News: Sweeting Named CCU President

Colorado Christian University (CCU) is pleased to announce it has named Dr. Donald Sweeting as its new university president. Sweeting, a long-time trustee of CCU, was appointed by the Board of Trustees as the president of the university on August 2, 2016. The nationwide search for a new president began in February 2016, after Bill Armstrong, president of CCU from 2006-2016, had announced his intention to retire.

For the last six years, Dr. Sweeting served as president of the Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fla. An ordained minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Dr. Sweeting previously served as senior pastor of Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Greenwood Village, Colo. (a Denver suburb) for 12 years and also taught as an adjunct faculty member at Denver Seminary. Sweeting received his education at Moody Bible Institute (Diploma), Lawrence University (B.A.), Oxford University (B.A./M.A.), and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Ph.D.).

We performed an exhaustive search for our new president and we found that the most qualified candidate was right here in the CCU community, said Gary Armstrong, chairman of CCU's Board of Trustees. From an extensive pool of candidates, from all walks of life and vocations, the CCU trustees unanimously selected Dr. Sweeting as the right man to lead CCU at this time someone with an unshakable commitment to Jesus Christ, the university's Statement of Faith and Strategic Objectives and our pursuit to become a great university.

CCU remains steadfast in placing Jesus Christ at the center of who we are as an institution. We believe Dr. Sweeting will be best able to continue the legacy of Bill Armstrong in a way that energizes and engages the community for God's purpose. We are excited for our students, alumni, and the whole of the university to be able to engage the community with God's heart.

The presidents of Colorado Christian University and its predecessor institutions have seen challenging and exciting times, and their individual accomplishments and events that surrounded each of their tenures contributed to the university's growth and evolution over the last 100 years. Prior to his passing after a courageous battle with cancer Bill Armstrong led the university for nearly 10 years, overseeing a period of exceptional growth and transformation. During that period, CCU ascended the national academic ranks, with core curriculum being ranked in the top two percent of all colleges and universities nationwide.

Bill Armstrong was a once in a generation president, Sweeting said. He was a revolutionary president, causing a transformative shift in the quality and ethos of CCU. It was a privilege to serve with him. CCU stands out because of its convictional commitments to be a Christian university that is Christ-centered, founded on the truthfulness of the Bible, and that cares about training students to serve God in all vocations. Our motto is grace and truth. That is what the world needs. That is what the church needs. That is what students need.

Sweeting joins CCU during an exciting new phase of growth and opportunity. With record-breaking enrollment numbers, CCU is preparing to welcome the largest incoming class in the university's history. When asked why he wanted to work with CCU in this capacity now, Sweeting said, I love the university and believe in the mission of CCU. I also resonate with the university's Statement of Faith and Strategic Objectives. In an age in which so many things seem to be coming apart, Scripture says that Jesus Christ is the One through whom all things hold together. Our world needs Jesus. The West needs to rediscover who He is. And the higher education community needs Jesus.

Sweeting added, My lifelong mission is to be a wholehearted disciple of Jesus Christ and to make wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ who bring glory to God and blessing to our world. I do this by promoting the gospel, by being a faithful father and husband, and by using my gifts to build the church, promote Christian education and formation and train leaders.

In addition to a diverse professional background, Dr. Sweeting has served on the board of the Langham Partnership International and on the board of John Stott Ministries in the United States. Today he serves on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals and on the executive committee of the Fellowship of Evangelical Seminary Presidents. He was the Chairman of the Theology Committee for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Sweeting speaks and preaches around the country and has published numerous articles for well-known magazines and scholarly journals. He also co-authored two books and is working on several others. He broadcasts a daily five-minute, nationally syndicated radio program called TAKE5, heard in 23 states.

President Sweeting will join the CCU community full-time October 1st. He and his wife Christina have three adult sons and a teenage daughter one of his sons graduated from Colorado Christian University in 2014. He also writes a regular blog post at donsweeting.com and can be followed on Twitter @dsweeting.

For additional information about Dr. Sweeting, see his official biography.