Baylor Partners with BGCT for Baptist Student Ministry Building
Students pray together on the Baylor campus during FM72, a 72-hour prayer and worship event in March 2023. (Matthew Minard/Baylor University)
Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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WACO, Texas (Aug. 3, 2023) – During its regular July retreat meeting last week, the Baylor University Board of Regents approved an agreement with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) to convey a parcel of land adjacent to campus to the Texas Baptists for construction of a Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) center. The building project was announced last month during the annual Family Gathering of Texas Baptists in McAllen.
According to the agreement, Baylor will donate the parcel to the BGCT as a building site, located at South Fourth Street and Daughtrey Avenue on the southeast side of the Baylor campus. The deed to the property will be finalized after the BGCT raises $3 million to design and build the BSM center. The BGCT will ensure the center's design and appearance are consistent with other Baylor buildings.
“Baptist Student Ministry is extraordinarily special in the story of Baylor University. This agreement with the BGCT upholds our Christian mission and distinct place in higher education, and it further strengthens Baylor’s historic ties to Texas Baptists,” said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “The BSM center will provide another sacred space on our campus for Baylor students to grow spiritually, know God and make Him known.”
Baptist Student Ministry is a cooperative ministry of Texas Baptist churches that encourages students to follow Christ and transform the world. For almost a century, BSM at Baylor – originally known as Baptist Student Union or BSU – has played a significant role in the spiritual formation of Baylor students. Many of Baylor’s activities and traditions have their roots in the BSU, including Welcome Week, which started in 1979 as a ministry of the BSU, Baylor Religious Hour choir and Missions Emphasis Week, to name a few.
In 2018, Baylor and the BGCT signed a cooperative agreement for a renewed vision of Baptist Student Ministry as a chartered student organization. In the past five years, Baylor BSM has engaged students during regular meetings at the Bobo Spiritual Life Center, as well as additional opportunities for prayer, Bible study and missions.
Earlier this year, Baylor and the BGCT jointly reviewed and extended the organizations’ relationship agreement, initially agreed upon on Nov. 4, 2011, for an additional 10 years.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.