Baptist Collegiate Ministries leader likes guiding students

The Rev. Rick Jenkins has worked for many years with college students in different countries: Mexico, Panama and Peru to name a few.

Now, he is at Columbus State University.

Jenkins arrived here in April and in June officially took over the helm of the Baptist Collegiate Ministries on University Boulevard. He was mentored for a while by the outgoing campus minister Tony Gray.

“I am excited about being here. I really like this city,” said Jenkins, who recently purchased a home but still has most of the items for his office in boxes.

For the past 23 years, the 63-year-old Marietta, Ga., native has worked with the International Mission Board. When the organization downsized, he accepted a severance package, left Panama, and began looking for a place close to family he has in Georgia. He and his wife, Cindy, have three grown children living in Tennessee.

There was one year in which he lived in four different countries.

Much of the work he has done in the past few years while living in places such as Barbados, the West Indies and Richmond, Va., is mission training. Jenkins has helped develop mission strategies, connecting churches with mission opportunities.

According to its literature, Baptist Collegiate Ministries is an organization that “encourages mature Christian development during the college years. It is designed to be a balanced Christian ministry dedicated to personal spiritual growth, outreach and positive response to the world around us.”

“We are not just for Baptists,” Jenkins said. “Everyone is welcome. We have people of all faiths come to us because they feel comfortable here.”

He said the organization is not a replacement for church but can help students find a church family.

Students describe it as a place for unity, growth and student empowerment.

Jenkins said he wants to help students grow in all areas of their lives, guiding them through the tough spots.

“To me, one of the most critical times in a person’s life is when they are 18-24 years old,” the campus minister said. “They are making that transition into an adult. There are so many big decisions. We want to give students a solid foundation to make the right choices. We want them to find what their purpose is and produce solid people.”

He said a few students come to the BCM just to be around other Christians, but others have life issues and are looking for answers, which Jenkins tries to provide.

Jenkins called his job a “good fit.”

“I try to work with students on a spiritual level,” he said. “I have always had a calling to work with students in the fields of evangelism, discipleship and missions. Those areas are so important to young people as they form their lifelong direction.”

There is much diversity among students at the BCM, which features rooms for study and entertainment.

“We have a luncheon on Thursdays with the food often brought to us by local churches,” he said. “You might find an entire table of people speaking Spanish.”

Jenkins first got interested in working with students when he and Cindy were students at what was then North Georgia State College and University and is now the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, Ga.

“When I first went to school, I never thought I would be doing this kind of work. I changed majors four times,” he said, smiling.

After getting involved at the Baptist Student Union on campus, he saw the impact students could make and the effect a person could have in the lives of students.

After graduation, he and Cindy attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

After working as a student minister in Cleveland, Tenn., he took his first foreign job at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.

“I had never thought of going out of the country,” he said.

But a friend, who was raised in Africa, encouraged him to do so.

At that first job, he was a campus minister for a large student population,

“The school is divided into six or seven different campuses throughout the city,” he said.

Working with just a student staff, he found the job a bit overwhelming but loved it. He still keeps up with some of the people he knew.

“I enjoy being in the academic setting,” Jenkins said. “I like building relationships with students.”

He does so through a student’s sphere of influence, their interests.

There are no church services at the BCM, but evening Bible studies are held.

Jenkins conducts a class where he teaches male students how to cook.

“I can’t believe how much students eat out,” he said.

He is especially enjoying being chaplain for the university club football team.

“Great bunch of guys and great fun,” he said. “It’s good to be back on a campus and helping students figure out life.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Baptist Collegiate Ministries leader likes guiding students."