October 23, 2018

Dr. Daniel Anderson (’72) and his wife, Rosalie (Welker), have faithfully served college students for 40 years at Appalachian Bible College in Mount Hope, West Virginia.

Dr. Anderson is originally from Iowa. He completed a three-year diploma at Appalachian Bible College in West Virginia, where he and Rosalie first met, and transferred to Faith Baptist Bible College to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree. Even though he was only on campus for one year, Dr. Anderson has fond memories of his time at Faith.

“I felt immediately accepted as a transfer student,” said Dr. Anderson. “The general compatibility of the two colleges made for an easy adjustment. I felt blessed to have prior acquaintance with Dr. Nettleton, the president, as well as Dr. Patten, which made my time at Faith special.”

Following his transfer to Faith and his graduation in 1972, he moved to Indiana, where he completed his Master of Divinity from Grace Theological Seminary. He and Rosalie were married after his first year at Grace.

The Andersons moved to Texas for a brief time so that he could complete his Master of Sacred Theology and Doctor of Theology degrees. Dr. Anderson joined the staff of Appalachian Bible College in 1978, where he served as Registrar, Instructor in Bible and History, Dean of Students, and Assistant to the President, before becoming President of the college in 1983, where he and Rosalie have served ever since.

The Andersons have five children (three daughters and two sons), as well as 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. All of their children are graduates (by their own choice) of Appalachian Bible College.

Being the president of a Bible college is a challenging, yet rewarding, task—a responsibility that Dr. Anderson doesn’t take lightly.

“The joys and challenges of ministry as President of Appalachian are too many to adequately address,” said Dr. Anderson. “The obvious joy is the privilege to serve the Lord. It is a joy to prepare Biblical slaves to advance the Gospel and build the Church around the world. It is a joy to experience the blessing of the body of Christ through our precious ABC family of staff, students, alumni, and constituents. It is a joy to sense God’s provision for our ministry.”

Dr. Anderson notes that the biggest challenges are to be a good steward of his time and his life, and to reach students in a world filled with secular lures: “My faith has been stretched and rewarded over and over. I have observed God’s use of the least likely to accomplish the most unlikely.”

In 2014, God showed Dr. Anderson one of those least likely opportunities to accomplish the unlikely, when the West Virginia Commissioner of Corrections asked Appalachian Bible College to begin a Bible College within the state’s prison system. The Mount Olive Bible College was established, which Dr. Anderson says has impacted inmates’ lives “to the extent of changing the entire climate of the prison.”

Dr. Anderson’s impact at Appalachian Bible College is immeasurable. During his tenure, the campus has seen significant increases in enrollment, major campus construction and renovation projects, and the development of a long-term strategic plan. As he enters the twilight of his faithful career serving college students at ABC, he wants to finish strong.

“Every year is filled with opportunities and challenges,” said Dr. Anderson. “We have some creative and exciting progress and plans under discussion which I am not able to share at this time but look forward to accomplishing in the coming years. I do hope to complete the writing of a sequel book to my book on Biblical Slave Leadership: A Stewardship from Above to Lead from Below.  I am committed to guiding our ministry team to serve beyond me. I want to finish my life fervently loving and serving the Lord . . . Because Life is for Service.”