The Reverend Ricky Harrison ’14 returns to McMurry as University Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life
With the retirement this past spring of Rev. Marty CashBurless ’78, McMurry University began the hunt for a new leader of Religious and Spiritual Life (RSL). We soon discovered that one of our own, Rev. Ricky Harrison, was on the lookout for a new opportunity to minister to a college campus, and after a thorough selection process, we welcomed yet another standout alum back into the fold.
Rev. Harrison graduated in 2014, and after obtaining his Master of Divinity from Duke University in 2017, he returned to North Texas to serve in various roles with United Methodist affiliated organizations. The allure of coming back to his alma mater inspired Rev. Harrison to contemplate on what brought him to McMurry as a student in the first place.
“I was at a United Methodist youth camp years ago,” Harrison said. “Tim Kennedy ’99, an alum and [McMurry’s] chaplain at the time came to preach at the youth camp. By the time I was a junior or senior in high school, I had really figured out that McMurry was the place for me. I had some inkling that I wanted to serve in full-time ministry like my parents did, but I didn’t really know exactly how to do that. But I really felt like McMurry was my place.” Rev. Harrison landed back on campus in early August, and he has quickly taken charge of RSL, engaging in an open dialogue with students, faculty and staff. His positive, aspirational messages during chapel helped set the tone for the fall semester and served as a fitting capstone to our final send-off of the Centennial year. He credits the years he spent as a religion major at McMurry with shaping the quality of his sermons.
“I got to do a preaching class with Religion and Philosophy Department Chair Dr. Mark Waters that helped me understand for the first time, what is it to work with scripture in a way that brings it to life, not only for you as an individual and as a leader of ministry, but for a community of people – you know, put ‘legs’ on it. There are so many opportunities for leadership with your peers, that you just kind of get thrown into it and told ‘make it happen,’ and you find those skill sets as much in the community as you do in the professional classroom spaces.”
Apart from his role leading chapel worship services, Rev. Harrison also cherishes his position as a spiritual guide for students in need of more personal ministry.
“All ministry for me, first and foremost, is relational,” he said. “In theological terms we would say ‘incarnational.’ The unique thing about Jesus is that God’s not content to stay way up in some abstract concept, but God wants to be here with us in flesh and blood, to eat with us, laugh with us, be with us. That’s always been my philosophy in ministry in general. But particularly being with students, my goal is just to be present with them.”
It’s that distinct ability to empathize with the challenges faced by students – owing to his closeness in age with them – that inspired Rev. Harrison to recognize the value of what young people of faith can bring to the table as servant leaders.
“As much as younger folks have a lot to learn from the wisdom of folks older than us, those who are older also have a lot to learn from the openness of those who are younger than us, and what we learn that can refresh our own lives of faith in the world.”