Willamette welcomes Ken Wytsma in part-time chaplaincy role one year after termination of Office of Spiritual and Religious Life
- Amelia Hare, Staff Writer
- 37 minutes ago
- 3 min read
This fall, Willamette welcomed Pastor Ken Wytsma as the newest university chaplain, marking the return of the chaplaincy role to Willamette since the closure of the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life (OSRL) in June 2024.
Wytsma is a scholar of justice, theology, history, and religion and an author. One of his books, “The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege,” was one of nearly 400 books taken out of the Naval Academy library by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth according to the New York Times.
The hiring of Wytsma comes one academic year after the termination of Rev. Ineda Pearl Player, Willamette’s previous chaplain. For many, Pearl served as an important member of the Willamette community, seen through the letters sent to Willamette’s administration by faculty and staff expressing frustration over her termination and the closing of the OSRL. WU admin cited financial challenges as the reason for the termination of the office and Pearl’s full-time position.
Wytsma met and worked over the summer with Willamette President Steve Thorsett, Provost Jennifer Henderson, and United Methodist Church (UMC) to bring the chaplaincy back to life at Willamette. The university had its first chaplain in 1956 with the formation of the Office of the Chaplains, which later became the OSRL. The office hosted community events like convocations and other religious occasions.
“It was an opportunity presented, and I loved the university. I always have,” Wytsma said.
While his role is only part-time for the foreseeable future, working 10 hours a week, Wytsma assures that he’s “just scratching the surface.” His role mostly consists of offering spiritual guidance for students, facilitating celebrations of faith among the community, and bridging the Salem community and Willamette through religious events and social organizing.
Historically, chaplains have been utilized to assist students, staff and faculty through spiritual guidance, along with being a resource to facilitate community gatherings — something Wytsma wants to continue throughout his new role. Wytsma noted the chaplain's role in facilitating personal growth in students while at the same time enabling community conversations. “You [the chaplain] are standing, like, in the heart of the community, where you’re also standing in the heart of the sacred individual,” he said, emphasizing the importance of a chaplain in aiding the Willamette public to engage with each other.
This sentiment is shared among some Willamette students, like Q Wilson (’27), who worked with Pearl as an intern before her termination. Wilson highlighted the necessity of chaplains engaging with the community. “There is a very strong need on college campuses, or at least on this college campus, to humanize one another,” they said. “Creating those spaces to be together, with one another as human people.”
Wilson also noted how chaplains can engage with students in a way that fits the needs of the community. “A chaplains job is to bring the community together, around what Pearl called ‘big energy.’”
Wytsma’s office is in the Dean Suite, on the first floor of Walton at the Willamette Salem campus. If needed, he also holds office hours for Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) students and the Graduate Professional Center.
Wytsma’s role, while part-time, still offers him the opportunity to begin working with his new community. “There’s a lot to kind of learn and a lot to engage with,” he said.