Campus Ministry Mysteries: models & mission

1. Campus Ministry Mysteries:models & mission

2. The term missional asks this question: what is the purpose of the church? [Is it] to enfold and warehouse Christians for heaven, protecting them from damage and spoilage until they reach their destination? Or to recruit and train people to be transforming agents of the kingdom of God in our culture? The missional church understands itself to be blessed not to the exclusion of the world, but for the benefit of the world. interview with Brian McLaren “ a thought on mission “

3. some models Campus-based ministry Congregation-based campus ministryCombination

4. Usually…. employ at least half time staff are physically located near campus or make use of campus facilities governed by independent boards with representatives from multiple churches or committees of Presbytery provide ministry to faculty and staff as well as students target students who might never darken the door of a local church during college have a presence on campus through their student organization AND the ministry staff rely on a wide variety of funding sources, including governing body grants includes students from a variety of traditions (to varying degrees) campus-based ministry

5. “ We need to take the general ministry of the church, the ministry of Word and sacrament, to campuses where it is absent and where a high percentage of the students will not seek it out but may be receptive to it in their midst. This way of doing college and university ministry will require rethinking not only by campus ministers and their boards, but by local congregations and judicatories, all of which need to understand that the church on campus is an extension of --not an annoyance to or a competitor with -- the local church. John N. Brittain, The Christian Century, July 1998 (http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=358) PCM’s history before the formation of LPCM was in two of the models described by Brittain: PRESENCE & CHURCH-ON-CAMPUS “ campus-based ministrychurch-on-campus model

6. Campus-based ministry: church-on-campus model Examples at JMU/area Other c-o-c ministries • Catholic Campus Ministry http://www.jmuccm.com/ • Canterbury Episcopal Campus Ministry http://orgs.jmu.edu/canterbury/ • Campus Crusade http://www.jmucru.com/ • The Peace House (Mennonite) http://orgs.jmu.edu/peacehouse/ • Presbyterian Campus Ministry at Cooper House / VT http://www.cooperhouse.org.vt.edu/ PCM.php • University Lutheran Church at Northwestern http://www.northwestern.edu/lutheran/ • Westminster-Canterbury at Appalachian State University • Presbyterian Campus Ministry at the University of Arizona http://web.me.com/pcmarizona/PCM_/Welcome_to_PCM.html • Crossroads Lutheran / Episcopal campus ministry at the University of Washington, Seattle http://www.uwcrossroads.com/staff.htm

7. Campus-based ministry: church-on-campus model Pros Cons • A clear, targeted demographic of students (and sometimes faculty and staff) needing spiritual formation outside the walls of the local church • Often the mission of the ministry is directly reflected by the advertising, constituents, and general “feel” of the ministry • Can be evangelical or social justice-minded, but offers a more direct way to serve the unchurched and underchurched • Students take a very active role in the ministry in leadership roles (paid and unpaid) • Because staff and mission are directly focused on the university/college, there is more integration with the college community • By nature, this kind of ministry is missional • A difficult model to fund because of the reliance of outside sources • Requires a large investment of money and time in staff • Governing usually involves an independent board of individuals who understand and are passionate about the mission of the ministry • Students lack the connection to a local congregation; students in local congregations are not directly served • Difficult to maintain a consistently large group of students for programs. • Relies heavily on the cooperation of college or university • Must constantly cultivate relationships to churches, individuals, Presbytery, etc. and interpret mission consistently

8. Usually… have little or no paid staff are governed by a committee of the local church are funded by just one local church focus more on including students in a congregation that is collegiately-minded rather than providing specific programs for students do not have a ministry building off the church campus have a significant number of students in Sunday worship without any intentional ministry perform a high number of baptisms, confirmations, and marriages for students have little connection to the broader church through the Presbytery or similar body congregation-based campus ministry

9. The world includes colleges and universities. They are part of the world to which we are sent, part of the world for which the church expends itself. As we are guided by the Great Commission to "go to the ends of the earth," we include the university as part of our mission. • • If a campus is nearby, it is part of a congregation's mission field. Pastors and lay leaders are called to campus ministry because of congregational proximity to a campus community. • • The church needs to be present where people are gathered into the institutions of our society (including higher education) to listen and witness, to serve and learn, and to stand with the hundreds of thousands of individuals whose lives are taking shape there. Since the church cannot afford to be present on all campuses with staff called and trained for specialized ministry in higher education, congregational pastors and lay leaders are called to campus ministry. • • Our sisters and brothers in Christ are there. Many, especially 18 to 25 year old students, are there during a critical juncture in their lives. They need our ministry and they need to participate in ministry. • • God is there. The university is an important part of God’s creation. The university plays a crucial role in society. The church may be renewed as it discerns God's activity among its academic neighbors, allies itself with them, and gives God praise and thanksgiving. • From To Love Our Academic Neighbors: A Campus Ministry Handbook for Cooperating Congregations, ELCA • http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Ministry/Campus-Ministry/Campus-Ministry-Articles-and-Guides.aspx Presbyterian Campus Ministry in Harrisonburg began as a congregation-based ministry at First Presbyterian Church. congregation-based campus ministry

