Baylor’s Spiritual Life Department Offers Resources and Opportunities to Entire University Community

The department of Spiritual Life exists to nurture theological depth, spiritual wholeness and missional living in the lives of students, staff and faculty at Baylor University. From corporate prayer services to discipline-specific mission trips, the resources and opportunities available to the University community through Spiritual Life are numerous.

Pastoral Care
Whether seeking direction, grief counseling or spiritual discernment, faculty, staff and students can engage in confidential conversations with chaplains on the Spiritual Life staff.

PASTORAL CARE FOR FACULTY AND STAFF
“We are pastors here on this campus,” said Burt Burleson, university chaplain and dean of Spiritual Life. “Many faculty and staff need a place where they can think about their lives in a confidential setting. As the University’s chaplain, I’m available to the entire community.”

REFERRING A STUDENT FOR PASTORAL CARE
Spiritual Life partners with the counseling center and resident chaplains to minister to students who need guidance or who are facing crises. Faculty and staff can refer students by calling the Spiritual Life office at (254) 710–3517 or emailing spiritual_life@baylor.edu.

Discipline-Specific Mission Trips
Baylor Missions creates tangible opportunities for students to use the knowledge and skills they gain in the classroom to impact the world. Faculty and staff lead and participate in discipline-specific mission trips and international research through Baylor Missions.

“Discipline-specific mission trips are opportunities to integrate faith, learning and service,” said Rebecca Kennedy, associate chaplain and assistant dean for Spiritual Life and Missions. “When we embed students along with faculty and staff mentors, we show them how to be a caring Christian no matter where in the world they happen to be. Helping our students see the world this way is invaluable.”

Spiritual Formation
Opportunities for theological exploration and spiritual growth are available to faculty and staff through retreats, seminars and workshops.

“Baylor Formation exists to nurture your faith and provide opportunities for spiritual growth,” said Kristen Richardson, associate chaplain and director of Formation. “Whether you are an undergraduate, graduate student or a faculty or staff member, you can participate in a variety of programs that encourage theological exploration and foster connection with God and your community.”

For more information and a schedule of programs and events, visit:
facebook.com/BUSpiritualLife
twitter.com/BUSpiritualLife
baylor.edu/spirituallife

Worship and Prayer
WEEKLY SERVICES
Every Monday through Thursday at 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., three prayer services are observed across campus. At Elliston Chapel, Memorial Chapel and Robbins Chapel a faculty member and a resident chaplain co-lead a time of prayer for students and Baylor faculty and staff.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend Chapel alongside Baylor students. The Chapel schedule, with a list of upcoming speakers, can be accessed at baylor.edu/spirituallife/chapel.

PRAYER AND WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
In addition to the weekly prayer and worship services, Spiritual Life offers monthly Taize services for faculty and staff, which incorporate a contemplative style of worship. At the conclusion of each academic semester, the Lift up Your Heart service is held at Truett Seminary’s Paul Powell Chapel. Frequent prayer services, open to faculty and staff, are planned in light of world events and crises.

“When we gather together as a community for prayer and worship, we are illustrating, tangibly, the intersection of faith and learning,” said Ryan Richardson, associate chaplain and director for worship.

Additional Resources
SPIRITUAL LIFE LIBRARY
The Spiritual Life staff hand-selects a collection of books about clarity for the future, dealing with grief and loss, growing deeper in the faith, experiencing a new perspective and seeking spiritual discipline.

A comprehensive list of titles, sorted by category, is provided at baylor.edu/spirituallife.

TEACHING AND SPEAKING
Spiritual Life serves as a partner to academic units, offering strategies to integrate faith and learning in the classroom. Faculty can request a Spiritual Life staff member to deliver a presentation relating their spiritual expertise to a specific discipline.

“When academic units and Spiritual Life partner together, students have the opportunity to see their professors and other staff members as people of faith, engaged in serious, academic work and thinking about it theologically and spiritually,” Burleson said.