Expanding God’s Kingdom

Ever since Baylor University was founded in 1845, one of its primary areas of focus has been serving Christ and the Christian church. In fact, this essential part of the University’s ongoing mission forms the beginning of the motto inscribed on Baylor’s official seal: Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo (For the Church, For Texas, For the World).

During its early history, Baylor primarily pursued this mission by producing leaders who spread across Texas and beyond to fill the pulpits of Baptist churches and to guide Christian organizations devoted to missionary work, religious education and church development.

One of Baylor’s most prominent Kingdom-building alumni was George W. Truett, the namesake of the University’s seminary. After graduating from Baylor in 1897, Truett became pastor of First Baptist Dallas — a position he would hold for forty-seven years. The church became the largest and most influential of its time, and Truett was considered the greatest preacher of his generation while also serving as president of the Baptist World Alliance and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Another notable alumnus, Howard Butt, Jr., heir to one of the largest grocery chains in the country (H-E-B), lived in the tension between his responsibilities to the family business and a calling to ministry and preaching he recognized at Baylor. Butt began an intimate prayer meeting in Baylor’s Baptist Student Union that quickly exploded into student-led revivals across the country in what would become known as the Youth Revival Movement. After graduating in 1947, Butt continued to preach, worked with Billy Graham and began the Layman’s Leadership Institutes for Christian business and other leaders. Butt also was a founder of Christianity Today magazine.  

Baylor alumni also have gone on to shape the entertainment industry as an extension of their ministry. Jarrell McCracken, founder of Word Records, and Billy Ray Hearn, founder of Myrrh and later Sparrow Records, are largely credited with launching the Christian music industry that is thriving today.

It should come as no surprise that Baylor, as the world’s largest Baptist-affiliated institution of higher learning, continues to send out successful preachers and religious leaders into the world. Among the many Bears leading Christian ministries today is Todd Roberson, president and CEO of Children at Heart Ministries, which operates a series of ministries serving children and strengthening families. Louie and Shelley Giglio lead Passion City Church in Atlanta and also are founders of the Passion Conference, an annual gathering that brings hundreds of thousands of Christian young people together for worship and prayer — a ministry born out of a bible study that began at Baylor. In The Woodlands, Kerry and Chris Shook founded Woodlands Church in 1993 with a vision to reach the families of their community with the message of Christ’s love. Today, the church has grown to three locations with over 18,000 in weekly attendance. In addition, René Maciel, Missions and Community Outreach Pastor at First Woodway Baptist Church in Waco and Steve Wells, Pastor of South Main Baptist Church in Houston are active members of Baylor’s Board of Regents. 

Generation after generation, integrating faith with academic excellence has been the foundation of the Baylor student experience. Chapel remains a required part of students’ degree programs, and Baylor Bears enjoy abundant resources for spiritual formation and Christian fellowship. In addition, all across Baylor’s campus you can find efforts specifically designed to build up and support future church leaders, young people pursuing church music and myriad other ministry opportunities. 

Among these, the Program for the Future Church is a growing program within Truett Seminary, which connects professors with church and community leaders to listen, imagine and pilot solutions for the challenges that face the Church today. In addition, Truett Seminary’s Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching prepares students for ministry in a variety of settings and offers conferences, sabbatical programs, academic resources and more to elevate preachers and the centrality of preaching within the Church. The Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies in Baylor’s School of Music is expanding its work with church partners who are cultivating youth worship leaders to scale and adapt models for other churches. 

As Baylor University advances the frontiers of knowledge as an R1 research university, it holds fast to the Christian vision of its founders while cultivating a Christian worldview among its students and serving the surrounding world.