BCMs reach, engage students for Christ

“Over the past four years at the BCM, God has saved my soul, sanctified me in truth and knowledge, given me incredible discipleship relationships, allowed me to see people come to know His name, given me opportunities to lead in the ministry specifically as president, and called me to ministry to care for souls and preach the gospel for the rest of my life.”
– David Shoemaker, Senior, Public Policy Major, Georgia Institute of Technology

Baptist Collegiate Ministry is the on-campus, cooperative ministry effort of Georgia Baptist churches to advance the gospel on every college and university campus in Georgia. BCM is Christ-led with a high view of Scripture. The five priorities of Georgia BCM are:

  • 1. Evangelism
  • 2. Discipleship
  • 3. Missions 
  • 4. Local church involvement
  • 5. Leadership development

Guided by these five priorities, each BCM in Georgia seeks to engage students at every stage of faith development. Through evangelism efforts such as The Great Exchange, No Sweat Evangelism, gospel appointments and friendships, campus ministers and Christian students engage those who do not yet know Christ with the gospel. Students who are Christ followers are discipled through large-group worship, small discipleship groups, campus outreach events, local missions, mission trips, summer missions and leadership opportunities. Leadership development permeates every aspect of BCM ministry as students, shepherded by campus ministers, lead every aspect of the ministry.

Churches partner in a local area to establish and support BCM on the campuses in their community. In turn, BCM supports churches by helping students find, connect with and invest in local churches during their college years.


Georgia State University student Kylie Beck and Campus Minister Teresa Royall smile after a day of teaching Afghan refugees how to ride MARTA.

Additionally, students who are discipled through BCM ministry become mature believers who are qualified leaders and lifelong church servants. Georgia Baptist churches are filled with pastors, staff members and lay leaders who are living proof of the effective ministry of BCM on our campuses.

For 97 years, Georgia Baptists have made it a priority to engage college and university students with the gospel. Today our goal is to expand BCM to all 107 campuses in Georgia. Currently there are established BCMs on 32 campuses and BCMs at some level of development on 17 more campuses. There are 58 campuses in Georgia with no on-campus Baptist ministry. 

How can your church start or support a BCM on a campus in your community? Establish or join a team of certified BCM volunteers in your area. Teams will be trained by current collegiate ministry staff to effectively establish an on-campus ministry that aligns with the mission of advancing the gospel on campus through the five priorities of BCM. Once a BCM is established, the volunteer team will receive ongoing monthly coaching from a nearby campus minister and be invited to statewide training events led by collegiate ministry experts from around the nation. To learn more and to get started, contact BCM Director of Campus Expansion Beverly Skinner at bskinner@gabaptist.org. 

Published April 1, 2022