More Than a Label: Baylor’s Christian Mission in the Classroom
Baylor is distinct in higher education as a Christian research university, grounded in our Christian mission and committed to excellence in all areas that impact our students—teaching, research, student life and more. How does the University’s Christian mission shape student learning? Dr. Matt Quade, the Kimberly and Aaron P. Graft Professor in Christian Leadership in Business, nationally recognized business ethics expert, Associate Dean for Values-Based Leadership and director of the Center for Christian Leadership and Ethics in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, shares more:
One of the great gifts I have found in teaching at Baylor is the freedom to talk about leadership and organizational behavior through a Christian lens, and to encourage students to think about how their faith informs the work they will be doing. As Christians, we believe God's Word is the ultimate truth. Because of that, there's a lot of value and benefit in what we can learn from Scripture and apply to any subject, including Management.
Baylor students are eager to connect Christian faith to their coursework, and I've found that whenever those connections are made, they resonate. This isn't limited to the business school. Across Baylor, faculty and staff are thinking intentionally about Christian character, faith integration and student formation. One of the things that surprises people the more they get to know our university better is how intentionally Baylor strives to live out our Christian mission. They discover our Christian identity is more than a label; it is something that shapes the way we teach and form students. For many of our students, this integration of faith and excellent academics is a big part of why they chose Baylor.
What does this look like? Of course, we focus on equipping students with the necessary skills they will need to succeed after graduation. In business, that means things like accounting best practices, robust financial analysis, optimized supply chains marked by integrity, or innovative information systems solutions, much like you would find in other outstanding business schools. One of the things that makes Baylor distinctive, however, is the ability to ask how those skills should be approached with a commitment to something larger than ourselves.
In the business school, we've identified four core values, deeply rooted in our Christian faith, that help guide that work: community, humility, excellence, and stewardship. Focusing on community helps us remember that connection with others allows us to have greater influence in and through our organizations. Humility points us toward the character of Christ – it is a distinctive mark of Christian leadership. Excellence means pushing beyond acceptable and striving for exceptional, remembering that doing so honors the Lord. Stewardship reminds us the resources entrusted to us are not really ours, but rather a responsibility we get to tend.
In my classes, which are focused on servant leadership and leading with integrity, I am grateful to be able to integrate my Christian faith in clear ways. For example, we learn how a person’s Christian faith can be a guidepost in how they navigate ethical dilemmas in their work. Given the complex challenges that leaders face, students also learn about how spiritual disciplines of knowing God’s word and using it for guidance, spending time in prayer, and seeking wise council are not just disciplines good for our spiritual development, but they are wise practices for business leaders as well.
A final example comes from our Christian Leadership in Business (CLB) program, in which we walk through passages of scripture that can prove to be foundational for students preparing for their future as leaders in business. In Ephesians 4, Paul describes humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with others in love as marks of how we should live as Christians. We also spend time in Matthew 5 discussing what it means to be the light of the world, seeing our work as vocation and a reflection of Christ at work in the world. These passages help students think about leadership not simply as influence or achievement, but as a way of representing Christ in the places God calls them.
Ultimately, we want students to leave Baylor as men and women of strong character, with a consistent ethical framework, and a deep personal integrity. The reality is that every one of our students will face ethical dilemmas in their careers. We want them to have something larger than themselves guiding them in those moments. As Christians, we hope they will be able to look to God and His Word and say, "This is what guides me. This is what anchors me as I navigate difficult circumstances."
If students leave Baylor prepared for professional excellence and marked by humility and stewardship with a sense their work can be part of God's calling on their lives, then we have gone a long way in fulfilling our mission “to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.”