By Loretta Fulton

Most traditional Christian denominations are represented on local university campuses for the fall semester, but only a handful of students come from faith traditions outside of Christianity.

Abilene Christian University is affiliated with the Churches of Christ, McMurry University is United Methodist, and Hardin-Simmons University is Baptist. Only ACU and McMurry responded to a request for denominational data. Hardin-Simmons did not. 

ACU figures are for the undergraduate enrollment on the Abilene campus. They show that a total of 33 percent of the students come from churches affiliated with the Stone-Campbell or Restoration Movement, which includes the Churches of Christ. That’s up from 25 percent in 2020. 

“ACU’s student body reflects an array of traditions,” said Carson Reed, director of ACU’s Siburt Institute for Church Ministry. “However, most of our students come from congregationalist or free church traditions–such as nondenominational, Baptist, and of course, Churches of Christ.”

At McMurry, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, only 5 percent of students checked “Methodist” as their home church, down from 6 percent in 2020. “Methodist” encompasses both United Methodist and Global Methodist, which split from the United Methodist Church in 2020 to become a separate denomination. The largest group represented at McMurry was “No Preference,” with 26 percent. That was followed by Baptist, 14.5 percent, Catholic, 13.7 percent, nondenominational, 11.2 percent, and Churches of Christ, 10.2 percent. 

“I appreciate the diverse mix of religious and spiritual backgrounds and identities our students bring to campus,” said Grant Greenwood, vice president for enrollment management and chief operating officer. “The spread amongst our students really highlights that McMurry is a place where many students from all different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems find a safe and comfortable place to learn and live.”

A large number of Baptist and Catholic students are enrolled at ACU. Students who identify as Baptist total 600 or 18.3 percent of the undergraduate enrollment on the Abilene campus. A total of 229 students or 7 percent identify as Catholic. ACU has a large Catholic organization on campus called Lighthouse. 

ACU also is home to the Baptist Studies Center with Myles Werntz as its director. Werntz, a former professor at Logsdon Seminary at Hardin-Simmons University, started the center at ACU in 2020 when HSU announced it was closing Logsdon. The Baptist Studies Center is part of ACU’s Graduate School of Theology. 

Both ACU and McMurry enrolled large numbers of students who identified as nondenominational. McMurry’s data showed that 11.2 percent identified as nondenominational. ACU’s enrollment showed that 25.4 percent checked the nondenominational box. 

Interfaith enrollment at ACU includes Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish students. McMurry’s non-Christian enrollment includes Buddhist, Jewish, and Muslim students.

Loretta Fulton is creator and editor of Spirit of Abilene