Spiritual Wellbeing for Leaders – Mission
In the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” Jesus’s mission statement for His church was only 9 words long. But there is much we have to do in order to fulfill that mission. As we go to make disciples, we are called to share the gospel, show God’s love to others, and to “do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly” with our God. (Micah 6:8)
Baylor’s founders looked to the Great Commission for inspiration in founding our beloved university with a vision to serve the academic and spiritual needs “of all the ages to come.” For nearly two centuries, Baylor has remained true to our founding mission as the Christian faith has been a vital and distinguishing feature of our identity since 1845.
Today, Baylor’s Christian mission is to not only fill heads with knowledge, but also to prepare hearts for service to others. As our mission statement declares, “The mission of Baylor University is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service.” Our mission is where we serve and engage with others. It is what motivates us and keeps us rooted in our faith, both as individuals and as an institution.
As leaders of faith at Baylor we have a unique opportunity to model not only for our students, but also for those we lead, as well as a watching world, the best of what it means to be a Christian institution of higher education and research. But to show our best, we need to be at our best. Over the past four months as we have followed along with Brian Heasley’s Be Still: A Simple Guide to Quiet Times Bible study, we have examined the spiritual practices of “quiet time” to help us connect with God and grow deeper in His word. But our quiet time is just our staging ground for our mission work. As Heasley says, “God invites us into fellowship with Him and sends us out to encounter the world.” He concludes, “This is the joy and excitement of our mission.” We practice stillness, wonder, and hiddenness in our quiet times so we can be revitalized, empowered, and purposeful when we engage in our mission work.
Learn more about this topic in Heasley’s fourth lesson "Mission" at RightNowMedia@Work. If you do not have access to RightNowMedia@Work to view the "Be Still: A Simple Guide to Quiet Times” series, Baylor provides free access to all faculty and staff at: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/BaylorUHumanResources.
Additional Resources:
- Baylor’s Founding and Mission: Our Founding
