By Jim Edge
I have the God-given fortune to travel around the United States and visit our churches and participate in Fellowship meetings. This has given me the opportunity to meet men and women who are making an eternal impact on others. These ministers are tied together by a common thread; they are graduates of Baptist Bible College.
Recently, I was at the national Fellowship meeting at Canton Baptist Temple in Canton, Ohio. Among the speakers were graduates of BBC. Two of them, Christina Fulmer and Christine Pelletier, testified about the Lord’s global work. Both are single missionaries who faithfully serve the Lord in Kenya. Their testimonies about impacting others for the Lord were inspiring. I was thrilled to be a part of their alma mater.
I also just spent a weekend at Southside Baptist Church in Dover, Delaware. The current pastor, Chris Kondracki, and the previous two pastors, Art Bollman and Ron Secrest, are graduates of the college. These men have faithfully served the Lord making an impact on the Dover community and leading the church to support global efforts to reach others around the world with the gospel. On the Sunday when I was present, the new youth director, Tim Forgette, a recent graduate of BBC, began his ministry at Southside Baptist Church. This church not only has BBC as part of its past, but its present and future; they currently have six students at BBC preparing for ministry opportunities.
Our graduates represent a larger group of alumni who are impacting others for the Lord through their ministry. Though many graduates do not have a national reputation, they faithfully serve the Lord. They lead individuals to Christ, disciple young believers, and integrate them into the church family and ministry.
As I reflect on my recent experiences, I understand that the common thread is not only about the past, but I am encouraged that the Lord will continue to weave the common thread into His fabric of ministry as we move into the future. Kimberly Rollins, a current student of BBC, participated in the 40th anniversary services at Southside Baptist Church. She praised the Lord with song in both services. Kimberly is a student leader and ministers as part of the praise band in the undergraduate chapel services. Kimberly represents a larger group of future graduates who will make a global impact for the Lord in ministry.
What a joy it must have been for the Apostle Paul to observe Timothy, and others he had trained, to step into positions of leadership and impact people for the Lord. While Paul traveled the Roman Empire as the missionary to the gentiles, he had a specific purpose — to prepare young believers like Timothy. He purposefully trained Timothy so that he in turn would guide faithful men and women to impact others (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Paul understood that ministry was not just about the past or the present, but about training future leaders.
My recent travels have been an encouragement. I have seen firsthand how graduates of the college are now impacting others for the Lord. But the story is not just about the past. The story is also about the future. Like Kimberly, there are young men and women who are pursuing their education at BBC. We are engaging these future leaders with a quality, biblical curriculum positioning them for their ministries in this and coming generations.
The mission of Baptist Bible College is fulfilled each time a graduate steps into a leadership role with the intent to impact others for Christ. Not only have I had the privilege to observe and participate with the graduates of BBC as they contribute to global ministry, but I also have the benefit to observe the training of future graduates who will join in ministering around the world. The college has had a glorious past. I also believe the college has a glorious future.