Key Information and Frequently Asked Questions
February 26–28, 2026 (Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. through Saturday 2:30 p.m.), on Baylor University’s campus. Most concurrent sessions will be at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, with some on Thursday at the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB). Lunches will be at Penland Crossroads, and plenary sessions will be at Cashion Academic Center, 5th floor.
The registration page is here.
Regular registration: $295 (includes admission to all conference events, including meals).
Student registration: $150 (includes admission to all conference events, including meals). If you are registering a group of students, please email IFL@baylor.edu.
Baylor faculty, staff, and students: Free admission to conference sessions and meals with registration. Baylor alumni must register through the regular registration process.
Online registration closes on February 23rd. Baylor faculty, staff, and students may register as a walk-in after February 23rd, but the registration may not include meals.
Hotel reminder
February is a high-demand month in Waco. Please reserve lodging as soon as possible. See the Travel and Parking Information page for recommended options.
February is a high-demand month in Waco. Please reserve lodging as soon as possible. See the Travel Information page for recommended options.
Check in at the front Symposium desk at George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Check-in starts at 8:30 am on Thursday, February 26, and the desk will be open throughout the Symposium.
If you are presenting and do not have time to check-in before presenting, please check-in as soon as possible after presenting.
Yes. As with most academic conferences, speakers need to register and pay the registration fee.
Registration may be possible on-site, but it will depend on availability. We encourage advance registration for meals and accurate headcounts.
Email IFL@baylor.edu with requested changes.
All presentations must be in person. If an emergency prevents attendance, notify IFL@baylor.edu immediately; session chairs may reallocate time. Remote delivery is not supported.
Substitutions are allowed for co-authors listed on the program; please email IFL@baylor.edu to update the schedule.
We are unable to offer refunds for registration.
See the online Schedule page for information on how to access Guidebook, the conference app with the most updated schedule.
We have curated lists of sessions by topic and discipline under Schedule Tracks in the Guidebook app. Instructions for accessing these lists are here.
We have trained conference staff standing by to assist you. Simply find one of these staff members or visit the check-in table at Truett.
We are no longer posting abstracts of sessions to reduce administrative burden and encourage in-person engagement. Full titles and speakers remain available on the schedule.
Programming begins Thursday, February 26, at 9 a.m. and concludes at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 28.
Most concurrent sessions will be at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, with some on Thursday at the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB). Lunches will be at Penland Crossroads, and plenary sessions will be at Cashion Academic Center, 5th floor.
Please visit the Parking Information page for current maps, garages, and shuttle information.
Please visit the Travel Information page for driving routes, airport options, shuttles, rental cars, and construction advisories. Allow extra time in the mornings for garage entry and to walk between venues due to student traffic.
Yes. Every session room will have a projector or television screen.
Bring your own laptop or tablet if you wish to display slides or demos. (Note that this is a change from previous Symposia.)
Bring the correct adapters/dongles for HDMI (and any device-specific connectors).
We encourage you to bring your presentation files on a USB drive as a backup.
Campus Wi-Fi is available, but internet connections can be spotty in some buildings. Please design talks to function offline (embed media files; avoid cloud-only slides). Wifi login information is on the back of each name tag. If you do not have a name tag or have difficulty logging in, please visit the Check-In table.
Rooms support HDMI. Please bring any USB-C/Mac adapters and embed media in your PPT/PDF. Live web demos are discouraged; design for offline.
PowerPoint is standard; PDFs are a reliable fallback.
If using video/audio, embed media and test playback on another device beforehand.
We cannot provide support for Keynote/Prezi/Google Slides beyond screen-share from your own device.
Presenters should arrive 15 minutes early for a quick tech check. Limited on-site AV assistance is available, coordinated through the check-in desk or Symposium staff.
You are welcome to bring your own clicker. Many of the rooms have computer mouses for advancing slides as well. We have a limited number of clickers available. Microphones are unnecessary in most of the rooms. Larger rooms will have their own mics and sound systems.
IFL does not collect slides by default. Presenters may share a link/QR at their discretion.
Sessions are 90 minutes. Please observe these time allowances (leaving ~10 minutes per paper for Q&A, either after each paper or pooled at session end at the chair’s discretion):
1 presenter: up to 75 minutes, with 15 minutes Q&A
2 presenters: up to 35 minutes each, with 10 minutes Q&A each
3 presenters: up to 20 minutes each, with 10 minutes Q&A each
One-presenter sessions are usually reserved for invited speakers. Symposium staff usually try to consolidate 2-person sessions into 3-person sessions. If you see that you are listed on the schedule as being in a 2-person session, please continue to prepare as if you will be in a 3-person session. Schedule changes may occur right up to the beginning of the Symposium.
