The Baptist Student Union at Missouri State University in Springfield is in the process of raising $16,5 million to build a commercial building adjacent to campus where their BSU Center now sits on property owned by the Missouri Convention. The location is just steps from the University President's office and is prime real estate. The project is being led by Gene Austin of the Missouri Baptist Convention and Chris Wilson, Missouri State Campus Minister. The Missouri Baptist Convention has committed one million dollars to the development of plans and preliminary work. They have secured a grant writer and are pursuing a wide variety of funding options.
The vision and plan is to build a large multi-story building that would house apartments, businesses, the Baptist Student Union ministry and a Chinese Baptist Church that ministers to the campus. The income from the apartments and businesses would provide funding to the BSU ministry. In addition to the ministry space, there would be two apartments that would be provided to Campus Ministers which would augment their salaries.
In some ways, this is similar to what has already been done in Texas and what is being discussed in Georgia. The Baptist General Convention of Texas sold their property at the University of Texas and a developer built a large multi-use commercial building and the Baptist Student Ministry purchased space in the new building to house their ministry. The Georgia Baptist State Convention has been involved in talks with developers to possibly sell or lease their property next to five campuses to build such a multi-use commercial building. The Georgia BCM ministry would then lease space in the new buildings from funds received from the lease or sale payments.
The vision is for the Missouri Baptist Convention to manage the new building and that the income would provide continued stability and growth for the BSU ministry and the benefit of housing to the Campus Ministers. It is their hope that area businesses, community leaders, and generous benefactors would believe that this project is such a major plus to the area, the university, and the city that it will receive a wide variety of financial support.
While some Baptist State Conventions are continuing or increasing support of collegiate ministries, others are looking for alternate ways to provide on going ministry funding. Some see these approaches as positive, creative thinking and others see them as less than satisfactory. I would encourage you to pray for Chris Wilson and Gene Austin in their leadership of this project and for different collegiate ministries that look for the best way forward in these coming days. Let's continue to learn from each other.
Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen: 124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.
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