Article Date
September 23, 2005
Dr. Michael Wilson brings experience in the mission field and in educational training, as he comes on board as coordinator of Oklahoma Baptist University's Ministry Training Institute. Wilson coordinates MTI centers which operate at 15 sites in Oklahoma, and in five other states.
In its 22nd year, MTI equips people to improve their service through college credit courses. The program offers a diploma in Christian studies with the completion of 42 hours. Students can earn the associate of arts degree from OBU with the completion of 64 hours, or a bachelor's degree in Christian studies with the completion of 128 hours.
Serving 22 years with Southern Baptists' International Mission Board in Togo, West Africa, Wilson directed adult literacy, theological education and Bible correspondence programs. He also has worked in research and program development at the University of Oklahoma's Center for English as a Second Language and served as campus chair of the University of Phoenix at Oklahoma City.
Wilson wrote and edited adult literacy books, teacher training materials and other publications such as Distance Education: An International Journal. He also is published and served as editor of publications in France and Japan.
Fluent in the French language, Wilson served on an editorial task force for the English and French versions of Master Life, a discipleship program created by Dr. Avery T. Willis. Wilson also speaks Ewe, a West African language.
He holds a master's degree from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. degree in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma. His doctoral studies focused on cross-cultural factors in distance education.
He also attended Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and did French language studies at the Institut de Touriaine, Tours, France.
A history enthusiast, Wilson is involved with the Oklahoma Archeological Survey, seeking to find burial sites of Confederate dead at the Honey Springs Battlefield National Monument in eastern Oklahoma.
Wilson is a deacon and men's Bible study teacher at First Baptist Church, Norman, Okla. His wife, Beth, is a graduate of OBU, as are their two older children. Their youngest child, Brian, is currently an OBU student.
Tuition for the MTI program is $60 per credit hour with a $25 enrollment fee each semester. Those interested in enrolling may call the MTI Office at OBU (405)878-2230.