Clarence Sexton founded Crown College in 1991. The faculty and students of Crown College agree to uphold the Crown Code, Crown's philosophy of education, and their statement of faith, all of which are based on the Bible. Crown College is authorized for operation as a postsecondary educational institution by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The college applied to the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) in 2011 and was granted "candidate status" in November 2012.