The Whole Body Project: Flourishing Together in Faith and Life

Something special happens when Christian communities receive the presence, gifts, and faith of those impacted by disabilities or mental health challenges. When they learn to embrace those members of the Body who are frequently socially isolated or overlooked, they find that everyone—both those with and without disabilities and mental health challenges—belongs more fully. And they become places of transformative collective life and local witness as the whole Body of Christ is renewed. 

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

“The Whole Body Project: Flourishing Together in Faith and Life" brings together multiple campus centers and collaborators, for a five-year storytelling initiative that will equip churches across the country to become places of mutual belonging for individuals and families impacted by disability and mental health conditions. The project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life, which seeks to help organizations identify, produce and share compelling stories about ways that Christians from many different backgrounds and in a broad range of settings are living vibrant lives of faith and engaging in acts of love and service for others.

The project is co-led by Erik Carter, Ph.D, executive director of the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing, Rev. Jason Le Shana, Ph.D., director of the Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability, and Dustin D. Benac, Th.D., director of the Program for the Future Church at George W. Truett Theological Seminary and clinical assistant professor of philanthropy and organizational studies in the Office of Engaged Learning in the College of Arts & Sciences. 

Project Overview

The Whole Body Project will showcase transformative stories of vibrant faith and mutual flourishing in congregations when those with and without disabilities or mental health challenges move from exclusion and isolation to mutual belonging by worshipping, learning, serving, leading, and living life together. These stories will portray the goodness and hope of Christian faith and life through portraits of faith communities that center the lived experience and complexity of these overlooked, often acutely lonely members of faith communities in order to invite the whole Body to envision and practice a more accessible and connected common life. Through a first-of-its-kind national campaign—rooted in research, supported by deep partnerships, and sustained through practical resource pathways—we will inspire and equip tens of thousands of church leaders, members, and families to reimagine and pursue faithful life together. Our unique five-year storytelling project aims to: 

• Identify compelling and transformative stories from diverse Christian communities in which belonging is not only valued but practiced, leading to mutual renewal, discipleship, and holistic transformation.
• Produce an ecosystem of high-impact, multi-format stories and aligned resources—including a documentary-style film, narrative digital shorts, podcasts, and a portfolio of written pieces. Beginning with a core of 3-5 “anchor” stories from a diversity of congregational contexts, our collaborating centers will work in concert to expand this core collection of stories throughout the grant.
• Share these stories broadly through a robust, agency-driven social impact campaign where branding, media formats, messaging, engagement strategies, and channels are tailored to our target audiences.
• Resource audiences with robust tools and learning pathways through the online Belonging Hub—including reflection tools, learning modules, small-group and sermon tools, ministry-specific guidance, and training guides—developed from best practices designed to help individuals and churches take faithful next steps. 

Guided by extensive audience research and informed by our team’s deep expertise, this storytelling initiative will reach and empower changemakers in congregations: lay and vocational leaders including pastors, families navigating disability or mental health challenges, and all those seeking a more vibrant, faithful expression of Christian community. Our approach will be shaped by a theology and practice of belonging, our own longstanding research in this area, a commitment to crafting stories and resources grounded in local contexts and reflective of diverse Church traditions, and a storytelling approach that is honest yet hopeful about mutual belonging in congregational life. 

Advancing Baylor University's Mission

The Whole Body Project leverages the networks, passion, and expertise of five influential Baylor centers leading multiple Lilly Endowment Inc.-funded projects that engage thousands of congregations. Baylor University, one of the largest Christian universities in the world and a nationally ranked research institution, has the capacity and commitment to support and sustain this work. Our motto–Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo–expresses our longstanding commitment to faithfully serve the Church, our communities, and the world. 

We will evaluate our progress through a robust framework for measuring reach, engagement, and transformation. 

We anticipate our Whole Body Project will lead to: 

1. A widely accessed collection of compelling stories and resources that help individuals and communities come to know and love God more deeply as they witness and practice faithful belonging in their context.
2. A measurable shift in the awareness, practices, confidence, and culture of Christian communities that engage with our stories and resources.
3. A national movement of churches where all members experience the assurance of belonging as they learn to embrace, care for, and empower those with disabilities and mental health challenges who so often experience loneliness and isolation. 

Community-centered and collaborative by design, the Whole Body Project will surface and celebrate the many beautiful stories—of ordinary churches embodying God’s love in extraordinary ways, where every part is seen, receives care, and is invited to belong. When we lift these stories up, we bear witness to the truth of the Gospel and invite others to do the same. When we tell these stories together, we invite the whole Body to live more faithfully, receiving the gifts of God and helping the Church live more fully. 

For questions about the project, contact Erik Carter at erik_carter@baylor.edu, Jason Le Shana at jason_leshana@baylor.edu, or Dustin Benac at dustin_benac@baylor.edu.