Abstract
Drawing from their personal experiences and professional trainings, campus tour guides are uniquely positioned to introduce a theology of place to prospective students. From a qualitative paradigm, this project investigated the lives, work, and meaning-making of ten tour guides at a Christian university. Guides felt connected to their campus community and experienced God’s presence everywhere, privileged realities they – through symbols, objects, and interactions – strategically shared and subtly normalized for tour-goers. This study illuminates the challenges of mission-based practice, highlighting how students navigated these tensions, and encourages practitioners to think theologically about the campus places they work to promote.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Madison N. Woodford
Madison N. Woodford, Director of Women’s Ministry and Community Missions, Anderson University, Anderson, South Carolina, USA. [email protected]
Sarah E. Madsen
Sarah E. Madsen, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Educational Leadership, School of Education, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA. [email protected]
Nathan F. Alleman
Nathan F. Alleman, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA. [email protected]