Truett Alumni

What does it look like to serve a rural Texas congregation? For Truett Seminary alumnus Chris McLain, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Bandera, it means building relationships, serving his community, and embracing the everyday work of pastoral ministry. A 2014 Master of Divinity graduate, he shares how Truett shaped his calling and continues to influence his ministry in the Texas Hill Country.

In Baylor University’s motto, the phrase, Pro Mundo — “For the World” — takes on a particular significance at Truett Seminary when we are able to link arms with our alumni for ministry connection in unique spaces around the globe. As part of this effort for Truett Seminary, Rev. Dr. Kenneth McNeil, DMin, director of Ministry Connections, took a trip to Rwanda to partner with Truett alumna, Solange Balikunde (MDiv, 2022) to serve local pastors and ministry leaders.

This summer eleven alumni said yes to Dr. Mike Stroope and the Ministry for Life grant as they pressed pause, traveled to Spain, and trekked the Camino de Santiago as a group. Over the 96-mile journey they walked alongside other pilgrims and took time to explore two important topics: vocation and call. Below are some reflections once they returned from the trip back in June. 

Discernment does not end with clarity of calling; it moves toward faithful placement and lived ministry. For Kenneth McNeil, director of Ministry Connections, that movement is where much of his work is situated. His role places him at a critical point in the life of the Seminary, where formation meets vocation and where students begin to step into the work they have been preparing to do.