The World Needs a Baylor. We need a seat at the table to engage scholars and ministers, to cultivate beauty and creativity, to demonstrate the richness of Christian life and to pursue academic excellence. These words are from my inauguration address a little over six years ago when I officially began serving as President of the world’s largest Baptist university and the oldest university in the state of Texas.

It is my privilege to lead more than 20,000 students, 3,000 faculty and staff and 160,000 living alumni who make up the Baylor Family. And if you have been on the journey with us since 2017, you know those were some of the darkest days in our nearly 179-year history. But amid darkness, we are called to be light. At Baylor we adopted Matthew 5:14-16 as our guide, and today we are so thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness.

We are nearing the end of our Illuminate strategic plan, and Baylor has been transformed during this time – from new endowed faculty positions to raising more than $1.4 billion in the Give Light campaign. I also like to note that Truett Seminary was the first Baylor unit to reach its fundraising goal!

We achieved Research 1 status three years ahead of schedule, and we anticipate having the highest R1 designation for years to come. In other words, Baylor will remain a top-tier, doctorate-granting university with very high research activity – while also strengthening our distinct Christian identity. In addition, several of our undergraduate programs are ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report, including Top 10 rankings for our first-year experience and our learning communities, lending additional credibility to our distinct educational experience.

We have truly been blessed.

The purpose of this new Light From Baylor e-newsletter is to share our many blessings with you – senior and lead pastors as well as friends across Texas and beyond. As you read, I hope you will find a story that piques your interest or something you want to share with a pastor friend or co-laborer. Feel free to pass it along to him or her so they can sign up for our second edition later this year.

It is an exciting time to be at Baylor, and I look forward to sharing more with you about how we strive to strengthen our Christian mission while maintaining our historic Baptist roots.

Sincerely,

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center Opens

The Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center – Baylor’s new front door at the corner of Interstate 35 and University Parks Drive in Waco – officially opened to the Baylor Family at the beginning of this school year. It is a multi-faceted facility designed to foster meaningful opportunities for connection from prospective students to alumni and to serve as a launching point for activity on campus. Moreso, however, the Welcome Center is a celebration of Baylor’s past, Baylor’s present and the wonderful and optimistic future that we have for the University.

It was made possible by the generosity of the late Mark Hurd, who was vice chair of the Board of Regents when he passed away in 2019, and his wife, Paula, who currently serves as a member of the Board. The Hurd’s generous leadership gift in 2018 helped launch the public phase of Give Light, Baylor’s comprehensive philanthropic campaign. We are forever grateful to Mark, Paula and the entire Baylor Family for their commitment to the University during the past five years.

A Season of Prayer at Baylor

Baylor University has a deep history of prayer that reflects our mission in Christian higher education and our historic Baptist roots. In the spring of 1945, Baylor students prayed for revival for 90 straight days, and in 2015 more than 35,000 attended “The Gathering” service at McLane Stadium. This year, we will reach even more people when we serve as the originating site for the 2024 Collegiate Day of Prayer. This evening service focuses on college-aged students, and is traditionally held on a college campus, while also being live-streamed around the world.

In addition to large services, we also have a tradition of bringing together small groups as well. The University has hosted several Community Prayer Breakfasts where Waco-area pastors and leaders are invited to campus to pray for students throughout the city, both college-aged and younger. And we prepare our hearts for the Easter season each spring with FM 72, a three-day prayer vigil at the center of campus on Fountain Mall.

Our Connection to Texas Baptists

For nearly two centuries, Baylor and Texas Baptists have served side by side to shine a light on God’s Kingdom, and these are exciting days for both institutions. Dr. Julio Guarneri, formerly the lead pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, was recently named Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), and I am looking forward to continuing our mutually beneficial work together, including attending annual events like the BGCT Family Gathering with my husband, Brad.

In 2023, we announced no changes were necessary to our relationship agreement, through which the BGCT provides nearly $1.3 million annually in scholarships through our George W. Truett Theological Seminary, financial aid for BGCT-affiliated pastors and ministers and their families, and in support of Baptist Student Ministry activities. Also, our Board of Regents recently approved an agreement to convey a parcel of land adjacent to campus to the Texas Baptists for construction of a new Baptist Student Ministry center. Baylor will donate the parcel to the BGCT as a building site, located on the southeast side of campus.

Growing Faith and Spiritual Wellbeing

At Baylor, faith is central to who we are. It guides the minds and hearts of faculty and staff as we strive to prepare our students for worldwide leadership and service. We have launched several initiatives to help foster the spiritual wellbeing of those within the Baylor community. Last November we engaged a Spiritual Wellbeing Task Force to help identify opportunities for improvement, and in response we established a semesterly chapel service specifically for faculty and staff and added spiritual wellbeing leave to our benefits plan that is intended to complement local church involvement.

The task force also helped design questions we were able to include in our iteration of the Great Colleges to Work For survey. Those responses have been overwhelmingly positive as faculty and staff report Baylor successfully creates an environment in which they are able to authentically live out their faith and we actively support their spiritual growth, among other observations. We believe these new offerings will help our faculty and staff along their faith journeys.

Expanding Student Chapel Opportunities

In addition to opportunities for faculty and staff, I am also pleased with improvements we have made for students relative to their chapel experience. When Baylor was founded in 1845, Chapel was a part of life for students and faculty alike. It began as a single daily prayer service for all, and it has transformed to meet needs and respond to changes within the life of the University and the world at large. For students, we now offer nine different types of chapels and 60 different sections.

Our prayer is that students will see themselves reflected in these opportunities, so we offer a traditional corporate chapel service; chapels centered around career callings like business and nursing; and chapels within the framework of the students’ living and learning communities, among other styles and formats. All Baylor undergraduate students are required to take two semesters of chapel, and they have expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity to choose an experience that is best suited to their spiritual growth.

Home to Truett Seminary

George W. Truett Theological Seminary is one of the strategic ways we demonstrate a firm commitment to our Christian mission, and later this year Truett will celebrate its 30th anniversary. In just three short decades Truett has grown from its first home on the second floor of First Baptist Church, Waco, to today’s three vibrant campuses. In addition to the flagship Baylor location, Truett also has instructional facilities in San Antonio at Trinity Baptist Church and a new home in Houston at the Lanier Theological Library and Learning Center.

But regardless of the location, the Truett vision is the same, to be a leader in the training of thoughtful, faithful Christian ministers for a 21st century Church and world. One example of this vision at work is a recent $1.25 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. enabling Truett to address rapid demographic changes and to equip intercultural churches with aspiring and active preachers – funding that supports Baylor’s status as a preeminent Christian research university.

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)