Panels can divide time among panelists/presenters at the discretion of the organizer/chair.
Invited speakers will need to coordinate with Symposium staff regarding time allocations separately.
All presentations must be delivered in person. We do not support hybrid/remote presentations for concurrent sessions. If an important contributor cannot make it to the Symposium, a co-presenter from their presentation may play a video, but a co-presenter always needs to be present; we do not support presentations with no in-person presenters.
No. Please bring any handouts you require.
IFL plans a peer-reviewed edited volume based on the conference. Detailed submission guidelines will be sent after the Symposium. Consider preparing your talk with eventual manuscript submission in mind.
No, there is no expectation that speakers send in a full copy of the presentation before the meeting.
Unfortunately, we will limit the edited volume to those who are able to present in person at the Symposium.
Guest seating is limited and not guaranteed; priority seating is for registered attendees. Meals are limited to registrants with meal badges.
You can indicate your interest in chairing a session here. We cannot guarantee that you would be chairing a session of people that you know or in your area(s) of expertise.
Yes. As with most academic conferences, speakers need to register and pay the registration fee.
All presentations must be in person. If an emergency prevents attendance, notify IFL@baylor.edu immediately; session chairs may reallocate time. Remote delivery is not supported.
Substitutions are allowed for co-authors listed on the program; please email IFL@baylor.edu to update the schedule.
Business casual is typical. February weather in Waco can be variable; bring a light jacket and umbrella.
All meals are included for registered participants. These include lunches on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, as well as dinners on Thursday and Friday. The Saturday lunch is a box lunch. Your badge is your meal ticket; please wear it to all meals. A staff member will be available outside Penland Crossroads on Thursday at lunch for those who are unable to check in before lunch that day. That meal is the only exception to the rule; name badges are required at all other meals.
Indicate dietary restrictions during registration. We will do our best to accommodate common needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free).
Refreshment breaks are scheduled between sessions (see the Schedule).
Campus venues are ADA accessible. If you have questions about accessibility, please email IFL@baylor.edu.
A private space can be arranged. Email IFL@baylor.edu ahead of time to make arrangements.
We aim to model convictional civility—serious engagement with ideas and people across differences. We expect participants to:
Treat all attendees and staff with dignity and respect.
Honor time limits and session chairs’ guidance.
Refrain from recording others without consent.
If you experience a concern, please speak with Symposium staff at the check-in desk or email IFL@baylor.edu.
Select sessions may be recorded. Concurrent sessions are typically not recorded. Please do not record presenters without explicit permission.
By attending, you consent to photography/videography in public spaces.
Join the conversation: #BaylorSFC.
Contact IFL@baylor.edu for media coordination.
Media should check in at the check-in table for credentials.
A limited number of book/resource tables may be available for presses or partners relevant to the theme. Email IFL@baylor.edu to inquire about availability, timelines, and shipping details.
Make the most of your time in Waco:
Mayborn Museum Complex (on campus)
Riverwalk along the Brazos, including the famous suspension bridge, and downtown eateries/coffee
See the Waco visitor information website for more details.
Transportation between airports, hotels, and campus must be arranged by the attendee. We regret that the Institute is unable to provide a shuttle service for all those attending the conference. If you will not be using a personal vehicle or renting a car, please be sure to check with your hotel to find out whether it provides shuttle services between Waco’s airport, the hotel, and Baylor.
Please visit the Travel Information for details.
On-site emergencies
Call 911 first. Then notify staff at the check-in desk.Campus security
Baylor Police non-emergency number: (254) 710-2211.Severe weather
Follow building staff instructions; shelter locations and evacuation routes are posted in each venue.
We can provide a letter confirming your participation once you are registered. Email IFL@baylor.edu with your passport name and affiliation.
Upon request, the Institute can provide a PDF Certificate of Attendance after the event. We do not offer CE/CME credits.
Turn in or claim items at the check-in table at George W. Truett Theological Seminary.
Bring a reusable bottle; water stations are available. Printed programs are limited—please use the mobile schedule.
A limited number of sponsorship opportunities may be available for mission-aligned organizations. Email IFL@baylor.edu.
Institute for Faith & Learning
Phone: (254) 710-4805
Email: IFL@baylor.edu