By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
NATCHITOCHES, La. (LBM) – Austin McCurry, director of the Louisiana State University of Alexandria Baptist Collegiate Ministry, has been named to the same role with the Northwestern State University.
McCurry, who will start on April 1, is a former member of the NSU BCM and follows Bill Collins, who is retiring March 31 after 36 years of faithful service to students on the campus.
“My time at the NSU BCM changed the course of my life,” McCurry told the Baptist Message. “I wouldn’t be the follower of Jesus, husband, father and campus minister I am without Brother Bill and (his wife) Mrs. Phyllis, along with their faithful work through the NSU BCM.
“I’m excited to serve at a university that I love in a city that I love,” he continued. “It’s going to be special for my daughter to grow up around a ministry where her parents and her grandparents met. It’s an honor to shepherd a ministry with the legacy of the NSU BCM.”
McCurry first became involved with the NSU BCM during his sophomore year (August 2013) and a year later joined the leadership team while Collins was director. After graduating from NSU, McCurry remained at the BCM as an intern until May 2018, when he left to attend New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
He also has served as a campus missionary (intern) with the New Orleans Metro BCM with the University of New Orleans (August 2018-May 2021), and dually as director, Amarillo College Baptist Student Ministry, Amarillo, Texas, and associate director, West Texas A&M BSM, Canyon, Texas (July 2021-June 2023).
McCurry and his wife, Lindsay, have one daughter, Ashton.
Once he arrives on the NSU campus, McCurry hopes to continue the strong legacy of helping students be lifelong followers of Jesus.
“I want to emphasize personal evangelism, strong student discipleship and the cultivation of a missional mindset among students on campus and beyond,” he said.
Louisiana Baptist Collegiate Ministry State Director Mark Robinson said McCurry’s heart for discipleship, student leadership and Gospel-centered ministry makes him the perfect fit to carry forward the NSU BCM legacy.
“Succession done well is the culmination of discipleship,” Robinson said. “A humble handoff is a holy act. What we’re witnessing with Northwestern State is more than a transition — it’s the fruit of faithful disciple-making.
“Bill Collins has modeled what it means to lead with integrity and finish with grace, and Austin McCurry is stepping into this role with the same heart for students and the Gospel,” he continued. “This is a legacy worth celebrating.”
