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By Doris Fleck
Introducing students to Jesus Christ and creating
disciples used to be so much easier.
Campus ministries across the country have been
forced to retool their age-old strategies as students exhibit a lack of
biblical literacy and campuses become more hostile to the gospel.
Biblical illiteracy
In the 50s, 60s and 70s, Christian groups were
visible on campus, students were familiar with the Bible and teachers would
pray before class. But since then, the battle to ban the Bible has heated
up.
Eric Stolte, national director of The Navigators of Canada, recounted a
pastor telling him about a high school kid who was interested in God. When
the pastor asked the kid, “What do you know about Jesus
Christ?” the youth responded, “Isn't that the person whose
birthday we celebrate on July 1?”
For Murray Baker, national director of Inter-Varsity High School Ministry, these changes have meant decreasing the number of high schools
staff members work in. Having one staff person oversee five or more schools
hasn't proven effective. But by encouraging staff to spend extensive
one-on-one time with students, meaningful relationships are dramatically
increasing.
Relationship & coaches
Baker sees his staff like coaches, involved in every
part of the kids’ lives. Rather than focusing on a decision for
Christ as an end point, staff members enter into the process of
Christianity with their kids.
“I would never turn down a kid’s decision
to accept Christ,” Baker explained.
“But we need to be realistic about it. We have
so many kids who are Christians at high school who disappear when they get
older. We're not letting them see the full breadth of the kingdom of
God.”
Kids & church
Rebecca Bailey, Canadian director of the Pais Project, believes the
answer to helping kids keep the faith throughout university is to get them
plugged into a church while they’re still in high school.
Pais helps churches get involved with local schools
by providing experienced workers who join the church’s youth
ministry. These workers live with members of the church, train church youth
workers and volunteer their services to the high schools.
Bailey said, “The school sees the church as a
vital community partner. We have schools phoning our churches in the summer
asking us to come back,” Bailey told Options.
Mentoring students
University Christian Ministries (UCM) also encourages students to belong to a
Christian community. A ministry of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada,
UCM‘anchor’ churches, are typically situated near a campus, and
provide a specific bridge to help students find Christ and become connected
to a church.
Steve, a UCM student leader at the University of
British Columbia was so impacted by UCM’s mentorship program that he
started a similar program in his own (Presbyterian) church.
George Werner, Mission
Canada director for the Pentecostal
Assemblies of Canada, explained that their strategy is to make disciples,
not Pentecostals.
They will even direct students to other campus groups
if that fits them best.
“We're not going to compete, we're going to
complete,” he said.
Increasing spiritual hunger
Mike Woodard, national director for Campus for Christ has
discerned an increasing spiritual hunger among students.
Continue article >>
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He recounted a Campus for Christ worker in the midst
of a meeting area at Simon Fraser University yelling, “Hey! Does
anyone here want to talk about God?”
One guy's arm immediately shot up. Within a few weeks
this guy had accepted Christ and is now a Campus for Christ leader at the
University of Manitoba.
Absolute truth
Woodard has noticed a de-emphasis on absolute truth,
and a greater significance placed on feelings. He marveled that a classic
debate about the existence of God on the UBC campus last year drew an
overflow crowd of 1,200.
“This generation could be one of the most open
to the gospel,” he said.
Role models
Roger Berrington, national campus director for
Navigators, told Options about Rob. As captain of a local hockey team he was present at
the annual rookie's party. Two new-comers asked Rob if they could avoid the
humiliating contests that involved excessive drinking (team veterans were
adamant that everyone had to do this), Rob offered to take their place and
voluntarily subjected himself to public ridicule. Although he questioned
whether this would be seen as a Christian witness, two other veterans
followed his example and took the place of another two rookies who were
also struggling with this event. A few days later, one of the team sought
Rob out and asked him for help in getting his life right with God.
“This, to me, is an example of what Christ
himself has done for each of us,” Berrington said.
Trevor Froehlich is national director of campus
ministries for Athletes in Action. “When the world is looking to athletes as heroes,
wouldn’t it be great to see athletes looking to God as their
hero?” he said. “That kind of influence could change the
world!”
campusfire resources
Many campus ministries are connected to campusfire, a Canadian
network of youth ministries. Over the last 10 years, founder and director
Darian Kovacs has facilitated relevant resources geared towards Christian
youth, youth workers and campus workers. Students and campus workers are
also trained through their annual webcast training weekend.
Now in partnership with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA),
Kovacs said this new collaboration will allow campusfire to follow up
at BGEA youth events. The partnership will also provide seminars and
exhibits at youth conferences across Canada.
“There’s still close to 3,800 public high
schools, middle schools and universities right across Canada,” Kovacs
said. With campus groups working in less than half of them, “I want
to see a movement in every school across Canada. I want to see every young
person have an opportunity to journey and discover Jesus.”
Doris Fleck is a freelance journalist based in
Calgary. She writes for publications across the country including Faith
Today, City Light News and ChristianWeek.
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At the beginning of each school year, high school
students across Canada meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month to pray.
Traditionally called ‘See you at the pole,’ Christian students
used to be allowed to visibly pray for their schools around the flagpole.
But in this day and age, they meet in secret.
September 21, days before ‘See you at the
pole’ happens, campusfire is encouraging churches across the
country to pray.
“This allows the whole body to see they have
missionaries in their own church going to public high school and
university,” explained campusfire founder Darian Kovacs. “As a
church body they can pray for them, support them and continue to encourage
them to fight the good fight.”
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Options Fall 2008
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