New college ministry team emerges
JEFFERSON CITY—The names of the four men who will help coordinate the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) revamped collegiate ministries have been announced. Gene Austin will be the regional coordinator for the North region, Bill Victor for the Central region and Randy Dudik for the South. Ed Moncada will coordinate ministries for international students.
These four will coordinate campus missionaries through the four regions as the MBC strives to get the Gospel on every campus in Missouri. Matt Kearns, student ministry director for the MBC, told the MBC Executive Board during its July 10 meeting that he has already spoken with seven new campus missionaries and is receiving resumes from all over the country from those wanting to get in on the MBC’s new collegiate program. He also said eight previous part-time Baptist Student Union (BSU) workers will continue to minister.
Kearns said he believes Austin, who had been serving as the BSU director at Truman State University in Kirksville, brings a record of leadership to the new ministry position.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled that [Austin] is on this team with us going forward,” Kearns said. “I’m thrilled about how he has been training up the next generation of leaders.”
Dudik has been ministering to students at the University of Missouri-Rolla as a volunteer for a number of years. Although he is a medical doctor, Kearns said he has a heart for more than just students’ physical well-being. He will continue to be based in Rolla.
“He oozes godliness, compassion and love,” Kearns said. “I didn’t have to ask him to get out and spend time on campus, he’s been out there mentoring students since the early 1980s.”
Kearns said Victor, who has a Ph.D in New Testament, brings academic as well as ministerial experience to the Central region. He will work out of Columbia.
“He is a scholar with regards to the Scripture,” Kearns said. “There’s no one better I know who will be able to show students God’s Word.”
According to Kearns, Moncada is a prayer warrior who will not stop praying until every international student in Missouri has a personal relationship with Christ. He had previously served as a statewide international student minister, a position similar to the new one under the new collegiate ministry structure. He will be based in the St. Louis area.
“I consistently get e-mails from Ed at 2:30 or 3:30 in the morning saying, ‘I just wanted you to know I’m praying for you,’” Kearns said. “That’s the kind of man I want on my team. I want him helping us reach international students.
“We want to reach every possible student for Christ. We want to be on every campus we could possibly be on.”
Kearns said there was a rumor that the MBC was planning to discontinue ministry at sites it has ministered in the past. According to Kearns, that rumor is false. He added that with the exception of one site he had yet to meet with, ministry would continue at all previous sites.
“My first goal was to continue ministry everywhere that we currently had ministry going on,” he said.
Kearns also gave the Executive Board copies of the covenant campus missionaries must sign before they are contracted to work with and through the MBC. It includes expectations of the campus missionary with regards to: their relationship with God and others, personal development, ministry to students, cooperation with supporters, work ethic, discipleship/evangelism, participation in statewide programs, budgeting and cooperation with associations and churches. The covenant also includes permission for a background and credit check.