For the past 29 years, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Lander University in Greenwood has consistently partnered with local churches in ministry. The most longstanding partnership has been with Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, the school’s closest neighbor, but the student ministry has also served in almost all of the South Carolina Baptist churches in its area.

“Our partnerships are among the few constant ministries that students regularly come out for, and it creates a feeling of family among our students,” said Scott Smith, director of Lander University’s BCM. “The partnerships are simple — there are no bells and whistles, but it’s rich in what it provides for the students and their spiritual growth.”

When First Damascus Church in Greenwood approached the campus ministry office to help them in 1986, Smith had no idea that the partnership would foster additional service opportunities over the years. Lander’s BCM has partnered with at least one South Carolina Baptist church every month since. Students have helped to host block parties, taught study groups, and worked with all different age groups in the churches.

A team of 20 BCM students currently serves with Temple Church in Ninety Six, helping to build and establish its children’s ministry. Smith said many of the students are education majors, and the team brings enthusiasm and a fresh set of eyes to the church’s ministry.

Riv Temple, bivocational director for children’s and youth ministry at the church, said, “Having these students in our church is tremendous, the kids love it, and it’s always a high attendance night. It also helps to give a break to our church members who regularly serve, allowing them the chance to join in worship.”

In the early days of the partnerships, Smith worked from a list of area churches that he would contact and ask about ministry needs. Most are smaller rural churches, and the partnerships have usually lasted about two years. Now churches approach the BCM with requests, and Smith asks something of the churches, too.

“I tell them that they are the ‘expert’ on their church and to tell us what they need help with,” he said. “I also ask them to role model what a church should be, because our students are watching them. These churches can impact the students like no other experience.”

Over the years, the impact of the partnerships for many students has continued after graduation. Smith asks former BCM students at Lander University alumni events to recall the churches they served in. Many now teach Sunday school and minister in ways they wouldn’t have explored otherwise. “I believe these students are more likely to be a part of ministry in the future after graduation because partnerships give them hands-on experience,” he said.

Smith has a goal of getting every Lander BCM student to serve at least once at Connie Maxwell. For almost 20 years the school has focused energy on its partnership with the children’s home, and many former students have gone on to serve on staff there. The Connie Maxwell BCM team, called Lamp Lighters, typically involves 25 students. The team teaches Sunday school once a month during the school year, leads in children’s church, and intentionally builds relationships with the children living there.

Doug Kauffman, pastor of Connie Maxwell Baptist Church, said the students are an important volunteer group that has an impact on the children living at Connie Maxwell.

“The longevity of this commitment has been very meaningful to us,” he said. “The Lander BCM students have hosted fellowships, led devotions and given testimonies, but the thing we find most helpful has been for them to teach Sunday school groups. Our children do best in smaller groups, and Sunday school is a great way to let them feel comfortable.”

Sophomore Amanda Purvis coordinates the Connie Maxwell BCM team and leads a Thursday night planning meeting before the team serves on Sunday afternoons. Her team shares a devotion, discusses upcoming needs, and gets into the mindset to serve.

“I like being there for the kids at Connie Maxwell,” said Purvis, a mass communications major and member of Green Hill Church in West Columbia. “It’s not always easy to connect with them, but ministering to them puts everything into perspective. I grew up in church, so that’s always been a part of my life. I am now able to share my experiences of Jesus, the Bible, and a good home life with kids who have had different experiences. It’s a blessing.”

“Our kids see these students coming regularly and ministering to them in a relational way,” said Kauffman. “That provides a wonderful message and example from someone not much older than they are of service, devotion and caring. It’s a statement of faithfulness.”

BCM president Blake Fisher, a senior majoring in business administration, said the Connie Maxwell ministry has impacted him personally. “It has been a joy to get to know and work with seventh, eighth, and ninth grade boys each week,” said Fisher, a member of Covenant Church in Anderson. “I think experiencing different types of ministries helps open students up to different situations and possibilities for ministries they can be involved in.”

Smith said the “light bulb comes on” when students see what the ministries are really all about and that churches are also contributing to the future through these students. “They may not see it now, but, years from now, the return on the investment is students going on to serve in churches,” he said. “The students get to see small churches as a resource and view them as a family that wants to take care of them.”

Riv Temple also recognizes the long-term benefits of having a student ministry team serve in the church. “The Lander students are young men and women who are experiencing ministry on a real level,” he said. “They are seeing that it’s not scary or complicated. I think it opens up a young person’s eyes to the service they can provide when they graduate and get into churches. I also love that BCM is not something they are required to do; the students have a passion for ministry, and they make it personal.”

For his part, Smith said the partnerships have had the added bonus of friendships that have formed between him and the pastors of the churches the BCM teams have served in. “Partnership represents our commitment to being loyal followers of Christ. I love the long-term commitment of this. We’re not a flash in the pan. We are going to be there. Churches have given back so much to us as well, with many making a financial commitment to our summer missions. It’s healthy for both of us.”

The BCM ministry opportunities have proven to be healthy for students, too. “BCM has been a blessing in my life,” said Fisher. “I don’t believe I would be where I am today without the Lord, Scott Smith and BCM.”