Bailey, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A.), Yale Divinity School (B.D., S.T.M.), and the University of Wisconsin (Ph.D.). In addition to serving pastorates in Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin, Bailey spent over twenty years in administration for Franklin County Children's Services in Columbus, Ohio. He is also an active member of the United Christian Center ecumenical campus ministry board at Ohio State University.