CCMS Stories: Summer 2025
This week marks the start of classes for the fall semester at Baylor. As we return to campus, we also celebrate the many accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students over the summer months. Having flung our green and gold afar, the Dunn Center, together with Baylor’s School of Music, continues to thrive in its mission, embodying Baylor’s motto: Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo. We look forward to sharing with you in the year ahead the many ways Baylor supports the local church and equips leaders for faithful, lifelong service.
Music & Missions
May 19-June 2
On Sunday, May 18, a group of Baylor students and leaders departed Waco for an unforgettable journey to Kenya — a trip rooted in worship, service, and cultural exchange. With full hearts and many stories to share, the team departed Nairobi on Sunday, June 1, returning to Waco the next day. This bi-annual journey to Kenya is more than a trip — it is a time of growth, worship, cultural immersion, and deep service that leaves a lasting impact on each participant.
We don’t live in separate worlds. Just because it happens across the globe doesn’t make it any less apart of “our world." If we are willing to step out of our comfort zones with open arms, we suddenly get the incredible opportunity to witness God’s wonders.
Logan Rigdon, Blog Post: Wondrous Service and the Love We Carry With Us
Shaping Young Worshipers through Transformative Music Ministry Summit
June 15-18
Now at the halfway point of the project, the Shaping Young Worshipers through Transformative Music Ministry team hosted a "Dream a Book" summit for children’s ministry practitioners and scholars. We welcomed 22 speakers, each sharing their work in connection with one or more of our seven key themes. Rather than traditional long-form lectures, speakers were given 10 minutes to present, allowing ample time for open dialogue, questions, and reflection.
One of our three core objectives is to cultivate meaningful connections, and the summit’s structure effectively supported this by fostering an environment conducive to thoughtful and honest exchanges. Participants engaged in rich, honest conversations, and many expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity to connect with a diverse group of scholars and practitioners from various backgrounds. The ideas and insights shared by our participants will guide the Shaping Young Worshipers team as we plan our upcoming publications. Overall, the summit was a memorable, energizing experience and an exciting milestone in our work.
Worship Lab
July 21-25
This summer, Baylor hosted the 16th annual Worship Lab. The event brought together some 115 high school students from across six states, representing some 50 churches. Under the leadership of Dr. Shannan Baker, a team of student counselors, and 15 visiting ministry leaders, Worship Lab offering included: music rehearsals, small groups, breakout sessions on leadership, evening concerts, daily worship gatherings, and more! Ten bands were formed during camp, and each led two songs during the closing worship gathering. Each group was given a contemporary song and a hymn. They were then assigned the task of shaping their arrangements and instrumentation throughout rehearsals during the week.
Additionally, nine students participated in a Saturday-Monday songwriting pre-camp. This pilot year was a preview to explore providing new spaces for creativity and faith formation in the future. We look forward to hosting this new initiative again in 2026.
Worship Lab remains funded through a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.. Through this support, the Dunn Center offered more than $28,000 in scholarships to cover registration fees this summer.
Alleluia
July 22-25
The 2025 Alleluia Conference was a great success! Church musicians from 22 states and 3 countries traveled to Waco for this year's gathering! Some 168 churches were represented through the participants of this summer's event. Highlights from the 24th annual conference included: 90 breakout sessions on practical ministry training topics, 15 hours of choral and instrumental reading and listening sessions, and evening events including a hymn sing, live-orchestra reading session, and a concert with artist Matt Papa.
Here is some of what participants had to say about this summer's event:
I was extremely impressed with the fresh perspectives and voices offered at this summer's conference. I left gleaning more than I have in a long time because of these renewed voices.
This year, the highlights for me were the specific in-person moments of receiving detailed help with urgent problems in my ministry. When I asked questions in a session, multiple people would swoop down on me afterward and offer very helpful things that would have taken me months and months to figure out on my own.
Worship is so well planned. The conference reminds of our calling. Equips us with new ideas and reminds of so much we’ve forgotten! It is a touch stone place inour ministries. Thank you.
Registration for the 2026 Alleluia Conference will open on October 15th. Join us next summer as we celebrate the 25th anniversary conference at Baylor!
Join the Alleluia email list for registration updates and conference announcements!