Key Components of Campus Ministry

Introduction

Campus ministry is an important missional opportunity in developing young adult leaders. The current generation of college students is the largest since the Baby Boom, but the lowest percentage to grow up in church. Approximately 80% of college students have never had significant church experience. More significant life choices (vocation, lifestyle, relationships, spiritual) are made during college than any other stage of life. Ninety percent of students who have grown up in the church may never return after graduation.

The campus ministry and spiritual life is a missional outpost to the campus. Colleges are mini-cities with residents who have their own language, rules and values. Our campus ministers, just like any out of country missionary, must learn this culture in order to minister to this society in which the college student is immersed. Also, just like an out-of-country missionary, our campus ministries must raise money in order to support themselves. The Conference supports only a portion of their budgets and everything else, from volunteer hours, building needs and ministerial funds come from generous donors who understand the importance of campus ministry to college students.

Core Purposes

Campus ministries are important in developing young adult leaders. A campus ministry is a gathered community of traditional aged students for worship, service, small groups and fellowship.

The mission of all Great Plains campus ministries is a movement of grace, empowering students to live transformed lives to transform the world.

Grace. Empowerment. Transformation.

We do this by inviting (a movement of grace),

equipping (empowering students to live transformed lives)

and sending students (to transform the world)

so that they may be transformed leaders who can change the world.

The core purposes of the United Methodist campus ministry are:

Invite– A desire for every college student to know the all-encompassing love of God. By personal invitation, students practice a life of faith in a community who is living out what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The faith community is always open and inclusive to all people and authentically reflects the diversity and unity of the kingdom of God.

Equip –Providing opportunities for students to become growing, serving, learning and leading disciples of Jesus Christ in the United Methodist tradition. Equipping happens through worship, service and small groups so that they may live transformed lives and the world will be changed.

Student Leadership – Campuses are primary places that young adults have an opportunity to put their ideas to action, practice how to lead and make a difference in the world around them. Campus ministries are a leadership incubator that encourage and foster leadership inside and outside the church. Because of a student’s participation in campus ministry, the student would be able to know they are called by God to make a difference in the world through their gifts and calling to serve Christ in lay or clergy vocations.
Service – Campus ministries serve the campus, by providing opportunities for students to grow in their faith through serving others. Service opportunities can also occur through instilling a sense of justice and morality in key issues in our society on campus, addressing the needs and pain in the communities in which the campus resides, and partnering in mission through international mission trips.
Small Groups – Like the early days of Methodism, small groups are pivotal in building covenant relationships with God and others. Small groups can be student-led with common oversight and structure. The small groups provide a way to grow in faith and learn more about practicing a life of faith. Most small groups can have a progression of faith formational materials that can help students clearly articulate their faith.
Worship – An intentional gathering of the student community to share faith, learn how to be a disciple of Christ, and be sent out to transform the world. Retreats and conferences can also help stimulate the purposes of a gathered community who seek to follow Christ and transform the world.

Sent – Helping all students hear God’s name their gifts, experiment with their leadership and acknowledge a call to serve and lead in the church and in the world both lay vocations and ministry in the church.

Innovation - With student leadership, be incubators for new and effective ways for doing ministry as United Methodists, particularly with young adults

Hope- To embody hope for the future of the United Methodist Church, as we raise up a new generation of disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world

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