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Lindsey Wilson University Celebrates its Connection, Heritage with The United Methodist Church

Church & University Celebration affirms 'the marriage between emotions and intellect.'

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (10/23/2025) — Many things have changed since the rechristening of Lindsey Wilson University on July 1.

But one thing that has remained constant is the school's connection with and commitment to The United Methodist Church.

That 122-year-old relationship was front and center on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in V.P. Henry Auditorium as the university held its Church & University Celebration. The event -- which was held for more than a quarter-century when the school was Lindsey Wilson College -- was a reminder of the university's deep connection to Methodism, which dates to the school's founding in 1903.

Lindsey Wilson President William T. Luckey Jr. told the audience gathered for the event that Lindsey Wilson strives to be "the model United Methodist university in the 21st century."

"We commit to being a church-related university that seeks to create a community of scholarship and learning which facilitates social justice," said Luckey, who has been Lindsey Wilson's eighth president since 1998. "We commit to being an institution that respects and honors religious practice, and specifically worship and service for students and faculty who choose to participate in the Christian tradition within the total life of the university."

Luckey said that Lindsey Wilson affirms its commitment to the church "by respecting, honoring and providing scholarly theological teaching of religion in the Christian tradition within the curriculum (and) by including in our faculty, staff and trustees persons who are values-centered and understand and respect the relationship with The United Methodist Church."

Luckey said that it's important for the university to expand the impact of "our faith and service beyond the boundaries of this campus and into this community, across this country, and around this world."

Lindsey Wilson Chaplain the Rev. Tyler Brumfield said that Lindsey Wilson's focus on developing citizens on campus who are engaged in the world beyond campus is "what I love about Lindsey."

"We're small enough to feel like home, but large enough to have a global reach," said Brumfield, who organized the ceremony.

Prayer and study

Lindsey Wilson's strong relationship with The United Methodist Church is the result of a partnership based on mutual respect. As United Methodist leader the Rev. Jay Smith told the audience, "in the United Methodist tradition, there has never been a feud between the sanctuary and the classroom."

"There's never been a feud between prayer and study," said Smith, who is superintendent of the Kentucky Conference's South District.

Smith noted that John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was an exemplar of striking a balance between faith and reason. Wesley, who lived in all but 13 years of the 18th century, was an Anglican priest and a professor at Oxford University.

"The DNA of our faith tradition has always affirmed the marriage between emotions and intellect, between the heart and the head," said Smith. "The United Methodist Church is a place where all of us are encouraged to think, a place where it is OK to have questions and doubts, where disagreements can coexist, a place where you do not have to check your brain at the door of the church before entering."

In her message to the audience, the Rev. Tami Coleman, who is chief ministry officer for the Kentucky Conference, said her prayer for the community was for "more Jesus."

"I pray for more Jesus for you, more of Jesus in this university, more of Jesus in this community, more of his presence, more of his peace, more of his power, more of his grace, more of his strength, more of his joy, more of all that he can pour out on on us today," said Coleman, who is a graduate of United Methodist-affiliated LaGrange (Georgia) College. "We need more Jesus. We need to know him more, we need to grow in his love more, and we need to show more of Jesus in all we do and say."

Coleman encouraged people to show love to one another, "even in the smallest acts of everyday living here on campus."

Media Attachments

The Rev. Tami Coleman, who is chief ministry officer for the Kentucky Conference of The United Methodist Church, delivers the message at Lindsey Wilson University’s Church & University Celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in V.P. Henry Auditorium.

The Rev. Tami Coleman, who is chief ministry officer for the Kentucky Conference of The United Methodist Church, talks to Lindsey Wilson University student Braxton Crook ’28, a Christian ministries major from Lebanon, Tennessee, following the Church & University Celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in V.P. Henry Auditorium.

The Lindsey Wilson University community gathers on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in V.P. Henry Auditorium for the Church & University Celebration.

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