I was a freshman in college 22 years ago. I was confident I was meant to attend Baylor University and assured of my call to ministry, but I was unsure what my major would be.
Before that year, ministry and service in my hometown provided contrasting experiences that taught me lessons in cultural humility and collaboration. As I moved to Waco and continued to gravitate to service and ministry opportunities, engaging alongside neighbors and friends in Waco with life experiences much different from mine, I began to ask deeper questions about God and faith regarding privilege, equity, and power.
God planted social justice in my heart, even if I didn’t have the words to describe it.
In the fall of my sophomore year, I attended a Baptist gathering where Dr. Gaynor Yancey was honored with an award for her ministry and service. As she shared her life story as a missionary in inner-city Philadelphia for over 30 years, reviving churches, serving as Food Bank Executive Director, Social Worker and Minister, I felt God saying, “That’s it, Mallory – that’s the ministry I’m calling you to.”
After meeting with Dr. Yancey, I soon declared social work my major. The Diana R. Garland School of Social Work is where I fell in love with the professional practice of the field.
The Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) is a research center housed in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, where I felt affirmed in my calling to congregational social work.
My story is not unique. Since the program’s inception in the early 2000s, the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work has graduated 153 students with the dual Master of Social Work (MSW)/Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree in partnership with Truett Seminary. Each of these graduates focused on the intersection of faith and social work.
Additionally, numerous MSW students have served as grant-funded Research Assistants for C3I over the years under the direction of Drs. Diana R. Garland, Jon Singletary, and Gaynor Yancey. Countless social work students have also participated in the student-led Congregational Social Work Initiative.
Initially called The Center for Family and Community Ministries (CFCM), C3I provides research and hands-on training to congregations, denominational agencies and religiously affiliated organizations, equipping them to create environments of relational belonging that extend to their surrounding communities.
The C3I believes when congregations thrive, they become sources of strength and support for individuals, families, and communities.
The Center for Family and Community Ministries (CFCM) began in 1998 with a grant from the Lilly Endowment. Additional funding came from other grants, conference registration fees, subscriptions and other revenue streams.
The CFCM was committed to undergirding the critical roles congregations and faith-based organizations have in building strong, resilient families–nurturing the life of faith in the home and community, providing supportive communities where families can raise joyful and responsible children, and strengthening the capacity to care for the needs of vulnerable family members.
Dr. Gaynor Yancey’s appointment as the Director of the CFCM in the summer of 2016 was a transformative moment. Under her leadership, the CFCM became the Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I).
From the beginning, C3I has been supported by the funding from organizations such as Pew Charitable Trusts, Christ is Our Salviation, Inc., the Louisville Institute, the Christian Life Commission, the Eula Mae & John Baugh Foundation, Fellowship Southwest and additional support from the Lilly Endowment.
These gifts have supported national research studies, initiatives to strengthen congregational community ministries and address trauma within the church, and programs that assist congregations in LGBTQ+ discernment. They have also helped support internships and field opportunities for students.
Most recently, a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving Congregations Initiative was awarded to an interdisciplinary project between C3I, Baylor Center for Development Disabilities (CDD) and George W. Truett Theological Seminary. The project focuses on helping congregations embrace young people with disabilities, mental health challenges and chronic illnesses.
The Barbara Chafin Endowed Lectureship in Family Ministries was established in 2001 with funding from Dr. Kenneth Chafin to honor his wife. This lectureship has brought national and international leaders to Baylor University to discuss service to families and family life research. Lectures have included themes such as immigration, hospitality, black fatherhood and social justice parenting.
I was appointed assistant director in 2018, and the following year, Erin Albin Hill became our program manager. This expansion has further bolstered our capacity and reassured our stakeholders and potential collaborators about our commitment to growth and excellence.
The C3I team has produced numerous surveys, publications, and trainings and is regularly featured in the media about its work.
Many students, alums and supporters recently gathered to celebrate the 25th anniversary of C3I.
Depending on your table, the morning celebration felt like a family reunion, denominational meeting, sacred space of belonging or strategy session. The room contained both energy and peace. Although social work, especially congregational social work, is not always a widely understood profession, everyone gathered in the room knew its significance and value in our world.
Lines formed near Dr. Yancey, including alums wanting to hug and say hello, a pastor asking for a congregational social work intern or a former congregation partner sharing their gratitude. Future C3I students were also present.
Several graduates who could not attend in person sent personal notes or videos. Kevin Pranoto, Associate Pastor of Social Work at Second Baptist Church, Little Rock shared, “Today, C3I continues to help me think through what it means to be a faithful social worker. To me, that looks like serving my community with research-based competence and theological depth.”
Another former student, C3I intern and current Executive Director of Gaston Christian Center, Nataly Mora Sorenson, shared: “I want to express my immense gratitude to Dr. Yancey… that I was able to take classes with her but also be an intern at C3I and learn more about this sacred space that churches, not only as a body of believers but also in its their assets of building and resources, how churches can impact and bless their community.”
I believe in the work of C3I. Also I think many individuals are called to the social work profession who do not know it yet.
Social workers serve people in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, mental health clinics, women’s shelters, prisons, adoption agencies, government agencies and congregations. We serve all people often in their most vulnerable circumstances.
Social workers don’t fix people, but help unlock the God-given power inside themselves. We see immediate circumstances, but also the challenges faced due to larger systems surrounding them. We come alongside others to amplify their voices and create change.
This sounds like the work of Jesus and his early followers.
When applied to congregational ministry, social work education ensures our ministries meet people where they are and pave the way for true transformation in their lives.
The team at C3I is excited about our next 25 years of service to congregations, social work students and communities!
Assistant Director of The Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) at the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University.
