By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Pastor Mike Carter grew up Southern Baptist in Detroit and preaches Pentecostal style in Bowling Green.
“I guess that makes me full gospel,” said Carter, who is pastor of the Kingdom M Powerment ministry on the campus of Bowling Green State University.
He preaches to students that a church is more than four walls. And he is hoping to show that by reaching out into the Bowling Green community.
“I don’t want to be just a campus ministry, but be a community ministry,” Carter said.
Carter came to BGSU in February of 2020 – on the verge of multiple crises.
He arrived at the end of the protests to change the name of the Lillian Gish theater, where the church had been meeting. Gish, an alumna of BGSU, had starred in the 1915 silent movie, “Birth of a Nation” which glorified the KKK and vilified African Americans.
Then COVID hit and students were sent home and attended classes remotely. The regular attendance of 120 at his Sunday services still hasn’t recovered.
“We’re excited if we see 50,” Carter said. “I see less Black kids on campus than I did before.”
Then came a couple incidents of armed people on campus, which greatly affected his congregation and their comfort on campus. Carter said he had to cancel an off-campus Bible study the day after Joe Biden was declared president-elect. Students were afraid to walk off campus.
“We’ve been through some extreme challenges,” he said.
But Carter continues preaching his message of Christian relevance in this world.
The church meets every Sunday at 1:30 p.m., in Room 101 of Olscamp Hall. His services are “much more energetic and more charismatic” than some might be accustomed to. The music is a blend of gospel and Top 30 Billboard Christian music.
“We’re trying to create a multi-ethnic feel,” he said.
There’s a dance team and drama team.
And most importantly to some, Carter’s sermons last about 24 minutes, so church is out at 2:45 p.m.
“You can still catch the end of the Browns game,” he said with a grin.
“We’re preaching the same gospel” from a different perspective. “It’s Biblically sound, Evangelical, Orthodox.”
His messages are relevant.
“I think these times require more strategic ministry,” Carter said.
“A lot of people are broken, hurt, disenfranchised,” after COVID and after George Floyd’s murder. Particularly his Black parishioners. “When America gets a cold. We get pneumonia.”
So Carter addresses tough topics from the pulpit – George Floyd, the youth murder rate in Toledo, hunger, unplanned pregnancies, and the border patrol agents recently using horses and reins to move people at the border.
“I can’t let that go,” he said. “Some of that’s going to creep into my service.”
“The younger students are looking for passion. You’ve got to be relevant,” he said. “We’re going to address everything out there.”
Carter, who lives in Sylvania, wants to take his ministry beyond campus in Bowling Green.
“My whole goal is to be the city’s church,” he said.
He is looking for a place in the community to hold a second service each week.
“I’m looking at how do we meet the needs of those around us, and not be just a campus-based church,” he said. “We seek to not only be a place for students, but we hope to become a place to welcome the entire community. We’re looking for opportunities to fill gaps.”
Carter’s ministry includes meeting other needs. In his offices are nearly 70 bins filled with brand new clothing still in plastic wrap. There are flannel shirts, dress shirts and neckties for men, bow ties for little boys. There are blouses and sweaters for women, pajamas, baby clothes, underwear and winter hats.
“I’m learning the minority populations in Bowling Green are more likely to be in poverty,” he said. “I want to meet the needs of the marginalized. We want them to call us when they have a need.”
The ministry also offers food – “nothing I wouldn’t eat,” Carter said.
“It’s a calling, to see ministry differently,” that he is sharing with his church, he said. “You can become your brother’s keeper. You don’t have to be broken.”
