Finding New Faces: Student Mobilization Comes to Baylor University

Students in their teenage years and twenties from all over the globe travel to Waco every year to attend Baylor University, nestled just east of the Central Texas city’s downtown. On a typical school day, the Baylor University campus is beaming with life and a plethora of happy-go-lucky students eagerly awaiting the next big event on campus to attend with friends. The city of Waco is also filled with dozens of great churches and those who minister the Christian faith. However, it was not until just recently that a specific organization saw a void in the everyday life of a student on the Christian university’s campus.

The organization known as Student Mobilization stepped into the light of the Baylor campus to reach students and spread the Gospel in fall 2020. Student Mobilization was originally “incorporated as a…nonprofit ministry at the University of Arkansas” in 1986, according to the organization’s website. The organization is currently going through the chartering process of becoming an official organization at Baylor. Baylor was one of the last major universities in Texas to have Student Mobilization cement themselves into their campus life.

Kyle Sisney, who is on the Student Mobilization staff at Baylor, gave a detailed description of what the organization’s goals are in his own eyes and what he hopes other students get out of Student Mobilization.

The goals of Student Mobilization are to “[build] spiritual leaders who can help others become spiritual leaders from the college campuses,” Sisney said.

Sam Sullivan, another member on the Student Mobilization Baylor staff, also spoke of what he saw as the organization’s goals and what he hopes students can take away from it.

“To meet students and form relationships with them,” Sam Sullivan, who is married to fellow staffer Sarah said. “To help them take a step forward in their faith in order to follow Jesus, and eventually help others do the same.”

One question an outside observer might ask is, “Why did Student Mobilization choose Baylor as a place to fill this missing void?” After all, there are hundreds of colleges Student Mobilization could have selected instead that embodied the same void that they believe Baylor has, but Sisney said he knew that Baylor was the right place.

Sisney, who had visited the campus multiple times previously, along with his wife, were the two staff members who were behind the organization’s launch at Baylor.

“My wife and I made the decision to launch here,” Sisney said. “I really saw a spiritual need that I didn’t really see being met at Baylor. We try the best we can to [care for people and students] and challenge them to take the next step in their faith.”

Madison Goforth, another staff member of the organization, had her own observations as to why Student Mobilization decided to come to Baylor.

“Baylor has some of the most influential future leaders of our society,” Goforth said. “Students who go to Baylor are intellectual and [motivated]. Baylor students are ready to receive the Gospel and be discipled and become disciples who make disciples.”

However, getting involved with student life has not been an easy task, especially due to the current events that took everyone by surprise and halted life in 2020.

Goforth laid out the challenges she has faced while on the Student Mobilization staff at Baylor.

“I think one of the biggest obstacles is probably just meeting students,” Goforth said. “Especially when we came [to Baylor’s campus] during COVID.”

Sisney also agreed that coming to Baylor’s campus was difficult during 2020 as the Coronavirus global pandemic greatly altered and changed that of the everyday college life.

“Coming in the middle of a pandemic, we didn’t fully know what our access would be to students,” Sisney said. “We wanted to be really respectful of the campus, but at the same time we wanted to impact the students on the campus. That balance of being really respectful, but yet...pushing [students] towards Christ; that line was really blurry.”

Sarah Sullivan, a TCU alum, and a Student Mobilization staff member at Baylor, described the challenges of trying to establish the organization on the Baylor campus as it differentiates from her alma mater.

“I think that Baylor’s culture is just a lot different than TCU,” Sarah said. “There’s so many opportunities to grow and say yes to Jesus [on Baylor’s campus]. It’s just an adjustment to our whole staff team. It’s just a different culture.”

Although there have been obstacles and challenges, Student Mobilization has worked diligently to build a community with Baylor students and having an involvement and impact in their lives.

Caroline Scull, a Baylor sophomore and Center native who is involved with Baylor Student Mobilization, said she has her own reasons for the organization’s success on Baylor’s campus.

“I think Baylor [Student Mobilization] is doing a great job of just making community and making everyone feel welcome,” Scull said. “I just see that as the main benefit right now. Just spreading God’s word and just creating community for a lot of people.”

Hayes Hill, a Baylor sophomore and Rockwall native who is also involved with Baylor Student Mobilization, listed the reasons that made him want to stay in touch with the organization and what struck him the most about it at first.

“[Student Mobilization did not care about themselves] nearly as much as they cared about my relationship with Christ,” Hill said. “[They guide] these college kids [to] have biblical conversations that without them, they would never have. [Student Mobilization] can get [these students] in a place to where they’re actually honest with themselves and their peers.”

Hill also said he enjoys the unique and authentic feel the organization exudes.

“[They are] focused on bringing light and the simplicity of Christianity to college students in a different and unique approach,” Hill said. “They become a friend and a mentor before anything [else].”

The Student Mobilization staff at Baylor said that they see a lot of positive things that the organization has already created on the Baylor campus.

Sarah Sullivan said that she can see and feel the Student Mobilization staff at Baylor helping students every day.

“I think just a lot of people think they have to know everything about Jesus,” Sarah said. “[This is a] safe place. I think we’ve helped build a community for a good number of students.”

Sam Sullivan said that many things are great about Student Mobilization, but some stand out to him the most.

“We initiate relationships with students,” Sam said. “We organically and genuinely put the Gospel in front of them. [We] help the [everyday] student process where they’re truly at with Jesus. [Those] are the two greatest things we offer this campus.”

Reaching students and making your presence known on a college campus is never an easy task. However, the staff members of Baylor Student Mobilization believe that they have beat the odds during a trying time and continue to create community for those on and surrounding the Baylor campus. The staff members and the students clearly enjoy the sense of hospitality and comfortability that the organization presents to them and others.

Student Mobilization’s mandate is to continue to inspire students, create a sense of community, and push students further in their faith to yield spiritual growth to college students. Scull said that she thinks the most important thing Student Mobilization teaches students is to love others and push them towards Christ to possibly make new disciples. The importance of finding small groups to grow in one’s faith is often hard to find in college, and Student Mobilization presents just that to all students of the Baylor family.