Lyn Pace to Serve as Assistant Dean of Religious Life
An experienced college chaplain and teacher, the Rev. Dr. P. Lynwood Pace, Jr. will serve as Assistant Dean of Religious Life at Duke University Chapel, beginning January 1, 2025.
Rev. Dr. Pace comes to Duke from Oxford College of Emory University, where he has been the College Chaplain since 2009, overseeing ten religious student groups, convening interfaith discussions, and providing campus leadership in times of grief. In addition to his pastoral duties, he has taught courses at the college on “Understanding Community” and “The Contemplative Mind: Engaging the Big Questions.” An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, he is the author of The Sacred Year: A Contemplative Journey through the Liturgical Year.
“Lyn comes to Duke with deep wisdom about the spiritual and intellectual lives of college students,” said Duke Chapel Dean Luke A. Powery. “He sees the value of both the life of the mind and the life of the Spirit at a leading university and is ready to empower and guide our Religious Life leaders, students, and others to act on that perspective.”
In his role as Assistant Dean of Religious Life, Pace will work closely with Dean Powery and the Chapel staff in guiding and supporting the leaders of Duke’s Religious Life groups. The twenty-two campus groups serve students in various faiths, including Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Latter-day Saints, Muslim, and Protestant. Working with these Religious Life groups and campus partners, Pace will lead and nurture co-curricular interfaith engagement and understanding across the university.
Pace graduated with his doctor of ministry degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University with a focus on community engagement, specifically the town-gown relationship between the college and local city of Oxford, Georgia. He earned a master of divinity degree from Candler School of Theology and a bachelor of arts in religion and history from Wofford College. A lover of many types of music, he especially appreciates the singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and is co-authoring a book on the spirituality of Buffett’s music. He is married with one child (and a family dog).
“I am thrilled to be joining the Duke Chapel team and being a member of the Duke community, especially on the heels of this centennial year,” Pace said. “I am honored to assume this new role, and I look forward to community collaboration and building that lives into Duke's dedication to foster a lively relationship between knowledge and faith.”
A search committee comprising Religious Life leaders and Chapel staff, in consultation with students and campus colleagues, selected Pace from a robust pool of applicants.