Investing in the Next Generation

For nearly four decades, Pastors Roger Spradlin and Phil Neighbors faithfully led Valley Baptist Church with a deep commitment to God’s Word, evangelism, discipleship, and the local church. Their ministry was about making disciples that make disciples.

The Roger Spradlin & Phil Neighbors Endowed Scholarship was established by Valley Baptist Church in partnership with California Baptist University to continue that legacy. The endowment provides scholarships for qualifying CBU students preparing for Christian ministry, with special consideration for students connected to Valley Baptist and its ministry education partnership with CBU - Project Send.

The Power of a Double Match

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Where Does the Money Go?

Gifts to the fund become part of a permanent endowment at California Baptist University. Rather than simply being spent once, the principal is invested, and annual distributions from the fund provide scholarships for students pursuing ministry preparation.

Even more significantly, the agreement provides opportunities for matching funds from both a private donor and CBU, which can effectively multiply qualifying gifts to the endowment by as much as four times. That means a gift made today has the potential to provide ministry scholarships not just for one student, but for generations of students to come.

Why This Matters

Pastor Roger and Pastor Phil believed that a call to ministry is a call to prepare. Throughout their ministry, they identified leaders, encouraged their calling, invested in them, and equipped them to serve Christ and His Church.

This endowment carries that vision forward.

The goal is bigger than helping students earn a degree. We want to remove financial barriers for those God is calling, equip future pastors and ministry leaders, and send them out prepared to make disciples who make disciples.

Who is eligible to apply for this scholarship?

The Roger Spradlin & Phil Neighbors Endowed Scholarship is designed to support undergraduate students at California Baptist University who are preparing for Christian ministry and demonstrate a commitment to the local church.

Eligible students may include those who:

• Participate in the CBU online cohort at Valley Baptist Church and are pursuing a major within CBU’s School of Christian Ministries.

• Attend CBU as a traditional undergraduate student and major in the School of Christian Ministries.

• Pursue a double major, with at least one major in the School of Christian Ministries.

• Are members of Valley Baptist Church when they begin at CBU, or transition from Valley Baptist’s CBU online cohort into the traditional undergraduate program.

• Are active in a local evangelical church and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.

The heart of the scholarship is to identify students who sense God’s call to ministry and help provide the education and preparation they need to serve faithfully—whether as pastors, missionaries, or ministry leaders.