The committees of the two conventions met together and the following year recommended to their respective bodies that the college be established in Memphis, Tennessee.

Due to this partnership, the Southern Baptist Convention helped prepare students and a broad spectrum of church leaders who were ready to meet the challenges of the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. Providing scholarships and fiscal support of the operations of American Baptist College, the Southern Baptist Convention made a significant contribution to the education of men and women for Christian service in the world.

Students from American Baptist College, such as Julius Scruggs, Bernard Lafayette, James Bevel, William Barbee and John Lewis served on the front line of the Nashville sit-ins for justice and change.

Vivian, many students sat down at local lunch counters, dramatically altering the quality of life for African Americans living in the South.

The campus itself was a popular command post for organizing and training students for social justice causes throughout the city at the time.

A number of students from that period have gone on to become major names in civil rights history and American politics (e.g., Congressman John Lewis, Bernard Lafayette, Julius Scruggs).

At its annual meeting in 1993, the National Baptist Convention appointed a committee to investigate support of the college in 1995.

[11] Nashville was the "University of Nonviolence...the movement's research laboratory...here the nonviolent sit-in was first methodically theorized, practiced, and tested... An extraordinary number of [Civil Rights] Movement leaders got their start in Nashville... Their organizational energy was felt throughout the South for the next decade.

"[12] Author Townsend Davis lists graduates of this "University of Nonviolence": James Bevel, Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, C.T.

He also notes the leadership of Kelly Miller Smith (pastor, First Baptist Capitol Hill and professor at ABTS).

In the recent "rolling history lesson" on the 1961 Freedom Rides [January 27–28, 2007], American Baptist College was represented by Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, C.T.

Noting that American Baptist was seldom even mentioned, David Halberstam, author of The Children explains: "It was a place without pretense, without class lines...But at a time when the black church was becoming the driving force of a larger social revolution taking place in the United States, American Baptist had become a magnet for many of the most talented and passionate young blacks in the country.

Therefore the talent and the passion and the innate human strength of the students at American Baptist had nothing to do with the seeming simplicity and relative poverty of the school.

[14] The listing recognized the institution's significance for African American ethnic heritage, education, and religion, as well as its role in the Civil Rights movement of the mid-twentieth century.

Holcomb and Susie McClure Library is to support the academic objectives, programs, and curriculum of American Baptist College by providing appropriate resources and services.

The library has also received donations from the private collections of Renita J. Weems, Harmon Wray, and Professor Janet Wolf.

These donated books cover a variety of topics including ethics, politics, social justice, theology, and Christian leadership.

The library staff also offers one-on-one reference assistance as well as the classroom instruction in research skills and the use of specific electronic databases.

Every service involves students, staff, and faculty with occasional guest preachers, alumni, and scholars in residence.

The administration building was completed in 1946 and is named in honor of J.B. Lawrence, a former Secretary of the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board.

The lecture series provides a forum for church leaders, as well as students, to listen to, interact with, and be inspired by noted scholars, pastors, and laypersons.

Discovery Week at American Baptist College is a campus wide engagement with the Nashville at large community and beyond and path seekers who desire vocational guidance for relevant spirituality, biblical studies, and theological education.

American Baptist College seeks to develop leaders who aspire to become prophetic in their preaching and teaching ministry.

Greek-letter organizations encourage high standards of scholarship, promote programs for cultural and social growth, and stress the spirit of Inter-Greek fellowship.

Honors day is held during the spring semester each school year for the purpose of recognizing distinctive achievement on the part of individual students.

In compliance with the U.S. Education Department, Constitution Day is recognized as a National holiday at American Baptist College.