Let's Talk about Campus Ministry

First of all, let me say I love campus (student) ministry. I became a Christian in the student ministry in London, and I mentored campus ministries for decades. When Mark and I led a ministry of 10,000 people, our personal day-to-day focus was the campus ministry. For ten years, I oversaw the Volunteer Corps programs and the Global Service Internship, mentoring student leaders all over the world. I have a passion for young people. I have learned so much from them, and I still talk to them daily, all over the globe. In my local church, I often have the campus ministry over to my house. They are a great bunch!

The campus ministry has done a huge amount of good and also incredible harm. Let’s start with the good. Young people who go to university are very smart and talented. They are also in a time of life when they explore the world, ideas, and plan their future. They are open to new ideas and are willing to question the status quo. They are full of energy, often able-bodied, and fun. They are a life force.

Teaching them about God, encouraging them to integrate their faith into their life decisions, and mentoring them at a period of life when they have the flexibility to make choices is an amazing advantage. If they choose their core values before they embark on their professional life, get married, start a family, or make decisions that will affect the rest of their life, it is a wonderful opportunity.

Now for the not-so-good. I have heard more horror stories from campus ministries than I have from any other ministry. Universities are a treasure trove of future talent. They are also where you can find the most malleable, shall we say, vulnerable, minds? Young people in their late teens and early twenties are still figuring out who they are, and they are more prone to manipulation. The dream of changing the world and making a difference can be very appealing.

Church leaders bent on conquest see campus ministries as the perfect harvest field. Young people are free, they have time on their hands, and very few responsibilities, so let’s harness that potential and use it for church growth. I have certainly been in that mindset. This can be done in all sincerity by the way.

The danger is that undue pressure is applied to those ministries. Students are expected to be “on the cutting edge”, fully committed, and engaged in endless activities that fill up their time and minds. Student ministries are seen as baptism factories. This is not just a thing of the past. This is very much happening today. And it all too often leads to spiritual abuse.

Many students have told me (and I have also seen campus ministry schedules with my own eyes) they are expected to attend ministry events on campus pretty much every day, be it devotionals, “fun times”, Bible talks, midweeks, church, leaders’ meeting, discipleship groups, evangelism, Bible studies with their friends, etc. All of that while they are trying to do well in their classes. And many of them have to work on top of all that. Sadly, their academics often suffer.

Then there are the rules! Campus ministries tend to be more “old school” than adult ministries. They also tend to be based on fear. So many dos and don’ts. Boy-girl relationships are watched with hawk's eyes. Purity culture is still rampant. Permission culture is pervasive. And sadly, many of the leaders on campus are themselves young and immature, and often not mentored adequately.

And don’t say, “Not all campus ministries”. I know, I know. There are reasonable leaders out there. The campus ministry in my local church in Nepal is a wonderful community, for example. But the number of stories from around the world I hear tells me this toxic culture is still prevalent. The campus ministry conferences are still centered around evangelism, commitment, and “missions”. For years, as I attended those conferences (until very recently), I had to fight and use my influence to get one measly class on serving the poor and the marginalized. It was considered a distraction and not important. Not exactly like the ministry of Jesus.

I actually just checked the schedule of the upcoming campus ministry conference of my former fellowship, the International Churches of Christ, and same old, same old. Not one class on serving. That is telling. Also, even though it is called an “international” conference, it is 100% American. Oh, and there are several classes aimed at fighting “progressive” theology. We all know what that means. There is even a class entitled “Deceptive Philosophies: Learn to biblically address progressive theology and contemporary issues—like homosexuality”.

It would take volumes to relate the hundreds of stories I have heard of students getting yelled at for not being obedient enough, for raising concerns, for spending time alone with their boyfriend or girlfriend, for wearing a shirt that was deemed too short or too tight. It would also take much more than this post to tell you about the prevalence of mental health issues and eating disorders in campus ministries. And of course, the sexual assault cases, the misogyny, the homophobia.

Campus ministries, if not shepherded properly, can become a “machine”, a production line of young leaders who have very little life experience. The worst thing we can do to a young person straight out of campus ministry is put them in full-time ministry. Please allow these young people to complete their education properly and get a secular job for a couple of years. Let them get some life experience, please! They will make better ministers if and when they decide to enter full-time ministry.

Parents, keep an eye on your kids when they go into campus ministries. And watch what they are taught. My adult children have told me what they were exposed to in campus ministry years later, after they had time to digest the impact. I was very naive and trusting, and I have been sorely disappointed by the lack of integrity in campus ministries. And this is recent!

I say all this as someone who believes in young people, who has a passion for mentoring and training them for leadership. But first and foremost is spiritual formation, patience, and nurturing. So many crash and burn. The attrition rate as young people exit campus ministries is astounding. We can avoid that by taking a more Christlike approach, by trusting the maturity timeline. There are no shortcuts. The transactional approach to campus ministry is not bearing sustainable fruit. All too often, we turn a good thing into something unnecessarily harmful.

Campus ministries can be such a wonderful environment, where young people are supported and nurtured, trained in spiritual formation, service to the community, where they can let their light shine and love people. And yes, young people can make a difference, as long as we actually follow Jesus.