1934 State BSU Retreat

This year marks 100 years since the adoption of Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) by Oklahoma Baptists. As a vital ministry of the convention, BCM aims to advance the Gospel on 39 campuses across the state, seeking to reach “every campus, every life,” as their motto proclaims.

In The Two Become One, a history of the state convention, Bob Ross notes that organized Baptist student work began in the United States with the creation of the Baptist Student Missionary Movement of North America in 1914. The Oklahoma chapter formed two years later in Oklahoma City.

By 1920, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) had created an inter-board commission with representatives from the Home Mission, Foreign Mission and Sunday School Boards to direct a cooperative work among Baptist college and university students across the country. The commission hosted regional conferences across the nation. One such conference, hosted in Stillwater in 1924, led to the official adoption of the name Baptist Student Union (BSU) in Oklahoma and produced a motion by the student organization to join the state convention.

July 1976

Carissa Jones, Oklahoma Baptists collegiate ministries assistant, has researched the history of BCM in Oklahoma. “Baptist collegiate work began in Oklahoma in 1916 on multiple campuses,” said Jones. “These were informal, student-led groups affiliated with the Baptist Student Missionary Movement. The growth of these groups led to the formation of the first official Baptist Student Unions in Oklahoma in 1924 and a resolution to join the state convention that same year.”

During the 19th Annual Session of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) held at Chickasha, First on November 11-13, 1924, A.F. Wasson read the resolution on the Baptist Student Union. The motion addressed the need for organized collegiate work, the number of conference attendees and stated in part, “THEREFORE, We, the first Oklahoma Baptist Student Conference, in session at Stillwater, Oklahoma this 18th day of October, 1924, petition the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma… that student work be incorporated in the program of the Convention in our state.” The motion was adopted, and a beautiful partnership began.

The resolution also spoke of the students’ resolve to “lay their lives on the altar for service” and “pledge their best to the cause of Christ” in schools, churches and communities across the state. From the outset, the goal of BSU/BCM work has been to “increase the spiritual efficiency of the entire student body” on college campuses as J.B. Rounds noted in his column in the October 1924 issue of the Baptist Messenger.

BCM has a history of strong leadership within the convention. For many years, the ministry was headed by a student president and fell under the purview of the convention’s Sunday school director. In 1958, Clyde Clayton became the first full-time BSU secretary for the BGCO. Ten years later, the BSU became its own department within the convention.

Clayton remained in his role as BCM Secretary until 1971. Bob Lee then took over and served from 1971-2004. During his tenure the ministry officially changed its name to BCM (1997) and the position of state associate director was added to the convention’s team. John Burns filled the associate role for several years beginning in 1979, with Denny Freeman serving from 2005 until 2018.

Currently, Cris Lowery, Chad Coleman, and Jones serve with the Oklahoma Baptists collegiate ministry team, which now consists of more than 60 BCM directors and staff.
Former BGCO executive director-treasurer, Anthony Jordan, noted in 2017 that “one of the largest mission fields in America is the university campus.” He called BCMs “lighthouses” and “beachheads for biblical truth” in the midst of spiritual darkness. In 2024, just as in 1924, BCM continues its commitment to engaging each campus with the Gospel of Christ, equipping students as disciples of Christ, and training up Christian leaders.

Oklahoma Baptists’ Todd Fisher said, “One of the greatest kingdom investments Oklahoma Baptists make is in its BCM ministry.” From its founding to today, BCM’s commitment to
advancing the Gospel continues.