Lincoln Christian University to close; seminary will be acquired by Missouri school

Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln will close at the end of the 2023-24 academic year while Lincoln Christian Seminary will be acquired by Ozark Christian College, according to a joint statement by the two schools Wednesday.

A full-fledged legal acquisition of LCU by the Missouri-based school is still a possibility, acknowledged LCU President Silas McCormick, reached Thursday, but that would not affect LCU as a degree-grant institution.

Under the acquisition, Ozark could take on LCU's assets and liabilities, he said.

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The debt is about $2.6 million, McCormick added.

The seminary physically will be housed in Joplin, Missouri, the home of Ozark and will be known as Lincoln Seminary at Ozark Christian College. Its offerings will be fully online.

Ozark will acquire LCU's endowment of about $3.8 million.

The acquisition requires approval from the boards of both schools.

"There is no small amount of grief behind this news, but it is Christian grief of high order, not without hope," McCormick acknowledged. "We are grateful for the continued ministry of Lincoln Christian Seminary in name and with excellence via a sibling (Ozark) who cares deeply about and for us and our mission."

Enrollment at LCU has declined by 50 percent during the past decade, according to Christian Standard, and at one time its debt had soared to $9 million.

LCU announced in February 2022 that it was eliminating all of its non-ministry degree programs. In a further tightening of its belt, the university cut staff and intercollegiate sports and closed its residence halls.

LCU offered just two bachelor’s level programs: in bible and theology and in Christian Ministry. It offers master of arts degrees in counseling, theology, and organizational leadership.

The cuts in 2022 included elimination of its doctorate in ministry program.

A little more than a month after LCU's announcement, Lincoln College said it was closing.

McCormick said LCU never really recovered after that. Perspective students, he said, were scared off by the possibility of LCU shuttering while they were in the middle of getting their degrees.

The institutions' names also caused confusion. McCormick said Google identified LCU as "permanently closed." A picture of LCU's campus showed up in a television newscast about Lincoln College's closing.

"It was a real slog trying to extricate ourselves from that perception," McCormick said. "We all feel bad about the impact to the (Lincoln) community, but there's also nothing we can do about it."

"It’s unfortunate to hear news of this change for Lincoln Christian University, but it's another sign of the reality in today’s higher education market," said David W. Tretter, President of the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, in a statement. "Several communities have seen the devastating effects from mergers and closures, and Lincoln has been especially hard hit with the changes at LCU and Lincoln College.

"These effects are felt today but become even more pronounced for years and even generations ahead. Colleges and universities not only draw students to learn and grow and provide direct employment to many in well-paying careers. But they also serve as economic engines: they fill our hotels, eat at our restaurants, shop at our retail stores, and support our local economies. When they leave, that impact is deep and painful, and it ripples for a long time."

Open Arms owns most of the property on the back half of the campus, including Hargrove Chapel, the Laughlin Athletic Facility and the three student residences.

What will happen with the rest of the campus "remains to be determined, but I believe it will be sold," McCormick said.

Ozark only added its first graduate degree program last year.

Ozark President Matt Proctor said Ozark's goal was for the graduate studies program to become a full-fledged seminary.

By the fall of 2024, it will offer a number of master's degrees Lincoln Christian Seminary has offered in the past.

Ozark will hire a regional representative to serve churches in the Lincoln area. It could make other hires, McCormick said, but "we've told everyone they should assume their employment will end May 31."

There are 29 full-time employees in Lincoln, including the seminary.

"We weren't really in the kind of negotiating position where we got to make as many demands as I might have liked about the preservation of jobs," McCormick said. "I'm supportive of all that's happening and I'm grateful to Ozark for being a participant in this."

LCU had an enrollment of 465 students last year, half of which were undergraduate students. There were 168 students enrolled in the seminary.

Ozark has an enrollment of 600.

Both schools are affiliated with the Restoration Movement of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ.

Lincoln Christian was founded in 1944 as Lincoln Bible Institute by Earl Hargrove, for whom the chapel is named.

Contact Steven Spearie at 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com or X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Lincoln Christian University will cease operations at the end of the school year