classes have begun training pastors as far away as Kenya, Africa, opening the doors for BMA Global to extend a gospel presence to far reaching places once only dreamed of.

As one of BMA Global’s most successful missionary fields, BMA Philippines has recently endorsed and local churches have commissioned the first BMA Philippines international missionaries to the country of Cambodia.  By now I am sure you will not be surprised to read that these two men are both graduates of the Bible college as well as the intensive cross-cultural training the college has recently begun providing.  

Juren Mamon and David Perez will take the gospel to Cambodia as ChangeMaker missionaries, a BMA Global initiative fulfilling God’s call in the lives of international missionaries all over the globe. Join us with fervent prayers for their protection and direction by the hand of God, and most assuredly the hundreds who will come after them who will take God’s message of redemption to Asia Pacific.

It will not be too surprising to hear, maybe in just a few years, of the establishment of some intensive Bible study, perhaps a small Bible institute, or even a fully accredited Bible college that will train pastors and missionaries in the country of Cambodia and “who knows,” maybe, just maybe, one day to be known as the BMA Bible College of Asia Pacific.

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7)