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The decision you make about your college education is very important and should be made with careful, disciplined thought. It has become the norm for church of Christ students to enroll in one of our Christian Colleges, though this may not be their best option. They often are not informed about campus ministries of the churches of Christ at public universities.
This article is intended to inform you about the differences between the two and, to encourage you to choose a campus ministry at a state school. I serve the campus ministry at Boise State University, but there are almost 200 campus ministries in the churches of Christ all over the United States.
Where are we coming from?
There are radical differences between the basic assumptions and underlying pre-suppositions of Christian colleges and those of campus ministries at state or private schools. This naturally leads to a vast difference in student circumstances and day-to-day happenings on the campus, all of which affects a student’s spiritual growth in very significant ways.
Christian Colleges
Our Christian Colleges work on the assumption that the best way to develop the faith of a young person is to place them in the most “Christianized” environment possible. Thus, most of the students, faculty and staff are Christians. Likewise the professors teach from a Christian worldview. The school may sponsor weekly devotionals, daily chapel and other spiritual activities. There are guidelines for the residence halls encouraging Christian behavior and each student is required to take one Bible class per semester. All of these structures are a part of this “Christianized Environment.”
The Christian College is its own entity. Though deeply tied with the church, it is not an extension of the church universal or any particular congregation. The Christian College is an institution for academic instruction with Christian students, faculty and staff, and by definition it is not able to endorse any particular local congregation. One of the practical results of this for many students, in spite of the college’s efforts to the contrary, is the college takes the place of the church in their lives. Participation on a daily basis in the “Christianized environment” reduces the role of the local congregation. For many students in our Christian Colleges the local church functions almost solely as “ the place they go for Sunday morning worship and communion.”
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministries are built on the assumption that because the church is to live faithfully to God “in the world,” it must do so on the college campus as well as the workplace, the home, etc…. The basic idea is that the best way to grow the faith of young Christians is to help them learn to be faithful Christians, “in the world.” Isolation or insulation from living “in the world” delays spiritual growth that is absolutely necessary for faithful living after college anyway, and only makes the transition from college to working day-to-day in a non-Christian environment more difficult.
In this CM the focus of attention is two-fold, first toward Christian service in and with the church (in the local congregation) and second, toward evangelism to the students of BSU, and other non-Christians in our lives. The activities that are used to pursue these goals include weekly dinner and devotionals, monthly outreach projects on campus, weekly small group Bible studies, organized large group social events, and an accredited academic Bible class each semester.
Our College students are an integral part of the life of our supporting congregation, the Boise church of Christ. The regular and special activities of our congregation provide the framework in which the CM activities are built. College students are regularly involved in all aspects of the church’s life; worship, Bible study, benevolence, children’s worship, VBS, Teen Camp, etc…. It is important to know that students involved in the CM are not required to be members of our congregation, but certainly are expected to be committed members of one of the local churches of Christ.
Our model for evangelism (our other main emphasis) grows out of the gospel itself. We practice what has been labeled “friendship evangelism.” We work on developing meaningful and committed friendships with non-Christians and working inside those boundaries of trust to draw them into a relationship with God and Jesus in the context of the church. The gospel is relational; it has to do with a relationship with God and with his people, and our method of evangelism is built on this truth. The structure of a campus ministry is designed to allow the church to express itself on campus in the lives of Christian students toward non-Christians. It is a ministry of the church. Its source and substance comes from and flows toward the local congregation.
Conclusion
We have put a lot of food on the table for thought. It’s time for you to do some chewing! We recognize that each student must choose the situation that will best equip and mature his or her faith for further service in God’s Kingdom. There is no “one size fits all” situation for higher education. Above all please make a prayerful, well counseled and deliberate choice to serve God with your education.
Please research your campus ministry options carefully. You can use this site to receive more detailed information about campus ministries across this nation.
For the BSU CAMPUS MINISTRY,
Howard R. Jones, Jr. “Hojo”
Hojo serves with the Boise Church of Christ as Campus Minister to Boise State University since 1991. GO BRONCOS!
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