CBI used to be known as GVBIS (Genesee Valley Baptist Institute & Seminary)

What is Commonground Baptist Institute (CBI)?

CBI is a distance learning Bible Institute that emphasizes, the local church, quality of education, fundamentalist Bible doctrines, and preparation for ministry. CBI is distinctly Baptist and KJV. CBI offers everything from courses to train Sunday school teachers all the way up to a Master’s level diploma.

Get Your Bible Training at Commonground Baptist Institute!

Do you need a solid Bible education? Are you worried about cost and the time you’ll need for college? CBI can help! All the courses and books needed for a Bachelor level diploma is available for less than the cost for one semester at Bible college!

Why CBI?

The Bible does not instruct people to go away to college and that is not the right choice for everyone. Anyone who is considering an advanced Christian education should prayerfully consider CBI.

If you’re an adult:

Leaving your church to go away to school means leaving your ministry and uprooting your family. It means losing the one on one training in the ministry that you can get from your pastor.

If you’re a teen:

A teen that goes away to school will lose all of the following within a 3 month time span:

• Their home environment
• The direct supervision of their parents
• The guidance of their pastor & youth pastor
• Most, if not all, their Christian friends
• The ministry they had in their church
• …and for the first time will be thrust into an environment with a large amount of personal freedom and many new influences and pressures. That’s why many good Christian teens struggle at Bible college!

You May Be Closer Than You Think

We recognize that many students have gained a wealth of information from their experiences in their daily lives. In some cases, previous learning parallels the information given in one of our courses of study. For this reason, we offer Lifelong Learning Units. You may earn credit for courses based on prior learning experience or work background. When sending in your application to the school, make sure you request a Lifelong Learning Application because you may be closer than you think to earning your diploma or certificate.

Pastor What is Your Vision?

Are you a pastor of a local church? We will work with you to start an extension institute in your very own church! Whether you want to train ministerial students or average church members, whether you want to proctor or teach, CBI can structure the program to meet your needs!

Apply Now

Download the PDF application and send it in along with the $25 application fee made payable to SEBBC.

CBI Application