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The Blue Tribune is your place to learn about all things Covenant and keep up with stories from campus and beyond. By guiding you through the different aspects of Covenant, we'll help you decide if you want to pursue your very own Covenant experience.
Spiritual Leadership: Student Roles in the Chapel Department
Covenant’s Planted Student Leadership Program provides many opportunities for students to serve as Christ-like leaders on campus. There are specifically two roles within the chapel department: Student Ministry Coordinator (SMC) and Discipleship Assistant (DA). SMCs participate in large-scale campus-wide leadership, while DAs engage in smaller-scale ministry with the men and women they live alongside within their dorm buildings. Both jobs require dedication to the spiritual formation of Covenant’s community and provide students with opportunities to directly engage in ministry with their peers.
Facilitating Conversations
SMCs and DAs work closely with Chaplain Grant Lowe and Edith Dryden, the associate director of women's ministry and discipleship, to develop spiritually enriching discussions across campus. SMCs plan large-scale events, such as Day of Prayer, and host the weekly Public Reading of Scripture. They also develop a series of conversations between students and staff members each semester called Tuesday and Dudesday Talks. DAs lead Bible studies on their halls throughout campus, where they facilitate discussions about certain passages of Scripture. These Bible studies provide a unique opportunity during the week to dive into God’s Word and have in-depth conversations about the text.
Trained in the Word
To best serve their peers, DAs and SMCs are equipped with ongoing, biblically informed training by the chapel staff. Both roles emphasize discipling others while growing and being discipled. SMCs receive discipleship in the form of two weekly meetings for prayer, Bible study, and planning: one with the whole SMC team, Chaplain Lowe, and Edith Dryden, and one with just the SMC team. Edith Dryden provides DAs with guidance on leading studies and approaching the passages selected for weekly Bible studies by the chapel department. Through training, student leaders receive support and encouragement as they pour into their peers.
Prayerful Preparation
To faithfully lead, the DA and SMC jobs require attentive preparation. The day-to-day tasks of SMCs include reading an entire book of the Bible each day during the week, kneeling in prayer, and reading poetry and literature, all to cultivate daily rhythms and habits of discipleship. Additionally, SMCs have several office hours each week to complete their daily assignments and work on campus ministry initiatives. DAs also spend time studying the Bible alone and with their fellow DAs in preparation for their weekly studies. They also regularly meet with the Resident Assistants and Resident Directors of their dorm buildings to touch base with the spiritual needs of the building and to assist with Prayer and Praise, which is the weekly worshipful get together that each hall has for their residents on Sunday evenings.
Both SMCs and DAs fill important roles on Covenant’s campus. Not only do they pour into their peers, but they also receive training, instruction, and support to lead faithfully and honor God through their work. These job opportunities are just two of the many that allow students to pursue their calling and invest in kingdom-centered work during their time at Covenant.
Learn more about student leadership opportunities through the Planted Student Leadership Program.