That’s why we recently published the video series called “We Believe,” in which SBU’s faculty, staff, and students walk through our doctrinal confession, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. The series includes an overview from me, summary videos, and commentary on each of the eighteen articles. We hope that this will be a useful resource for the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention.
BaptistFaithAndMessage.com
At Southwest Baptist University, we are deeply committed to serving the local church.
While we have more than 100 academic programs to choose from (including professional and preprofessional programs in business, cyber security, health sciences, Christian ministry, and more) every SBU student takes required courses in biblical studies. We believe that nothing is more important than giving these aspiring leaders a solid biblical foundation, so they are ready to serve in the church, home , and world.
We’ve created this booklet to let you know some of the ways we might be of service to you. From worship bands to pulpit supply, from marriage retreats to apologetics seminars, we would love to partner with you in ministry. If you are interested in any of the
resources outlined here, or have any questions, please contact Darren Crowder, Vice President of Regional Campuses and Church Engagement, at churchresource@sbuniv.edu, or call 417-328-1770.
We’ve also highlighted a recent project we completed called “We Believe.” Since its founding in 1878, SBU has been serving Baptist churches in Missouri and across the United States. We are firmly committed to historic, Christian orthodoxy as expressed in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. With the help of our students, staff, and faculty, this video series is aimed at briefly orienting viewers to the context and meaning of this important confessional statement.
With each ministry area listed in the following pages, we offer a point of contact. If you see something that would be helpful to you and your church, please reach out and let us know how we might serve you. We are thankful for the great work of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention and we would love to partner with you to serve the cause of Christ at home and around the world.
Sincerely,
Rick Melson, President
We’re thankful for the convictional heritage we share as Southern Baptists.
THE BLAIR CENTER for Training & Pastoral Health
The Blair Center for Training and Pastoral Health aims to support and encourage pastors and other leaders in ministry to navigate the stressors and demands that accompany leadership and ministry. This Blair Center website provides multiple resources and ways to connect, giving pastors and ministerial staff tools to help deal with the challenges that come with ministry.
The Blair Center hosts an annual marriage retreat for pastors and their wives, an provides a number of resources including a blog, and a weekly newsletter at our website blaircenter.org.
WORSHIP
The worship leadership collective at SBU provides students with opportunities to lead worship on and off-campus through a variety of different groups. Worship Arts includes Chapel Band, Locamente (evening on-campus student-led worship opportunity), and Higher Ground (traveling worship leading, weekend youth worship/Disciple Now events).
Our SBU Chorale is a premiere auditioned touring chorus that specializes in acappella and sacred music. They tour in the fall semesters. Our SBU Wind Symphony is a stellar auditioned wind ensemble featuring brass, woodwind, and string instrumentalists, that tours in the spring semesters.
We also have a barbershop quartet, the Bearcat Four, available for events. For inquiries about scheduling any of our musical groups, contact churchresource@sbuniv.edu.
SBU has a longstanding reputation for the high priority we place on preparing preachers for the church through our ministry training programs. We have a number of faculty, staff, and ministry students who are available for pulpit supply. For more information, or to schedule a guest preacher, please contact churchresource@sbuniv.edu.
PREACHING ARTS
SBU’s Chad Caldwell, Associate Professor of Art, is an ordained Baptist pastor, who specializes in the integration of faith and the visual arts. To schedule a presentation on the integration of Art and Faith, please contact churchresource@sbuniv.edu.
MISSIONS
As part of our commitment to develop Christ-centered servant leaders, every student at SBU has an opportunity to participate in a credit-bearing shortterm mission trip. Diana Gallimore, Director of the Center for Global Connections (CGC), is continually developing domestic and international partnerships with churches and ministries to field short-term teams. Contact us if you are interested in hosting a team or would like our faculty or CGC staff to be part of your missions emphasis week at churchresource@sbuniv.edu.
At SBU we exist to prepare leaders who are ready to serve. We maintain a list of Christian Ministry majors who are available to serve a variety of needs in local churches who have openings that fit their profile. Church music majors are required to complete an internship in the final semester of study. All our ministry majors are required to complete an internship in their respective areas of study as well. To inquire about hosting an intern at your church, please contact churchresource@sbuniv.edu.
WORLDVIEW & CULTURE The SBU Center for
The Center for Worldview and Culture (CWC) exists to serve the SBU community by providing thoughtful resources and events to prepare students to better give an answer for their Christian faith.
Every semester, the CWC offers multiple dates for churches and Christian schools to schedule an apologetics talk or worldview presentation by the director, Dr. Daniel DeWitt. To check availability, please send inquiries to churchresource@SBUniv.edu.
During the semester, the CWC hosts monthly evening discussions on apologetic topics for students and community members. The CWC also produces “Mere Caffeination,” an Inklings-inspired podcast about cultivating a winsome Christian witness with clarity, creativity, and kindness, featuring interviews with well-known ministry leaders and Christian authors.
To learn more about the Center for Worldview & Culture, visit sbuniv.edu/worldview.
STAFFING
At Southwest Baptist University, we value our partnership with churches around the world who cooperate together through the Southern Baptist Convention.
We recently published a video series called “We Believe,” in which SBU’s faculty, staff, and students provide a brief reading and commentary on each of the eighteen articles of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. We trust this series will be useful resource for our University community as well as the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention.
BaptistFaithAndMessage.com
SBUNIV.EDU
