James McCullough believed God called him to be a pastor when he was a young man. However, although he continued to be active in church, he chose another career path. But 17 years ago McCullough accepted his calling from years before and was ordained as a minister in 1993.

McCullough continued working as a network manager for the government at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, but also became a bi-vocational pastor. He took his new job seriously and wanted to learn to be a better pastor.

"I looked at some options, but it was too hard to attend classes so far out of town with the demands of having a full-time job and being a pastor," McCullough said.

That's when he discovered the Middle Georgia Baptist Bible Institute and a teacher who has been his mentor for the past 17 years.

In the early 1970s I.W. Bowen was approached by a Georgia Baptist staff member who shared a vision of a Bible institute.

"He told me he had a dream of forming a Bible institute for bi-vocational ministers who weren't able to go to college or seminary. It would be for anyone who had a desire to learn more about the Bible," said Bowen, who was then religion professor at Tift College.

In 1974 the GBC sponsored a weekend session, led by Bowen and another professor.

"We had about 50 people respond that first weekend. They were hungry for it," Bowen said.

So Bowen became the first teacher at the newly created Bible Institute. The school had no specific location - and still doesn't. Students met on the Mercer University campus for awhile and over the years have moved several times.

Bowen, 78, has been officially retired for the past 13 years, but he has continued to teach a variety of classes every quarter since 1974. He missed only one quarter when he was recovering from surgery. He even taught through one quarter when he had a heart attack.

"I just love teaching," he said. "They told me I could go back to teaching (after his heart attack) if I stayed out of stressful situations."

But the interstate travel from Bowen's home in Forsyth to Macon proved to be stressful to the teacher, so he told his class that he wouldn't be teaching anymore once he completed the current quarter.

"The next week when I went back to class they said if I couldn't come to them, they would come to me," Bowen recalled.

The next quarter classes were moved to a local church in Forsyth just a few miles from Bowen's home.

The classes at all the institutes cover the books of the Bible.

"I usually teach a book of the Bible in an eight-week session, although some are longer," he said. "I take 16 weeks to teach Revelation and I took 16 weeks to teach the Sermon on the Mount. I didn't want to skim through it."

The classes provide pastors and other church leaders and teachers with basic Bible knowledge.

"It's an important opportunity for ministers who have not had the opportunity to get grass roots information on Scripture, theology, Bible and implementation of ministerial skills," said Frank Major, GBC specialist in continuing education.

Bowen agreed.

"It gives them security in knowledge of the Word of God. So many come in not even knowing how the Bible came to us," he said.

Bowen is contemplating retirement, but he's finding it hard to think about quitting.

"Teaching is like printer's ink. Once it's under your fingernails you can't get it out," he admitted.

His students hope he keeps on doing what he loves.

"He's a wonderful teacher," McCullough said. "He's had a profound impact on the lives of pastors, teachers and deacons. He's been God's gift to a lot of people."

 

There are six Baptist Bible institutes in Georgia:

• Middle Georgia Baptist Bible Institute
  Forsyth, Monroe Co. (marked in purple)
• Northeast Georgia Baptist Bible Institute Gainesville, Hall Co. (marked in yellow)
• Tri-State Baptist Bible Institute Dillard, Rabun Co. (marked in red)
• Southwest Georgia Baptist Bible Institute Bainbridge, Decatur Co. (marked in green)
• Crawford County Baptist Bible Institute Roberta, Crawford Co. (marked in blue)
• Hispanic Bible Institute Tifton, Tift Co. (marked in orange)

Baptist Bible Institute classes are open to bi-vocational pastors, church teachers and leaders.

For more information about these schools, contact Frank Major at (770) 936-5244 or (800) RING-GBC.

Baptist Bible Institutes are available because of your gifts to the Cooperative Program.

You and your church may send

Cooperative Program gifts to:

J. Robert White
Executive Director, GBC
2930 Flowers Road South
Atlanta, GA 30341