The American Baptist Theological Seminary was founded in 1924 by the National Baptist Convention (Black Baptists). In 1937, the Southern Baptist Convention agreed to share 50/50 in the operation of the college and provide scholarships for its students, creating a unique and unprecedented learning opportunity for 5 decades of African-American Church leaders and missionaries. This partnership lasted until 1996, when a joint decision was made to turn over all assets to what is now American Baptist College.
In 1944, Rev. E. W. D. Issac of the National Baptist Convention’s Training Union and the NBA’s Director of Missions Harold D. Gregory began the effort to organize a nationwide organization for African-American Baptist college students. Nashville was an ideal place because of the locations of 4 higher learning institutions: The American Baptist Theological Seminary, Meharry Medical College, Fisk University, and Tennessee State University.
A Joint Committee on Baptist Work, created on the recommendation of Isaac and Gregory to aid them in this effort, included representatives from the National Baptist Convention, The Baptist Sunday School Board, and the Home Mission Board. The Committee elected Mr. S. E. Grinstead, Sr. to start Baptist Student Unions on HBCU campuses, where students could meet for prayer, fellowship, Bible study and worship. On July 10, 1945, one such organization was created for the American Baptist Theological Seminary. This became the site of The National Baptist Student Retreat, which has been held every year since 1946.
A student center for the Baptist Student Unions of Fisk, Meharry, and TSU, at 2023 Jefferson Street, was completed in 1953 under the leadership of the Joint Committee on Baptist Work and Grinstead. The Center was called the National BSU Headquarters, and served as the hub to nationalize the BSU ministry to HBCUs. By 1963, there were 53 BSUs on HBCU campuses, thanks in large part to Grinstead’s 23-year career and his cooperation with Southern Baptists.
Minutes from NBA Annual meetings in 1983, 1985, and 1986 show the Joint Committee on Black Missions Relations worked with the Black association on Jefferson Street and many area churches and missions. In 1993, it was reported by Chris Jackson of the NBA that The Baptist Student Ministries of TSU, Fisk, and the American Bible College included more than 250 students and involved in a BSU Gospel Music and Ministry Workshop, a monthly juvenile offender ministry at Woodland Hills, a leadership retreat, and a Spring lock-in involving five schools.
The ministry of the BSU for these campuses continues today as Restoration Corner, headed by JoAnn Scaife and Jules Evans.
Sources:
Acorns to Oaks, produced by Nashville Baptist Association
A Forest of Oaks, By the River and Beyond, produced by Nashville Baptist Association
Jessie Carney Smith, Linda T Wynn, Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience, Visible Ink Press, USA, 2009, p. 83 as quoted in the Wikipedia article “American Baptist College”
About section of nbsunion.org
