DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — Baptists are losing momentum in connecting with college students, Mercer University President Kirby Godsey said May 4.
“These college students will not demand our attention. They will simply ignore us.”
Godsey urged the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and supportive churches to “inaugurate a branded ministry” to students, without replicating Southern Baptist Convention student ministries.
Godsey addressed approximately 90 people gathered May 4-5 at First Baptist Church of Decatur, Ga., to share ideas about ministering to college students.
Southern Baptists and some of their state conventions have shifted their priority and funding away from traditional college ministries in recent years or pressured them to be more evangelistic.
Church historian Walter Shurden called the session “a long-needed and critical meeting for moderate Baptists,” who have long championed college ministry.
Shurden is executive director of Mercer University's Center for Baptist Studies, which initiated and co-sponsored the event along with the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Georgia CBF organization.
Daniel Vestal, CBF's national coordinator, said of 14 program possibilities, collegiate ministries ranked 13th when CBF's Coordinating Council prioritized its focus and funding during a financial crisis about five years ago. Only family ministries ranked lower.
“Collegiate ministry came in next to last,” said Vestal. “… In all candor, we have budgeted accordingly.”
Vestal said a committee chaired by former University of Georgia campus minister Becky Matheny developed a strategy for campus ministry several years ago with an initial cost of $1.5 million. The report was put aside, he said, when CBF leaders ranked collegiate ministry so low.
“However, I think we should always rethink everything,” said Vestal.
Proponents argued that collegiate ministry should not be seen as an isolated or optional area of ministry but one that impacts the broader moderate Baptist movement — such as through seminary enrollments and recruitment of missionaries — including the areas given the highest priority by CBF leaders.
Several participants spoke about the positive impact of campus ministry on their own lives. Others lamented the reduction of campus ministry in some Baptist conventions and the fundamentalist takeover of others.
Shurden told of becoming a Christian while a student at Delta State University in Mississippi, and then transferring to Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College. He credits his campus minister, Frank Horton, and the Baptist Student Union with shaping his spiritual development more than any other source.
Veteran campus minister Tim Willis, who left a state convention-funded campus ministry program and joined the staff of First Baptist Church of Clemson, S.C., explained how he and student leaders at Clemson University formed a campus-recognized organization, called Cooperative Student Fellowship.
That approach is being duplicated in other settings, he said, with support from churches.
“More and more churches are going to have to ante up,” said Willis.
Ruth Perkins Lee serves in a similar role at First Baptist Church of Auburn, Ala. Her position originated with a grant from CBF, but now the church funds her position that includes youth ministry.
A task force to continue the discussions related to campus ministry development was formed. Tim Willis, Ruth Perkins Lee, Leslie Limbaugh of St. Louis, Mo., Brian Foreman of Charlotte, N.C., and Terry Hamrick, leadership development coordinator for national CBF, were initially appointed.
The conference also featured presentations, panel discussions and open dialogue by student ministers, college professors and other Baptist leaders.
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