10. Congregation-based campus ministry Examples in JMU / area: Other congregational models: • Westside Baptist Church http://www.westside-baptist.org/college.htm • First Presbyterian Church http://www.firstpreshbg.org/index.php • Muhlenberg Lutheran Church http://www.muhlenberglutheran.org • Bridgewater Presbyterian Church http://www.bridgewaterpc.org • Aletheia Church http://www.aletheiachurch.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=69 • University Lutheran Church, Gainesville, FL http://www.ulcgainesville.com/3.shtml • University Presbyterian Church, UNC Chapel Hill http://uncpcm.wordpress.com/ • First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, MI http://www.firstpresbyterian.org/content/campus-ministry • University Lutheran Church, Clemson, SC http://people.clemson.edu/~luthcm/ • Westminster Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville, VA http://www.westminsterva.org/ug.asp

11. Congregation-based campus ministry Pros: Cons: • Students are naturally integrated into the life of the congregation • With the right circumstances, ministry can be effective with a small financial investment • Church is constantly reminded of its mission to the community outside its walls • “Down” years (financially or attendance-wise) don’t break the ministry • Good stewardship of buildings, administrative help, etc. • No issues with 501C(3), incorporation, board of directors, insurance, etc. • Difficult to make work if congregation is not physically located next to campus • Church must buy into the vision to serve the university community in an intentional way • Students are sometimes used as a pool to draw from (nursery workers, youth leaders, Sunday school teachers, etc.) instead of a population to serve alongside • Outreach to new and occasional students is difficult to maintain without dedicated staff • If there is staff, pastor’s time can easily get subsumed by congregational responsibilities • Hard to maintain a relationship with the university

12. This kind of ministry can take so many different forms that there is no usually. a combination ministry with one foot on campus and one in the local church

13. In 2006, the Board of Directors of Lutheran Presbyterian Campus Ministry adopted this model for LPCM. Three principle components of the ministry included: • A primary focus on ministry to students both on campus (who do not attend local congregations) and in churches. • Responsibility for the campus pastor to be visible in covenant churches as requested, specifically at Muhlenberg one Sunday a month. • Principle responsibility for ministry to faculty, staff, and students attending local church to reside with local congregations. combination campus ministry:church and campus

14. combination campus ministry: church and campus Examples at JMU / area: Other models: • Wesley Foundation @ JMU (United Methodist) http://orgs.jmu.edu/wesleyfoundation/ • Christian Student Union @ JMU (Baptist) http://orgs.jmu.edu/csu/ • Lutheran Presbyterian Campus Ministry http://www.lpcm.org • Lutheran Campus Ministry @ VT (Luther Memorial Lutheran Church) http://lsmvt.lmlc.org/ • Westminster Fellowship at Columbus State University (GA) http://www.wf-csu.org/ • Presbyterian Campus Ministry at NC State / West Raleigh Presbyterian Church http://sites.google.com/site/pcmraleigh/ • St. Augustine’s Chapel / Canterbury Episcopal Campus Ministry http://www.vanderbilt.edu/staugustines/

15. combination campus ministry: church and campus Pros: Cons: • Serves students with a variety of needs (those who gravitate toward a local church and those who will never darken its door) • Utilizes the gifts of local congregation(s) and connects them to the mission of the church in campus ministry • A natural fit to connect the campus to congregations through resourcing, networking, etc. and vice versa • Can benefit from resources of university (grants, space) and local churches (grants, meals, opportunities to serve) • When you are trying to please everyone, it is easy to please no one… • Difficult to articulate a clear mission and focus • Staff can feel torn as to where to concentrate energy and time. • No central worship experience • Requires out of the box thinking to organize structures to support the ministry The reality is that this model has, by definition, the pros and the cons of each of the former models. It is very site specific and requires extensive knowledge of context and resources to be successful.

16. Kathleen’s thoughts

17. Possibilities…. Congregation-based: • Local congregations take responsibility for their own outreach • Presbytery committee provides grants and resources for new starts and functioning ministries (in the transition, Trinity could request significant funds) • Churches that are not adjacent to a campus can serve and support ministries through the Presbytery committee • Primary constituency is determined by local church, but most likely to target students who are seeking a local congregation. • Provides equality within Presbytery and encourages grass roots adaptations to local contexts. • Campus-based: • Utilize part –time staff (1 day a week) and student interns (2-3, supervised by staff); seek staff that could perhaps also teach in adjunct status on campus to supplement income and connect to university • Regardless of organization (501c(3), ministry of Presbytery, under local church), ministry is an outreach of area churches, defined by the mission community. All have options to have seats on the board whether they contribute financially or note, all are invited to provide meals and other support. • Primary constituency is students who would not otherwise be served by the local church; local churches will take responsibility for developing their own outreach to students

18. www.pcusa.org/collegiate (refer a student, examples of programs, resources, campus ministry locator) • www.elca.org/campusministry (Bible studies, articles for boards, development info, handbook for congregations) • www.pachem.org (Presbyterian campus ministry programs, conferences, resources, etc.) • www.campusministry.net (National Campus Ministry Association) • www.ivyjungle.org (an evangelical organization providing resources for campus ministry) Resources