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Steve Wilson, President Jimmy Stewart, Vice President Ruthie Courtney, Secretary
The Board of Ministerial Education was founded by the Mississippi Baptist Convention in 1885 for the purpose of assisting ministers to secure a college education. This Board originally assisted only licensed and ordained ministers. In 1987, an amendment to the MS Baptist Convention Constitution expanded the Board’s work to include all qualified church related vocational students who are enrolled in one of Mississippi’s Baptist colleges. Ministerial Aid recipients must have made a documented public commitment to Southern Baptist ministry and be a member of a contributing Southern Baptist church, in addition to meeting other BME requirements. During the 2009-2010 academic year, the Board of Ministerial Education provided a total of $347,140 in monthly grants to 196 ministerial students at Blue Mountain College, Mississippi College, and William Carey University. The students received $220/month during the fall semester and $215/month during the spring, due to convention budget cuts. Forty-seven of these students graduated in 2010. Those graduates received a total of $274,125 in ministerial aid grants from the Mississippi Baptist Convention, averaging $6,040 each over a period of 25 months.
The forty-seven graduating ministerial aid recipients represent a broad area of ministerial service. Twenty-seven of these students majored in Bible/Religion/Christian Studies, while the remainder pursued a variety of degrees. Of these graduates, 11 declared their ministry area as pastoral, 16 plan to go into youth ministry, 16 into missions, two into music ministry, and two into church counseling.
The Board of Ministerial Education also administers six scholarship funds, which are in trust with the Mississippi Baptist Foundation. Annual scholarship awards of $1,000 are made to seven deserving ministerial students from interest on these funds.
One of the privileges of membership on the Board of Ministerial Education is the opportunities to interview the students personally who apply for assistance. The BME often receives letters from these students expressing appreciation for the financial assistance provided. One student wrote us this year, “Words cannot express the gratitude I have for the check I receive from the Board of Ministerial Education. This check is helping me get the education I need so that I can fulfill God’s call in my life. This support helps sustain me from month to month and provides some essentials that make my education possible. It is so meaningful to me and my family that I receive this aid.”
Approximately 94.5% of the Board of Ministerial Education’s annual budget goes to direct student aid. We thank the Mississippi Baptist Convention for the privilege of serving these students through the Board of Ministerial Education.
Information from the 2010 Book of Reports
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