Option Institute

Pastor Townsley and his wife Janet, upon graduation from college in 1975, founded Central Baptist Church. Under his leadership the church began Central Christian Academy in 1984, New England School of the Bible in 1992 and New England Baptist College in 2004. Today several buildings grace the campus situated on eighteen acres of prime real estate in suburban Hartford County. Pastor Townsley is the author of several books and a leader in church planting, holding conferences nationwide. Pastor Barry J. Brown and his wife Lynn received Christ in 1972. Responding to a call to preach and leaving a secular career in engineering, he graduated from Hyles-Anderson College in 1974. He served on church staffs for the next five years, as Youth Pastor in Michigan and as Bus Director in Georgia. In 1980, the Lord led Pastor Brown to plant the White Oak Baptist Church in Stratford, CT where he served for twenty-four years, guiding the church from its first service through two building programs and the development of a wide range of ministries. Pastor Brown earned a Master's Degree in Biblical Studies at Emmanuel Baptist Theological Seminary in 2001. Believing that God would have him train future generations of Christian servants, in 2004 he accepted the opportunity to serve under Dr. Townsley at Central Baptist Church and to teach at New England Baptist College. Dr. Blaser was born on February 7, 1942, saved and baptized in 1960 at a Baptist Church in Ohio. He then married his wife, Sharon in 1962 and they now have two children, Steven (40) and Jill Beard (39) and four grandchildren. Dr. Blaser graduated from Tennessee Temple University in 1973, started and pastored Victory Baptist Church from 1974 to 1981. He also was the Registrar and Instructor at Oklahoma Baptist College from 1982 through 1989. From 1989 to 1992, Dr. Blaser served at Crown College as Executive Vice President and then as Pastor of Miller Road Baptist Church from 1992 through 2003. He started in 2003 here at our ministry, New England Baptist College, and continues to serve as Executive Vice President. Michael Winningham is the Music Director at Central Baptist Church. Michael grew up in Maine and attended Pensacola Christian College where he received his bachelor's degree in music education. He has also completed a MA in choral conducting at PCC and met his wife, Danielle, while at college. Pastor Cory was saved at the age of five when his pastor in Virginia showed him from the Bible how Jesus died for everyone and he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. At a youth conference in Kentucky, the Lord moved his heart to surrender to full time Christian work. Pastor Cory attended West Coast Baptist College where he met his wife Hannah.