Harding University’s Center for World Missions is building on its legacy of missionary service this fall through growing financial support, student-led initiatives and a new name honoring Harding’s fifth president, Dr. Bruce McLarty. Together, these developments reflect the center’s commitment to preparing students to serve others and share their faith globally.
The center was named in honor of McLarty earlier this year by recognizing his dedication to missions and honoring his vision of Harding as a “Community of Mission,” which was his motto during his presidency.
Dr. Robert Walker, a member of Harding’s board of trustees, said the decision reflects McLarty’s lasting influence on the University and his commitment to incorporating missions into every aspect of Christian life.
“In view of his emphasis on ‘mission’, and his history with missions, the board of trustees felt it most appropriate to name the Center for World Missions in honor of him,” Walker said. “We feel that it honors his legacy.”
Not only that, but the recognition also provides an opportunity for future generations of students to understand McLarty’s contribution to the University as a whole.
“We hope that students who come along in the future will better know who he was by attaching his name to the Center for World Missions,” Walker said.
Shawn Daggett, director of the center and professor in the College of Bible and Ministry, emphasized the importance of this recognition because of McLarty’s longstanding support.
“I think it was a really great decision,” Daggett said. “One, because it honors the center, but two, it also honors him.”
As the center honors the people who have helped shape it, growing endowments are helping expand opportunities for students and missionary families. These funds help support student loan assistance for graduates entering mission work, scholarships for children of missionaries and short-term mission experiences through the University, such as going to Kenya, Ghana and Italy.
The center is also working towards a $1 million endowment to support Harding University Tahkodah’s global training village, which provides hands-on missionary preparation through training experiences in an immersive simulation.
While added financial support strengthens the center’s resources, students are helping bring its mission to life across campus.
Senior Bible and missions major Drew Mickey serves as one of the six Mission Movers, student interns who organize missions chapels, All Missions Fellowship gatherings, Global Outreach meetings and evangelism opportunities. This semester, the team helped coordinate the Bible majors retreat and is connecting with students to encourage them to consider how their individual talents can contribute to spreading the gospel.
“Through one-on-one conversations with students and helping cast a vision for missions in chapel, I believe we have helped more students discover their calling as missionaries and disciple-makers for King Jesus,” Mickey said.
Looking ahead, Daggett hopes the center will continue to reach students across multiple academic disciplines through classroom instruction, mission experiences and opportunities for long-term service.
“Our prayer is that every student, regardless of their major, would join God in his mission where they are,” Daggett said.
For Daggett, that purpose is what motivates faculty and staff who prepare students for their mission work.
“That’s what gets us out of bed in the morning,” Daggett said. “That’s what gets us through the long days, and that’s why we travel in the summer.”
As the center continues to grow, Mickey hopes its influence will extend beyond Harding’s campus and inspire generations of students to participate in missions worldwide.
“What if, from our small town in Searcy, Arkansas, we could witness a global movement of students making Jesus’ mission their mission, his final command their first priority?” Mickey said.
Whether it be through honoring McLarty’s legacy by renaming the center after him, growing the endowments or empowering student leaders, Harding’s Center for World Missions is continuing to build on the mission of preparing students to serve others. As the center looks toward the future, its focus remains on carrying that vision beyond Harding’s campus and into communities around the world.
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