“God is Love. … That helps me to understand the world in a better way. I believe that God didn’t make any mistakes; God made this person, and God sees them as beautiful, and God calls me to see that person as God sees them. So, if God is love, and God is loving that person, [then] I’m called to do the same,” Rev. Martha Slocombe said.
Since she arrived on campus in the fall of 2023, Slocombe has been living out this mission of love as Creighton’s Protestant chaplain.
Creighton University has relied heavily on its Jesuit priests for spiritual direction, and has employed Protestant ministers before. Slocombe is the first to fill the role on a fulltime basis and only the second Protestant chaplain the university has had.
“It’s just so important for students to have a place to belong — to grow in their faith and to have a chance for leadership in the church,” Slocombe said. “You know, if building people as Christians and as leaders to go out into the world…as St. Ignatius was all about, being out in the world and doing the work—if we want to help build our students to do that, especially our students who are Christian but not Catholic—then we need to have somebody who can help support them in doing that. … That’s what kind of this role does, is grow them in their faith and grow them as leaders so that they can experience it here and then go build it as they go…[into] the world.”
In the last year and a half at Creighton, Slocombe has found herself adjusting people’s conception of a minister. She says that one of her greatest challenges has been creating a space for herself as a female clergyperson at a Catholic university.
“On an individual basis, everyone is super supportive and wants all the students be able to connect with God, but I think sometimes it can be surprising,” Slocombe said.
Though Slocombe first considered becoming a minister in high school, her journey was winding and marked by several career changes.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Marquette University, where she completed an internship centered around discerning into religious service. During this time at a Jesuit university, Slocombe discovered Ignatian methods of discernment that would help guide her career decisions later.
After earning an Elementary Education degree from Drake University, Slocombe served as a teacher, Director of Christian Education and a stay-at-home mom. Through the years, the call to become a minister was always at the back of her mind.
Eventually, she signed up to attend the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, while having two young children at home. Though Slocombe said it was difficult to balance seminary and motherhood during this time, she and her husband, Chris, persevered. Slocombe was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church in 2019, and was the pastor of a church in Omaha when she heard Creighton was looking for a Protestant minister. She jumped at the opportunity to work in faith formation again.
As Protestant Chaplain, Slocombe’s main function is to guide students, specifically non-Catholic students, in their faith journeys. This primarily includes leading The Common Well, Creighton’s Protestant ministry that includes a weekly Sunday worship service for non-Catholic students, monthly praise and worship services, weekly Bible study and social events.
Besides her role as the Protestant chaplain, Slocombe also serves as the Freshman Retreats Coordinator, which means that twice a year, she meets with student leaders to organize the retreats that have shaped the college experience of so many Creighton students.
Stephen Wheadon, a graduate student in the Heider College of Business, has led three retreats in his time at Creighton, working closely with Slocombe.
“[The] biggest things are her creativity and the way she wants to say ‘yes’ to this. Even if there are obstacles, she tries to find a way to make it work and says, ‘Yes we can do this, but let’s find a way to make it work,’” Wheadon said.
In addition to her titles of minister, mother and wife, Slocombe is a certified yoga instructor and long-distance runner. She said she enjoys pushing herself and testing her limits.
“It’s fun just seeing what you can do, because you always get to a point where you’re like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ or ‘This is really hard,’ and then you just set a small goal, and eventually you get done,” Slocombe said.
This mentality has allowed her to complete several marathons, and 50 (or more) mile runs. Recently she ran the Wabash Trace, a 63-mile trail from Council Bluffs to the Iowa-Missouri Border, for which she holds the Fastest Known Time for an unsupported run. It took over 16 hours.
In the coming year, Slocombe hopes to run in the Grand Canyon and complete a 47mile route from Creighton’s campus to the Retreat Center in Griswold, IA, in honor of Giving Day in April.
As a certified yoga instructor, Slocombe believes it is a physical channel for clearing the mind. She also uses the practice as an analogy of overcoming barriers in faith.
“Anyone can do yoga. You don’t have to be flexible to do yoga. You can do yoga from a chair. You can do it just [by] breathing. And the same is true, I think, of our faith lives that we just have to start where we’re at. … We’re all invited to participate,” Slocombe said.
As a dedicated individual, Slocombe inspires others to do the same. She finds joy in working with students and watching them grow. She frequently encourages her student leaders to preach sermons and give talks in order to conquer their fears.
“Guiding them through the process and then watching them do it and see their own confidence build and what they’re able to do is really beautiful,” Slocombe said.