Chapel Student Ministries
Duke Chapel Student Ministries provides opportunities for undergraduate students to hear and respond to God's call for their lives on campus, in Durham, and beyond through study, artistic expression, counsel, service, and community. Its aim is to help students bridge faith and learning during their time at Duke, so that they can take purposeful steps in bridging their distinctive talents with the world's deepest needs.
Find the Chapel's Student Ministries team in room 0037 of the Chapel basement. To get there, enter through the basement door facing to the Bryan Center and the room will be immediately on your right.
Chapel Scholars
Chapel Scholars is an ecumenical Christian program, which means that participating students come from a wide range of Christian traditions. Many Chapel Scholar students also participate in other Religious Life groups, and are encouraged to foster a sense of cooperation and hospitality across ministry groups.
Student Engagement Opportunities
Students engage with the Chapel through a range of programs, fellowships, and groups described here:
C. Eric Lincoln Theology & Arts Fellowship
The C. Eric Lincoln Fellowship is a semester-long program that 1) provides funding to an undergraduate student for a sacred art project and 2) invites the fellow to broaden the reach of artistic expression at the Duke University Chapel. Applicants must be active undergraduates in good standing in Trinity College or the Pratt School of Engineering. The fellowship runs the length of the Spring 2019 semester. The Lincoln Fellow is expected to produce a visual art exhibit to be displayed in Duke Chapel near the end of the Spring semester.
Chapel Choirs
Courses
The Chapel dean and other staff members teach courses and help organize half-credit house courses. Students are invited to enroll in these classes. This semester those courses include:
- Chapel Choir, taught by Chapel Music Director Dr. Zebulon Highben
- Introduction to Christian Preaching, taught by Chapel Dean Luke Powery
- Religion Across Boundaries house course, taught Senior Renata Starostka, a member of the Chapel’s Eruditio et Religio living-learning community; supervised by Religious Studies Professor Laura Lieber; and supported by the Chapel’s director of Religious Life, the Rev. Kathryn Lester-Bacon
- The Role and Function of Music in Corporate Worship, taught by Chapel Music Director Dr. Zebulon Highben
- Learn more
Grants, Awards, and Fellowships
Duke Chapel Reads
Through Duke Chapel Reads, the Chapel aims to curate spaces for reflection and conversation, responding to recent national events and contemporary culture. The program contributes to the Chapel’s ongoing commitment to the intersection of theology and the (literary) arts through the C. Eric Lincoln Minister for Student Engagement, as well as our desire to connect with diverse communities.
Mission Trips
Research Opportunities
The Chapel partners with other campus departments and units on research projects related to the Duke Chapel Recordings digital archives. Students are part of these research teams. Projects have included:
- #MyVoiceMyBody: Minoritized Bodies in the Pulpit at Duke Chapel (2019-2020), Bass Connections
- #MyVoiceMyBody: Minoritized Bodies in the Pulpit at Duke Chapel (Summer 2019), Story+
Student Preacher
Student Workers
The Chapel hires students for a variety of jobs from worship coordination to communications to student docents.
United in Praise
This student group is an undergraduate gospel choir that professes the Christian faith through song and dance. It is advised by the Chapel's C. Eric. Lincoln Minister for Student Engagement. Watch a video about the group:
