[Next Generation] Colt Booth – Why Baptist Collegiate Ministries are so important

This article was written by Jared Farley, BCM campus minister at Henderson State University, his alma mater. Mary (his wife) and Jared have been married for 5 years and love discipling college students to know and love God more fully.

“I grew up going to church every Sunday, but it was purely a cultural obligation.” Colt Booth is the assistant campus minister at Henderson State University (HSU) and his story is why Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) plays such a critical role on the college campus. During his senior year of high school, Booth moved from a cultural understanding of the church to a commitment to follow Jesus.

However, it was not until he got to college that he started to understand how to follow Jesus. A friend/mentor from church camp told Booth about BCM and he became connected through a back-to-school cookout. “I met a guy named Andrew and he invited me to be part of a BCM small group. I started to hang out with guys who were seeking to grow spiritually. It spurred me on and had a great impact on my life for the next four years.”

Booth started thinking more about ministry on an Acts 1:8 mission trip when he got the opportunity to share the Gospel. Tarvoris Uzoigwe, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff BCM campus minister, boldly shared the Gospel and gave him a glimpse of what could happen on campus.

Back at Henderson, Jared Farley (HSU campus minster) started to take Booth to the cafeteria to look for opportunities to share the Gospel and disciple other students. He and Farley started to meet regularly for discipleship and accountability. Eventually, Booth grew enough to become a leader on campus and began to disciple other students.

After graduation, Booth transitioned to working on staff at the BCM and pursuing his seminary degree online at the same time. One of the highlights of this year was when Marcus decided to commit his life to Christ. “We had been working with Marcus for over a year” said Booth. “We would have planned time to study the Bible together and lots of random conversations about the Gospel.” After many moments where it seemed like Marcus lost interest, he made the full commitment and was baptized soon after. “It was amazing to see God work in all those moments even when I felt like there was not much going on in Marcus’ life” shared Booth.

Booth plans to stay on campus sharing and discipling at Henderson for a few more semesters. Eventually, he plans to move outside the Bible belt, possibly to the northeast. He shared, “I feel like there is a lack of Christian workers and churches in those areas. I feel pulled to a place like this where there is a real need for what I have received from the BCM.”