How Faith Impacts Work: Q&A with Kirsten Mowchan

Hear insight from the Hankamer School of Business chaplain on how one can live out their faith as a business student and leader. 

You are the “embedded chaplain” for the Hankamer School of Business (HSB). Can you tell us more about your role? 

Baylor has chaplains throughout campus. Traditionally, they were located within the dorms. Over the past few years, Baylor has been blessed to be able to expand the areas where chaplains are located to further support the spiritual life of students. Being an embedded chaplain in the Business School means I serve undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty. All students in the Full-Time MBA,  Online MBA and Executive MBA programs can reach out to me. I participate in leading chapels offered at HSB in both fall and spring and meet with students one-on-one to offer spiritual support. I also get to pray for students, faculty and staff when prayer requests are submitted through the HSB prayer QR code. 

What’s your day-to-day interaction like with students? 

Interactions are both formal and informal. I run into students who know me while walking around the building, and I get to talk with them between classes. But I also interact with students regularly in chapel and through the times we set up to meet one-on-one. Every week, I have office hours where students, staff or faculty can come in to talk with me about life in general or something specific. 

All studies at Baylor integrate faith-based integrity and Christian values, but the faith-based Full-Time MBA and Online MBA programs must especially be interesting to students who want to grow spiritually. How do you feel you get to impact and influence the lives of students during their time here?  

It’s an honor and a privilege to journey alongside students as they grow in their callings from God. Many of the questions and concerns brought to me are part of an exploration of the values these students want to live by and how they are going to walk out their beliefs, both personally and professionally, for the rest of their lives. The years spent here at Baylor can be a powerful time for making their faith their own. 

What do you think are real-world examples of how faith can impact work lives and leadership? 

I think when the gospel shapes you – when you grow more and more in Christlikeness – it can’t help but impact one’s work life and leadership. This looks a little different for everyone, which is part of the beauty in how God has created us to move through the world. Leading in a humble and compassionate way that allows for the flourishing of others, and seeking to be honest, respectful and consistent in the work you do, all begins because you see God’s inherent value in all people. 

Can you talk about servant leadership? How do you define it? How do you see it ideally playing out? 

I think of a servant leader as someone who considers others before themselves. They seek to make decisions based on a genuine knowledge of and care for the community they are a part of, with aims to benefit and strengthen the community. 

Previously, I worked for a world-renowned, non-profit medical institution that always operated in the black. If there was a year when they weren’t financially able to offer a salary increase across the board to all employees, the executive management and physicians would take a lower or no salary increase in order to facilitate it for others.   

For many in the business world, this is unheard of. More times than not, the opposite is done. Yet operating with these values made it clear to all who worked at this medical institution that they were highly valued and that this company cared for them.  

This example is one of the most tangible ways I have seen servant leadership in action at a company. It made a difference in the lives of so many, including my own.  

How does the environment at the Business School help foster values of faith?  

I have had the privilege of getting to know much of the faculty and staff here, and they have such a heart for the gospel. There is a desire for Christ to be known and shared here. Many of them give their time to lead chapel groups. They also work to make the monthly social gatherings and the Collegiate Day of Prayer a reality at the Business School. There is a strong hope that students would be encouraged and spurred on to be faithful Christians who work and are a part of the business world to the glory of God.  

Do you think leaders who lean on their faith perform more effectively in the real world? If so, why? 

When we face trials and tribulations, which we all do, we as Christians do not need to rely on our own abilities because we are strengthened by Christ in the Spirit. It is also a great support to have faith communities, which is important as it helps us remember we are never truly alone. God and the Body of Christ make ways for us to endure and persevere through challenges; they help us keep in perspective that what we do is not for ourselves but rather for God and the people He has placed in our lives to minister to and serve, no matter what our professional environment may be. 

Integrating faith with your business life isn’t a formulaic process – it changes from person to person, career to career. What advice do you give someone just starting out, who prioritizes having their faith be a pillar of their work life? 

I think prayer is an absolute necessity. There are going to be situations that arise within work where the wisdom of God is essential. Prioritizing prayer within one’s faith life will continually shape and shift one’s focus from themselves toward God. Making prayer part of the routine centers us and reminds us who we are and who our work is for.  

One way I make this a priority in my life is by setting my phone alarm to remind me throughout the day to pray. It really is helpful as it continuously grounds me and points me back to my dependence on God in all things I do. 

I imagine your conversations with students are about concerns “in the now,” like tests or job choices, as well as big-picture and forward-looking conversations. How do you recommend students hold tension between the practicalities they are working through now, while also keeping an eye on the horizon? 

A life verse I say every morning is Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” I think this verse speaks to the “now” and having one’s eye on the horizon. In all that we do, whether it is studying for a test, getting assignments completed, doing extracurricular activities, or having a part-time job – in all we do, we ought to remember we are serving our Lord. If we are faithful and trustworthy in the small things, then we will be trusted with much (Luke 16:10). God cares about the way in which we go about our work. We are His representatives, so the ways we work and play are best done when we are able to point toward God and not ourselves as the source of joy and fulfillment.   

Is there anything you would say to someone considering a faith-based Full-Time MBA online MBA about the value of integrating their faith into their vision of the future?  

I would say to start by reading the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Spend time getting to know Jesus, learning the ways and the character of God. If we are to be like Christ in the ways that we live and work, we must know Christ. I do this as well. I read other Scripture in the Bible, but I am always in a Gospel, it is a routine encouragement and reminder of what it means to be Christlike throughout life.  

What’s Next? 

Baylor’s MBA programs are designed to build your business acumen so you can take your career to the next level. There is an MBA program tailored for students in every stage of their careers. Whether you’re looking for a Full-Time MBA program, an Online MBA, or an Executive MBA, you’ll receive expert instruction from nationally acclaimed faculty and all the other resources you’ve come to expect from the University’s Business School.  

Inspired to learn more about how faith impacts MBA success? Read our article about the Five Traits of a Servant Leader  

Ready to integrate faith into your MBA program? Fill out this form to learn more about our programs and speak with an enrollment coordinator.