About Our President
Curt Scarborough was born in Benton, Illinois in 1935, and graduated from the local high school in 1953. The son of a coal miner, he is an alumnus of Southern Illinois University (Carbondale), and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, Texas). He holds several earned graduate and post-graduate degrees including the DMin, DCEd, CPsyD, DAC, ThD, and PhD in Education Administration. He also has been the recipient of four honorary doctoral degrees in recognition of his distinguished service in the kingdom of God.
After 21 years as a minister in Baptist churches in Illinois, Texas, and Missouri, Dr. Curt joined the FreeWay Foundation (a Christian charitable foundation with a number of ministries) as Vice President and Director of Education in 1975. He was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer in 1983, where he served until his retirement at the close of 2016 following 41 years of service there.
Under his leadership FreeWay Foundation launched a school of ministry in 1991 (later renamed Pillsbury-Scarborough Bible College & Seminary), which graduated over 1,500 students through the 2016 academic year. In January of 2017 (at age 81) Dr. Curt launched a new school, CrossFire Christian College, located in St. Charles, Missouri. This innovative ministry school offers both newer Christians and experienced veterans up-close Personal Mentoring and hands-on Practical Training in Biblical Studies, Christian Counseling, and Biblical Counseling.
During his more than six decades of Christian service, Dr. Curt has served in many civic and church leadership roles, including as Executive Director of the nationwide American Council on Alcohol Problems for 11 years. He served two 4-year terms as a Trustee of the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is Founder and President of AICCS (Association of Independent Christian Colleges and Seminaries), an international accrediting association which in May of 2020 reported more than 450 member schools in 31 states and in 53 other nations around the world.
He has authored more than 100 books, including COME-REAP, the 20-volumn commentary on all 1,189 chapters of the Old and New Testaments. COME-REAP serves as the core Biblical Studies curricula used in Pillsbury-Scarborough Bible College & Seminary and in CrossFire Christian College. Hundreds of Dr. Curt’s humorous essays, feature articles, devotional meditations, and short stories have been published in national monthly magazines and religious journals. His latest books: THE HOW-TO MANAUL FOR NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS OF CHRISTIAN MINISTRY (2017) and a collection of poems, THE BARD OF BRIARGATE (2019).
Curt and his wife, Roni, make their home in St. Charles, Missouri, along with Alice N. Wanderland (a large black tiger-cat) and Leonardo de Cattio (a long-haired ginger-cat). The Scarboroughs are the proud parents of three married children, nine grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.