Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 7/9/2025 to reflect a new position by Baylor University.
According to Baylor University President Linda Livingstone, the university’s School of Social Work voluntarily agreed to no longer accept the grant to study LGBT “exclusion” from church congregations. Livingstone said that the concerns were not with the research itself, but with the work following the research that “extended into advocacy for perspectives on human sexuality that are inconsistent with Baylor’s institutional policies, including our Statement on Human Sexuality.”
“We affirm the biblical understanding of human sexuality as a gift from God, expressed through purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman,” Livingstone said, adding that this has been a “learning opportunity for many involved.”
One of the largest Christian universities in the country is publicizing its receipt of a large grant to study the “disenfranchisement and exclusion” of individuals who identify as LGBT from church congregations.
Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Photo courtesy of Baylor University/Matthew Minard via RNS
Baylor University in Waco, Texas, received a $643,401 grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation.
“Through academic research, this grant will help us better understand the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change,” Baylor’s website says.
According to Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation’s website, it “supports progressive, inclusive, nonprofit organizations that reflect the love of Christ by providing assistance to those in need, enriching the lives of children and youth, keeping faith communities informed and engaged, and guarding the wall of separation between church and state.”
The Center for Church and Community Impact (C3i) received the funds. It is part of Baylor’s school of social work.
According to C3i Director Gaynor Yancey, the grant will be used for research that assists congregations in ministering to marginalized populations.
“This grant will focus on the lived experiences of emerging adults. It will assist us in filling out the bigger picture of congregations’ practices that result in an environment of belonging,” Yancey said in a press release. “Through our research, we want to expand our picture of what congregations do and do not do in their caring practices with all people about their experiences of belonging.”
“This is about our hearts, for sure, and how we act on God’s softening of our hearts toward those who live life in the margins and shadows, rarely experiencing a sense of belonging,” she added. “Congregations are uniquely positioned in community life to be those places of care.”
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As a result of the study, C3i plans to develop “trauma-informed resources” for congregations that will aim to provide “guidance on inclusivity and institutional courage.”
The press release doesn’t mention anything about the biblical view of marriage or homosexual conduct. C3i did not respond to MinistryWatch’s questions about integrating biblical teaching on human sexuality into its research before the time of publication.
Well-known Christian ministries such as Focus on the Family take a firm stance that homosexual behavior falls outside of God’s intention for mankind, while also emphasizing that “there is no place for hatred, hurtful comments, or other forms of rejection toward those who experience same-sex attraction or identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.”
Groups like Living Hope Ministries (LHM) have resources for those who are seeking sexual wholeness consistent with God’s word.
“As homosexuality, gender confusion, and sexual and relational brokenness become more accepted in our culture, Living Hope Ministries also serves as a resource and support for local congregations throughout the world who desire to journey with men, women, youth, wives, and families as they seek to align their lives with the truths of God’s Word,” the LHM website states.
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