This fall as we were exploring what a new college ministry from Schweitzer would look like we thought it would be a good idea to talk with students about the idea. We gathered groups of students together and asked them four questions. This is a summary of their answers to one of those questions.
How can you bridge the two together, a church and a campus ministry?
The best way students claim to bridge the gap between a church and a campus ministry is make sure that what the church does suits college students. It needs to be on their level, in their environment, challenging, and relevant. A common suggestion was that a church should be built on campus. Proximity was the second concern. Students say that having to drive is oftentimes not an option, especially to visit a new church. Students said that they felt the church connection for a ministry on campus was very important – churches are stable, campus ministries sometimes are not. It was also important for students to have opportunities to interact with people of other generations, but that a student worship setting should be primarily ages 18-25. Students said having opportunities to connect with the larger church body from a campus ministry would help to bridge the gap from college to the church.