Face of campus ministry changing_10603

Posted: 10/3/03

Face of campus ministry changing

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

In today's marketplace of collegiate ministries, students are shopping to fill their spiritual needs with little brand loyalty, according to Baptist collegiate ministers.

Following a pattern that mirrors many young adults' church-hopping spirituality, a student may turn to a non-denominational group for Christian fellowship, a Methodist ministry for Bible study and a Baptist effort to do missions.

At least one thing hasn't changed in campus ministry through the years: Food draws. BSM secretary Barbara Raines serves a plate at the first Vision luncheon of the year for the Texas A&M student ministry. More than 300 students enjoyed a home-cooked meal made by volunteers from local churches.

The Baptist name carries little attraction for today's college generation, explained Allan Thompson, director of the Baptist Student Ministry at East Texas Baptist University.

Most students do not see the value of denominations, he said. “Denominational loyalty is a thing of the past.”

Instead, BSM leaders today must rely on relationships to draw students, according to Clif Mouser, director of the Baylor University BSM. Students become part of the Baptist ministries through their network of friends.

“In the '40s and '50s, the name drew people. Now relationships draw them,” Mouser explained. “They get involved because they encounter other Christian students who want them to get involved.”

Although the initial draw is different, students' needs largely remain the same, added Arliss Dickerson, director of the Arkansas State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry.

“I don't think they've changed in what they want. I think they've changed in how they react,” Dickerson said. “I think the No. 1 thing is they want to belong to a group that loves them and encourages them.”

Baptist Student Ministry programs provide those ingredients in industrial-strength doses.

Last year, 886 Baptist collegiate ministries nationwide reached more than 248,618 students using many of the techniques that have been staples for decades, including free lunches and evening worship services.

New roles

BSM work is gaining in diversity as well. More than 10 percent of the 87,000 students actively involved in BSM programs last year were African-Americans, and nearly 8 percent were ethnics, according to statistics compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources. Another 10 percent were international students.

Texas A&M Baptist Student Ministry Director Joel Bratcher welcomes students to this year's first luncheon gathering. At right, international students served by the Texas A&M BSM come from Korea, China, Venezuela, Colombia, Uruguay, Poland, Egypt, Jordan, India, Thailand and Spain.

Campus ministry in newer-work areas such as New England, California and the Northwest is multiplying rapidly, thanks largely to the work of volunteers, said John Ramirez, director of collegiate ministries for the Baptist Convention of New England and a strategist for LifeWay.

On top of the traditional activities, college ministries attempt to ease the transition from high school to college. Campus ministers help students move in and get situated. They also often offer concerts and parties as social events.

But the biggest draw is a personal invitation from a friend, and today's Christian students are rising to that challenge, said Joel Bratcher, director of the BSM at Texas A&M University.

“Christian students are more passionate about their faith than when I started in this work,” he said.

The meaning of life

Michael Ball, director of the Mississippi State University Baptist Student Union, finds students are looking for meaning in their lives.

“At the heart of things, the needs are much the same,” Ball said. “When I first started out, I didn't want a cookies and Kool-Aid ministry. I was intentionally trying to challenge them. I think they're really wanting purposeful commitments in their own life.”

In this search for meaning, students are interested in exploring Christianity, campus ministers said. They are closely examining the faith and asking questions.

“Students by and large are trying to find what life is about, and they're open to examining God,” said Steve Masters, director of the Louisiana State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry.

While college ministries have been based on small-group studies in the past, many outreaches are building on the popularity of praise and worship services. The intense emotion of the services intrigues non-believers who want to know this passion, Masters said.

This college generation's desire to participate in missions is extremely strong, campus ministers also reported. Overseas mission trips once seen as dangerous or exotic are a normal expression of the students' faith.

Masters sees more students than ever answering a call to vocational ministry, but most are interested in becoming missionaries rather than serving local churches.

Servant evangelism is a draw as well, particularly in the newer-work areas. Such ventures vary from campus to campus, but examples include helping students move into dorms and serving hot chocolate during the winter in an effort to share the gospel.

“This generation is more about experience than exposure,” Thompson said. “They don't just want to know what's going on or see what's going on; they want to do what's going on.”

Like all generations, however, today's college students' strengths are balanced by their weaknesses, Dickerson said. He notes that students seem to have trouble applying their faith to their lives. Although the large worship service brings people in, there is a great need for small-group Bible studies, he reported.

Additionally, statistics have shown giving from this generation is significantly down compared to previous generations, a trend that could have major implications for the church, Thompson said.

“You either bemoan the fact they don't know good stewardship or work within the framework,” he said.

Coping with change

The speed of change in American life has become so great that college students and younger generations are absorbing changes without having a chance to examine them, campus ministers said. Constant change is part of their lives, and it will only become a larger part as the pace of change continues to increase.

Baptist collegiate ministers largely agree the changing world coupled with new stylistic expressions of Christianity will alter the church. The question is how much.

Several predicted the church will continue with a praise and worship style. The emotionality may decrease as today's students grow older, but the approach will remain.

Thompson sees more dramatic changes, however. He envisions churches aligned by practical ministries rather than doctrinal distinctions. Believers will regularly fellowship with several congregations to meet their spiritual needs. Outreach will be global as well as local.

“If you think it's a wild ride now, just hold on,” he said. “I think it's going to get a whole lot wilder.”