Benjamin Speidel, an incoming student at Spurgeon College, the undergraduate school at the SBC’s Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, died Saturday while hiking during an intensive missions training program. He was 20.
“This is the hardest thing we’ve ever had to share. And there is no simple or eloquent way to say the words, but on Saturday evening, our son and brother, Benjamin, collapsed from a cardiac arrest on a hike, and went to be with the Lord,” Speidel’s family shared in a statement on Facebook Wednesday.
The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed Speidel’s death in a press statement but said, “His cause of death is still pending. No foul play was suspected.”
In an earlier statement, it was noted that deputies responded to a medical call at the Wyandotte County Lake at approximately 7:40 p.m. on Saturday. First responders tried to save Speidel’s life, but he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Spurgeon College said in a statement that at the time of his death, Speidel was participating in missions training week. It is an intensive, boot-camp-style preparation period for incoming students participating in the Fusion missionary training program.
“This comes as a tragic, traumatic event for all of us, especially for the Speidel family and those students and staff in closest proximity to Ben,” MBTS President Jason K. Allen said. “By all accounts, he was a promising young man who loved the Lord. As a father of three college-aged students, I simply cannot imagine what the Speidel family is enduring. I covet your prayers for them and for the campus community as a whole.”
Following his death, seminary leadership communicated with students and families and made counselors available to those affected over the weekend; the school said counseling support remains accessible.
Speidel was an active member at Lenexa Baptist Church with his family, where he participated in the church’s Senior Challenge program for graduating seniors, the college said.
“I had the pleasure of getting to know Ben this last year through our Senior Challenge program,” said Pastor Chad McDonald, who worked with him during the program. “For eight weeks this spring, Ben would show up in the evening along with several other fellow seniors to be challenged through the Word. His love and commitment to Christ was obvious. He wanted to give his life in service to Christ and see others find the hope of the gospel. He claimed Christ and lived Christ. We have no doubt about where Ben is today. He is with Jesus. His faith has become sight.”
Sam Bierig, dean of Spurgeon College, also shared his condolences.
“I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Benjamin Speidel,” Bierig said. “I grieve for his parents and siblings, and, as a parent, cannot imagine what the Speidel family is going through as they have lost their son. This is, of course, a great blow to our mission teams and the whole Spurgeon College community. His presence and passion for the Great Commission will be greatly missed.”
In their statement on his passing, Speidel’s family said: “He was training with a program to do the things he loved best: study the Bible, help as many people as he could, and share the love of Jesus with others.”
A celebration of his life is scheduled for Aug. 24 at Lenexa Baptist Church in Lenexa, Kansas.
“There are many questions as to ‘why’ when something like this happens, but from the scientific community to every story shared from the students and staff he was with, especially those that knew him almost as well as we did; we believe as hard as it is to accept, that nothing would have prevented this from happening,” the family, including his parents, Peter and Maria Speidel continued. “So as a family we are grateful that he was doing what he always did: thoughtfully following Jesus day by day.”
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