Board of Ministerial Education

Ministerial Aid is a financial aid program provided by the Mississippi Baptist Convention through funding provided by the Cooperative Program giving of local Mississippi Baptist churches. It is designated for ministerial students who attend Blue Mountain College, Mississippi College, and William Carey University.

There are no restrictions on how ministerial aid is spent by the students. It can be used for tuition, rent, groceries, gasoline, medical expenses, etc. However, because these funds do go directly to the students, the IRS considers this taxable income and it must be included on a student’s annual tax form. Ministerial Aid does not apply against scholarship caps in place on some campuses.

The Board of Ministerial Education has a number of qualifications for students who receive ministerial aid. These include:

• Students must have made a public commitment to Southern Baptist ministry in the area of local church ministry, evangelism, North American missions, or International missions.
  • Student must have a verified statement from their pastor (on pastor’s reference form at the bottom of this page) saying they have met with the student and the student has expressed clearly their calling to vocational ministry.
  • Student must read and agree with Vocational Ministry Covenant.
  • Student must review document on Call to Ministry.
• Students must be undergraduates enrolled full-time at Blue Mountain College, Mississippi College, or William Carey University.
• Students must maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average.
• Students must be active members of a contributing Southern Baptist Church.
• Students must attend monthly meetings of their campus ministerial association.
• Students must take the three-hour course entitled “Baptist Work” or its equivalent.
• Students must conduct themselves according to scriptural morality and biblical ethics.

Application for ministerial aid is available online in the link at the bottom of this page. Using the online application is quick and easy.

Materials are also available on each of the three campuses when students enroll in school at the beginning of a term. At Blue Mountain College, the applications are in the Bible Department; at Mississippi College they are in the Department of Christian Studies; and at William Carey University, applications may be obtained in the Office of the Cooper School of Missions. Applications should be in no later than one week before campus interviews. First time applicants are required to fill out an application and have a reference from their pastor including a statement that the student has met with them one on one and articulated their calling to vocational ministry. Student must also agree with the Vocational Ministry Covenant, which will be reviewed during their interview with a board member. Two other personal references are also required. Links to reference forms are provided online.

Ministerial aid checks are issued monthly during the academic year (September through May) and are given to the students through the Campus Representative.