This past Sunday, as a part of Welcome Week on our campus, the Office of University Ministries hosted a Church Fair. We told students that this was there one-stop-church-shopping experience… the Wal-Mart of church shopping.
We invited 40+ local churches who have a heart of college-age students and are interested in finding ways for them to be both nurtured to grow and challenged to serve, to come to this 2 hour event. They were encouraged to bring staff members, students involved in their ministry and information. New students had the chance to “work the room” and hear from pastors and students about their church and how they could be involved.
I spent some time walking around the fair and talking with the different church leaders that were present. Time and time again I was thanked for the opportunity to be on campus to talk with students. As we talked a bit longer, I was surprised to learn that most church leaders did not feel welcomed on most campuses.
What a tragedy!
While every campus will operate differently, and even have certain policies about who can be on campus and for what reasons, I cannot understand why (especially Christian universities) would not want to help students to get connected with the local church.
I am increasingly aware of the need for the Church and the Campus to see their work in a new light… One that speaks to partnerships and collaborative efforts! One that sets aside pride and puts the spiritual development, character development and vocational preparation of young people at the forefront… regardless of who’s doing it!
If our mission is NOT about having the most students, but instead, about the ongoing spiritual growth and formation of young people, then does it really matter who “gets the credit?”
I think this falls under the category of working smarter… and not harder.
What do you think?
2 thoughts on “Building Bridges Between the Church and the Campus”
Here at ONU, we have a long-standing tradition of providing shuttles to the local churches (we’re in a really small town, so it doesn’t take a lot of effort, really!) for the first few weeks of classes, with the idea that students will then connect with others who have transportation for the weeks that follow. We also had for the first time this year a contingent of local congregations at our welcome fest, and they were very well received. In conversation with some local clergy, we are also looking at launching a jointly-sponsored (churches and campus) worship service at a local community center. We have the advantage of being the only university in town, but it works in our favor as we reach out to the community!
David, this sounds great! It wouldn’t be possible without a spirit of team and not competition. Good stuff!
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