Religious Ministries

A staff of chaplains represents several faiths on campus including Baptist, Episcopal, Jewish, Muslim, Presbyterian, Reformed University Fellowship, Catholic, and United Methodist. Each chaplain or director provides worship opportunities, counseling, study, action, retreats, and fellowship for his/her constituency. Together the staff of chaplains cooperates with the University Chaplain in offering programs of ecumenical and interfaith interest to the Vanderbilt community. Chaplains with web sites:

• Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM)
• Vanderbilt Catholic Community
• Vanderbilt Chabad
• Vanderbilt Hillel
• Episcopal
• Muslim Association
• Presbyterian (U.S.A.)
• Reformed University Fellowship (P.C.A)
• United Methodist

Affiliated Chaplains and Directors:

Interim - TBA
Baptist Collegiate Ministry

The Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Vanderbilt University challenges students to grow as a Christ centered community, to seek to serve, love, and disciple. The BCM involves students in a variety of experiences from retreats, worship, Bible study, and service opportunities.

BCM will be appointing an interim chaplain this summer.

Awadh A. Binhazim, Ph.D.

Muslim Student Association

Awadh A. Binhazim is currently a Professor of Pathology at Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Adjunct Professor of Africana Studies at Tennessee State University.

Awadh Amir Binhazim was born and raised in Kenya. He studied Islam in the traditional styles of attending Madrassah at childhood age and completed his undergraduate studies at the King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, Masters of Science at University of Nairobi, Kenya, and finally his Ph.D. in Pathology at The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.

Professor Binhazim's interest in Islam is in Comparative Religions and Islamic Jurisprudence. He has given numerous lectures on Islam in theology classes, local churches, law enforcement agencies, and at many universities throughout the U.S., Canada, and Kenya. He has appeared in many Radio and TV programs to discuss various issues on Islam. He is the founder and program director of a series of courses (offered for free to those interested) on Islam held in Nashville, Tennessee. Within these courses, Professor Binhazim teaches about Islamic beliefs, spirituality, and moral code of Islam, monotheism, Muslim cultures, and civilizations. In addition, Professor Binhazim has presented several lectures on the topic of Muslims and their presence in the Americas before Columbus. Professor Binhazim is the Director of the Da'wah and Outreach program of the Islamic Center of Nashville and serves as the spokesperson of the Muslim community in Nashville.

Father John Sims Baker
University Catholic Chaplain

The Vanderbilt Catholic Community exists to glorify God primarily by serving the sacramental and spirtual needs of the Catholic students of the university.  In fulfilling this end, the traditions of the Church in worship, spirituality, and the intellectual life are the sources.  Fr. John Sims Baker, a priest of the Diocese of Nashville, is the chaplain, who coordinates the spiritual activities and serves the Catholic student organization. 

Rev. William S. Croft

Reformed University Fellowhip

Stacey is a Texan who moved to Nashville from Jackson, Mississippi, where he received his degree from Reformed Theological Seminary. It was during his time in undergrad at Baylor University when Stacey and his wife Megan met on a blind date. After graduation he was the youth director at Christ the King Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Houston for two years. Stacey went on to be the youth director at Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Dallas before moving to Jackson to finish seminary. Ministering to college students has been a love for Stacey and Megan for quite some time. They are thankful to be on the campus of Vanderbilt doing what the Lord has truly called them to do.

Check out Stacey's page on Facebook

Executive Director, Ben Schulman Center for Jewish Life
Vanderbilt Hillel

The Ben Schulman Center for Jewish Life on campus is a vibrant community that provides many opportunities for Jewish experience - spiritual, intellectual, social, communal. We are committed to the diversity of religious expression within Judaism, and we embrace and seek interfaith understanding among the many traditions represented at Vanderbilt.

See Ari's Facebook Page.

J. Mark Forrester, D.Min.
United Methodist Campus Minister
See Mark's Facebook Page!

The Reverend Mark Forrester

Presbyterian Student Fellowship (PSF) is a ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has been an active part of theVanderbilt Community for over fifty years. Realizing that we all have questions about our faith, we invite you to come and explore your faith with us as we worship, learn, grow, serve, hang out and have fun together.

Rabbi Shlomo Rothstein
Campus Chabad Chaplain
Facebook Page!

Chabad representative to Vanderbilt University, Rabbi Shlomo and his wife Nechama Rothstein, with their son, Menachem Mendel.

Rabbi Rothstein was raised in Baltimore, MD, the oldest of eight children. He traveled the world for school, living in Chicago, Montreal, Melbourne, and New York before landing in Tennessee.

The Chabad Jewish Student Center at Vanderbilt University  is based on the ideology of Chabad and fueled by the inspiration and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, which have at their foundation the encompassing mitzvah “to love every Jew as one loves himself” and the mandate to concretize that love with Acts of Kindness and Mitzvahs. It's our belief that every individual Jew has an indispensable contribution to make to the totality of the Jewish people. Chabad welcomes all Jews at their own pace and comfort level through innovative educational programs in all areas of Jewish life.

Becca Stevens, M.Div.
University Episcopal Chaplain

St. Augustine's Chapel on the Vanderbilt Campus is a vibrant and hard working community of people that consists of students, faculty, and staff as well as about 200 people from the greater Nashville Community. We provide opportunities for worship, fellowship, learning and outreach to anyone who is interested.

Thistle Farms

Portrait of St. Augustine, c. 1472 by Antonello da Messinal