The Texas United Campus Christian Life Committee (TUCCLC) was founded in 1967 by the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Texas (later the Christian Church in the Southwest), and both the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. and the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Synods of Texas (later united as the Synod of the Sun). The founding covenant states the purpose of the TUCCLC as “to plan and administer the program and strategy for ministry in higher education at the universities and colleges within the geographical or ecclesiastical bounds of the covenanting communions.” The 1960s and 1970s were a time of ecumenical activism and unification for many Protestant denominations in the United States, a trend that influenced the united approach to campus ministry practiced by the TUCCLC.
The TUCCLC contributed administratively and financially to the creation and support of campus ministries throughout Texas and in New Orleans, Louisiana. These included ministries in Arlington, Austin, Canyon, College Station, Commerce, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Houston, Lubbock, New Orleans, San Angelo, and San Antonio. The TUCCLC promoted relationships not only between itself and individual campus ministries, but among the ministries on its various host campuses as well.
Chairpersons of the TUCCLC included Frank L. Seaman, Ken Jones, William H. Tiemann, Peggy Cockrum, John Towery, and Alan Lobaugh. A manual of operations issued in 1986 describes the three constituent parts of the organization:
- The United Committee, led by the chairperson, was composed of 3-6 representatives from each of the state-level judicatories of the three participating churches. In addition, one staff person named by each state-level judicatory and two members of the TUCCLC Campus Ministry staff served as ex officio members with voting privileges. Functions of the United Committee included assisting in the establishment of local committees for campus ministry, aiding in providing or locating resources for campus ministries, serving as an intermediary for funding of campus ministries by the state-level judicatories, providing pastoral and personnel help to local units, and facilitating ecumenical communication.
- State-level judicatories represented each of the three participating churches: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Church of Christ. Functions of the judicatories included providing funding and staff for the United Committee.
- Local boards were established on or near the campuses of higher educational institutions. Their functions included operating local ministries and reporting their activities to the United Committee, which in turn would provide them with funding and other forms of support.
From the guide to the Texas United Campus Christian Life Committee records 2011-011., 1970-1991, (Austin Seminary Archives, Stitt Library, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.)
