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After the Discipleship Assistant (DA) position was converted from a paid to unpaid role, many expected negative pushback from those affected. And, after only one of almost 30 DAs returned this fall, it seemed like the change had the predicted effect.
The lone survivor of the cuts, Cooper VandenOever ’27, explained that “Obviously, when I first heard about [the pay cut] I was slightly distraught.” Even though the position paid little (approximately $40 per week), it provided DAs with a stream of income and an incentive to, ideally, invest more effort into properly leading the weekly Bible study.
Due to the lack of monetary incentive, one might have expected the overall quality of the hall studies to drop. However, former DA Eli Dougan ’26 found that he has “not really noticed a difference between paid and unpaid.”
Because of a newly implemented hospitality stipend, Dougan noted that, if anything, the quality of the program has improved. He mentioned that his DA, Drew Heiskell ’28 “wakes up at 5:45 every Wednesday so he can make pancakes and get ready for our [7 a.m.] Bible study.”
Elijah Bruce ’28, the new DA of Brethren, actually prefers the new system. He remarked, “If I were employed, that would put additional pressures on me … I [would] need to explain this [study] the way Covenant would because I represent a corporate entity.”
While VandenOever conceded, “If I had to choose between getting paid and not getting paid, obviously I’d choose getting paid,” he went on to express, “I’m fine with it … it’s fun, it gets me in the Word, and I don’t need to get paid for doing what the Lord commands us to do.” Vandenover believes that “there still is a beauty in volunteering and doing stuff just because you love it.”
Somehow, someway, the chapel department has managed to find 30 people who are willing to invest their time, talents and love—for free! When presented with the positive feedback, Chaplain Grant Lowe seemed entirely unsurprised. He emphasized that the new DAs are “incredible—such an amazing group of students. They’re motivated, encouraged and from what I’m seeing, they’re doing a really wonderful job.”
This fall, Lowe has been serving, among his other positions, as a sort of interim leader for the DAs. During this period of transition, he hopes to “get a really good hands-on feel for … [their] needs.”
Lowe revealed that the chapel department is in “the final stages of hiring a new associate director for women’s ministry.” Lowe seeks to work collaboratively with both the Student Ministry Coordinators (SMCs) and the incoming associate director to provide “lateral support” and “more resources” to the DAs as they minister to the many halls across campus.
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