Donald Sweeting, Ph.D.

Donald W. Sweeting, Ph.D., is Chancellor of Colorado Christian University. Previously he was president (2016-2022) where he helped lead the university to its 13th consecutive year of record enrollment in a decade where higher undergraduate enrollment declined 17%. 

Dr. Sweeting is a noted educator, minister, academic and author. From 2010-2016, Dr. Sweeting served as the president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fla., where he also served as the James Woodrow Hassell Professor of Church History and regularly taught courses in church history, pastoral theology, and ministry leadership.

An ordained minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), Dr. Sweeting served as senior pastor of Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Greenwood Village (a Denver suburb) for 12 years. His ministry culminated with Cherry Creek Presbyterian hosting the denomination’s annual general assembly in 2010. In addition to pastoring, Dr. Sweeting taught as an adjunct faculty member at Denver Seminary. Before moving to Colorado, he served for 11 years as a church planter in northern Illinois helping to found the Chain of Lakes Community Bible Church.

Prior to entering into pastoral ministry, Dr. Sweeting served as an assistant to Chuck Colson and staff at Prison Fellowship in Washington, D.C., and had internships with Congressman John B. Anderson (R-Illinois) in Washington, D.C., and John MacArthur at Grace Community Church in California.

Dr. Sweeting’s college education began at Moody Bible Institute (MBI) where he majored in Bible-Theology. In 2016, Dr. Sweeting received the Alumnus of the Year award from MBI. Dr. Sweeting earned a B.A. in History from Lawrence University, as well as a B.A./M.A. from Oxford University in England. During his time at Oxford, Dr. Sweeting led the Theological Students Fellowship (affiliated with Inter Varsity). Dr. Sweeting also spent a year of graduate work at Regent College in British Columbia, Canada studying under J. I. Packer and others. He then went on to receive his doctorate in Church History and Historical Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois. At Trinity he worked under the supervision of Dr. John Woodbridge and Dr. Harold O. J. Brown. Dr. Sweeting’s dissertation was on the relationship between Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States from 1960 to 2000.

In addition to a diverse professional background, Dr. Sweeting has served with numerous ministries and organizations. He has served on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), the executive committee of the Fellowship of Evangelical Seminary Presidents (FESP), as chairman of the Theology Committee for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and on the board of John Stott Ministries in the United States. He also was a signer of the Protocol which formed the Langham Partnership International, a London-based international ministry that aims to equip and train upcoming global church leaders by providing scholarships, building seminaries, and training preachers. Dr. Sweeting is also a founding and senior fellow of the International Alliance of Christian Educators (IACE).

Dr. Sweeting speaks and preaches around the country. His writings have appeared on Fox News, The Washington Times, Newsmax, The Washington Examiner, The Jerusalem Post, Real Clear Religion, Townhall, The Federalist, The Epoch Times, World Opinions, Christianity Today, Gospel Coalition, and The Christian Post. He is the editor of the CCU Review. He has also co-authored several books, including How to Finish the Christian Life: Following Jesus in the Second Half of Life, (Moody Press) which he wrote with his 88-year-old father.

Dr. Sweeting and his wife, Christina, have three adult sons and a daughter.