The college claims that over 70% of its graduates have entered Christian ministry, including speakers, missionaries, and pastors in over 60 countries worldwide.

[5] Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Pelfrey donated the land, which had been at one time used by a defunct coal mining company as a commissary, approximately three miles from the present site.

Because of the "young people with the call of God upon them" who "felt the need of further training beyond the high school work in order to fit them better for missionary work",[5] the Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute, signed as the "Vancleve Church School", was established in order to train young people from the Appalachian foothills of Eastern Kentucky in the areas of ministry and missions.

[5] At 3:30 am on July 5, 1939, a cloudburst on Frozen Creek caused a flash flood that destroyed the original school, as well 44 nearby homes, 60 barns, livestock, and killed 54 men and women,[6] including several KMBI students and faculty.

On 20 October 1939, three and a half months after the flood, the school re-opened at a new site donated by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Fletcher, and his sister, Laura.

Growth and building continued at a feverish pace, starting with the Myers Chapel in 1940, named for the drowned teacher who had given of himself to KMBI.

Several facilities including the Davis Memorial Building, which serves as a library, the renovation of the basement in Brengle Hall, the addition of the Coffeehouse underneath Swauger, and the new Helen Matthews Luce Chapel.

[11][12] The college was granted an exception to Title IX in 2017 which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons.

It has over 30,000 items including books, CDs, DVDs, videos, sheet music, song flashcards, and Sunday school supplies.

Chapel takes place at Kentucky Mountain Bible College three times per week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday).