Hobe Sound Bible College was chartered in 1960 as Hobe Sound Bible Institute and established as a college in the conservative Wesleyan tradition, offering degrees in Bible and Christian ministries. Intentionally located in the South, the College was established as a southern alternative to similar institutions which were in the North.   Rev. S.D. Herron, whose vision led to the founding of the College, shared his plans for the College and the location options with long-time friend, Rev. H. Robb French. Rev. French, a nationally known evangelist and the president of Florida Evangelistic Association (FEA) which had established an annual camp meeting on 30 acres of waterfront real estate in Hobe Sound an idyllic coastal town in southeast Florida. In a meeting with Rev. Herron, Rev. French and FEA offered the use of the Hobe Sound property to Rev. Herron for the establishment of a Bible college. The cooperative agreement between these men has led to 65 years of shared ministries and facilities resulting not only in the successful establishment of the College, but also the development of a local church, and the expansion of FEA to include Hope International Missions which works in cooperation with 35 missionary families with international outreach and ministry in 20 different countries. 

With the location for the College determined, fundraising and recruiting efforts began for the inaugural year. On Friday, September 30, 1960, eighteen students, representing twelve states and Canada, arrived to register for Semester I. This small group of students along with two faculty members knelt in prayer to request the guidance of God on the new school in both its first year of operation and in the future. From this unpretentious beginning, Hobe Sound Bible College has received both state and national recognition and certification of its degree programs. 

In 1967 the academic programs of the College were approved by the state accrediting agency. In recognition of this certification, the name of the institution was changed to Hobe Sound Bible College (HSBC). Academic excellence has been a hallmark of HSBC. The founders of the college did not view a focus on academic excellence as conflicting with a desire for spiritual growth, but rather that a focus on academic excellence could be a direct reflection of our spiritual advancement, an oft proclaimed mantra being, “all truth is God’s truth” This focus on academic excellence led to the accreditation of the college by the American Association of Bible Colleges, in 1986. AABC was the national accrediting association for Bible colleges, which today is known as the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). In the years subsequent to the successful completion the accreditation process, the continued focus on academic excellence has led to the expansion of the baccalaureate degree offerings, the development of a master’s degree program, the establishment of a remote degree option (Hobe Online), which offers fully accredited degrees to students who are unable to attend on-campus classes, and the most recent academic option is a Spanish program which is available through Hobe Online to native Spanish speakers. 

The tradition of excellence which has marked Hobe Sound Bible College from its inception continues today in the operation of each of these academic initiatives. Through the online program, the College is able to assist adult learners, who would otherwise be unable to attend the classes, by providing the courses necessary to fulfill their educational objectives and presenting it as a quality educational alternative which is designed to facilitate the schedule of the adult learner, through use of the online format.