A Southern Baptist children’s ministry in New Mexico has introduced a new initiative that will cover seminary education costs for houseparents serving in its residential care program.
New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home recently approved the tuition assistance effort and has already begun speaking with prospective applicants currently serving as houseparents, the adults responsible for caring for children living on campus.
Under the new plan, the ministry will pay full-time seminary tuition for one spouse and part-time tuition for the other at any of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention or at an affiliated college. The organization will also provide financial assistance for textbooks, offering up to $300 per semester.
“This is in addition to our generous compensation package, which includes a salary of $83,000 per couple; housing and utilities, including internet, fully paid,” NMBCH Vice President Lon Graham told The Christian Post.
“[It also includes] 100% paid health, dental, long-term disability and life insurance premiums for employees and dependents; employer contributions to a 403(b) retirement plan; scholarship opportunities for dependent children; and relocation assistance.”
The decision to adopt the seminary tuition program “came after months of prayer and thought, driven by two convictions that beautifully reinforce one another," Graham said.
According to Graham, the initiative is intended to strengthen both the caregivers and the children they serve while advancing the ministry’s broader mission.
Applicants interested in participating must complete a background screening and demonstrate both spiritual maturity and a passion for caring for vulnerable children.
Candidates must have “a genuine call to care for children from hard places, who are committed followers of Jesus, and who bring an active, energetic spirit to daily life,” Graham said.
“Most of all, we are looking for people who are hungry for a meaningful place to serve the most vulnerable and precious people in our society: children,” he added.
“Children who come from hard places need more than a warm bed and three meals a day,” he said. “They need houseparents who have been steeped in Scripture, who have wrestled with the deep things of the Gospel, and who can bring that wisdom to bear in the beautifully messy and unpredictable moments of healing and growth that take place in everyday life.”
