New Center for Christian History Launches with Seminar
Founder Nick Walters has big plans for the burgeoning program.
Mississippi College (MC) announced its partnership with the Center for Christian History (CCH) in late September. The new nonprofit organization seeks to curate accurate, readily available historical resources, develop resources to address gaps in historical knowledge, and communicate the information in various ways for all types of needs.
Nick Walters, founder of CCH and MC graduate, hopes to onboard experts from across the world to advise the work.

“We will be building an academic Advisory Board,” Walters said. “These would be people from anywhere around the world. They're not all going to be Baptists. They're going to be people from any number of stripes, as long as they understand and believe in the authority of Scripture.”
In cooperation with MC President Dr. Blake Thompson, Walters is building a nonacademic Advisory Board as well. Currently, the Board consists of Dr. Evan Lenow, Associate Professor and Chair of Christian Studies, and Dr. Billy Morehead, Professor of Accounting. In total, the Board will have five advisors.
The history enthusiast earned a degree in Political Science and an honorary degree in History. After graduating, Walters served on several government staffs and was appointed by President George W. Bush to USDA-Rural Development in Mississippi in 2005. In 2006, Walters began a grant consulting company, working specifically with nonprofits. His expertise in grants and nonprofits has given him a strong foundation for starting CCH.
Walters has many plans for CCH. The first project is creating an Encyclopedia for Christian History, which, according to Walters, is currently not in existence. The Encyclopedia will be an unbiased, trusted resource for students, educators, and history lovers. The hope is for experts from across the world to put together sections in their field of study.
Another goal is to launch a weekly history podcast. Each episode will focus on content from Christian History Today, which includes articles available on the CCH website. These articles highlight important historical events that happened in the same month and day as the current date. Walters envisions this podcast as being entirely student-run.
“Opportunities, such as working with CCH, are important for students because we are allowed to gain real-world experience within a safe space to learn and grow in our field,” Xavian Branch, senior public relations major, said.
Students have been integrated into the heart of the nonprofit. The Center for Christian History is a client of Big River Strategies (BRS), MC’s student Public Relations Agency, of which Branch is a team member.
“The CCH seeks to spread the history of the Bible, which reflects the values of Mississippi College,” Branch said. “This in itself makes this a worthwhile client for BRS to take on.”
With the assistance of BRS, the CCH hosted its inaugural event, a five-hour class covering ‘The History of the Protestant Bible,’ on October 4 and 5. Walters expects to hold at least three more similar classes throughout the academic year. The seminar was open to both students and the community.
“We want people outside of the college to come and take these,” Walters said. “But we want students to be a part of what we're doing, and we want to have opportunities for them.”