A New President!

The College of Biblical Studies has selected a new president!

New President Selected for Houston’s only Accredited Bible College!

HOUSTON, Texas – After an extensive national search, Dr. William “Bill” Blocker was selected February 16th as the next president of the College of Biblical Studies-Houston by the Board of Trustees during a special called meeting.

“I am passionate about the opportunity to become president of the College of Biblical Studies,” Blocker said. “My years at Moody Bible Institute and pastoring a church in Chicago have been a tremendous blessing to me and my family, and the experiences I have gained there have prepared me well for this new role. I love the rich diversity of the CBS-Houston student body, the high quality faculty and the impact the college’s former students and graduates are having across the entire region.”

CBS-Houston is a nationally accredited Bible college founded in 1979 that has provided biblical studies courses to more than 20,000 people in the past 32 years. The school’s 500-plus students are diverse in age, ethnicity, gender and cultural perspectives; 92 percent of the current students are enrolled in degree programs.

The college’s interim president Dr. Ivory L. Varner, said, “I feel that God has answered our prayers with Dr. Blocker. All indications are positive – the great atmosphere throughout the interviews, the tremendous people involved in selecting him and the enthusiastic responses all confirm to me that he is the right choice. I know God will use him in amazing ways to serve the kingdom through CBS.”

Blocker will officially take office in July 2012, though some aspects of his work in Houston will begin immediately. He currently serves as vice president and dean of educational services at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Ill., and is an ordained minister at Christian Fellowship Church on the south side of Chicago.

“Dr. Blocker is a deeply faithful man, a strong leader, a scholar and a popular speaker, and he brings a tremendous knowledge of technology and distance learning,” said interim CBS-Houston board chair Matthew Barnes, executive director of Families Empowered. “The Presidential Search Committee, as well as the faculty, staff, board and donors all enthusiastically support Dr. Blocker as the perfect choice to help CBS achieve its bold new Vision of Excellence of becoming the premier Bible college in Texas.”

Blocker earned a Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian education from Dallas Theological Seminary. In his current cabinet-level position at Moody, Blocker oversees the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Educational Technology Services, Moody Distance Learning and Library Services. He also leads a number of strategic initiatives including marketing, global impact, technology and the school’s media ministry and actively participates in eight others.

CBS-Houston President’s Cabinet member David M. Weekley, chairman of the board for David Weekley Homes, said, “I am excited to have a leader of Dr. Blocker’s experience and caliber here in Houston, leading this high quality, diverse institution. The combination of his leadership and the school’s distinctive vision will make a powerful difference in our region.”

Terry Looper, president of Texon, LP, and member of the Presidential Search Committee, said of Blocker, “I am very impressed with him and becoming more so each time I speak with him. He is a class act.”

Prior to coming to Moody in 2002, Blocker worked with TMI Consulting for 10 years as chief consultant on technology. In the mid-1990s, while serving as an adjunct faculty member for Chicago Theological Seminary, he created, developed and taught the first technology and theology course transmitted synchronously outside the contiguous United States that met stringent Association of Theological Schools’ accrediting association standards. From 1987-92, Blocker was the Chief Information Officer for a law firm in Hartford, Conn.

His professional involvement includes the Evangelical Theological Society, Baptist General State Convention, National Baptist Congress of Christian Higher Education, representative for Moody to the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) and `representative to the Higher Learning Commission.

He and his wife Zelda regularly lead tours to Israel, and he wrote an article in 2009 focused on his journeys: Making the Most of Your Trip to Israel: A Spiritual Formation Guide.