The Caskey Center for Church Excellence at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College announced the addition of up to six full-tuition scholarships for ministers serving in churches affiliated with the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana (SCBI).
“The Caskey Center is thrilled to announce the addition of Indiana to the family of states where ministers of smaller membership Southern Baptist churches may receive a full-tuition scholarship to NOBTS and Leavell College,” said Mark Tolbert, director of the Caskey Center and professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at NOBTS. “A generous gift from an anonymous donor makes this incredible opportunity possible for those serving in normal size Southern Baptist churches.”
The Caskey Center will fund two full-tuition scholarships in Indiana for NOBTS and Leavell College undergraduate and graduate students for the Fall 2022 semester. Two scholarships will be added during the subsequent two Fall semesters, bringing the total number of Indiana scholarships to six.
The scholarships are available to students serving as a bivocational minister or in a smaller membership (150 or less in worship) SCBI church.
The Caskey Center launched in 2014 through an anonymous gift in memory of the late Rev. Steve Caskey, who pastored smaller membership churches in Louisiana. Through scholarships, conferences, and research, the center provides resources and training for those serving in bivocational and smaller membership churches.
One of the most notable ways the Caskey Center helps pastors is through a full-tuition scholarship program for undergraduate and graduate students at NOBTS and Leavell College. Caskey scholarships are available to students serving in Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The Caskey Center also oversees additional partnership scholarships in Wyoming and Montana. In total, The Caskey Center provides over 300 full-tuition scholarships to qualified students.
Evangelism remains a major thrust of the scholarship program. Students must enroll in a Personal Witnessing Practicum Course every semester and engage in gospel conversations every week. Since the launch of the Caskey scholarship in 2014, students have shared the gospel more than 50,000 times, leading to more than 6,000 professions of faith.
Baptist leaders from Indiana will have input in the selection process for the Indiana recipients. However, the students must fill out the Caskey application and participate in an interview with the Caskey director. The final decision to award scholarships is determined by the Caskey staff.
“We encourage those interested in this scholarship to apply at caskeycenter@nobts.edu by June 15 for consideration for the fall semester. A written application and personal interview will be considered as part of the application process,” Tolbert said.
For more information on the Caskey Center or Caskey Scholarships, visit www.nobts.edu/caskeycenter.
