The New Faces of Campus Ministry

by Ray Waddle

At the University of Louisville, Presbyterian campus minister Rick Upchurch hears students' woes (roommate problems, bad break-ups), initiates ambitious mission trips (Gulf Coast hurricane relief), tracks down Presbyterians, leads theological discussion (evolution, politics), preaches, teaches and outreaches too.

University of Louisville Campus Minister Rick Upchurch

He also has to worry where the funding will come from. It's an exciting time to be a Presbyterian campus minister — also an uncertain time.

The denomination's college ministries are hustling to stay fit in a shifting religious climate: traditional sources of funding are in decline, and old models of ministry are looking stale and out-of-date.

The times call for creativity and local church involvement as never before, says Upchurch and others.

"Models are old and dead; they don't work," Upchurch says. "If there's a good model, it's 'let's get out there and try something,' and look over my shoulder to see what the next guy is doing too, and figure out what works. Passion is what matters. Passion is the model."

Upchurch, 26, works part-time as Presbyterian campus minister at the 25,000-enrollment school. He depends on funding from the Synod of Living Waters as well as Louisville Theological Seminary, Mid-Kentucky Presbytery, Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville and periodic donations from other area churches. He hopes to increase his work there to full-time this year. To do that, he says he wants to strengthen partnerships with more local churches and make the case, parish by parish, that every congregation should care about campus ministry. "If a church has a youth ministry, then eventually those youth will reach college age. We need to stay committed to their baptismal covenant and not lose touch with these kids. College is the place where they ask those deeper and deeper questions."

In earlier eras, Westminster Houses dotted campus landscapes, nurturing Presbyterian students and enjoying traditional funding from national and regional denominational sources. But that scenario has changed to a free-for-all hodge-podge of approaches even within one state or city. (There are Presbyterian-related college ministries at more than 1,150 U.S. colleges and universities.)

"Churches are declining in their commitment to presbytery and synod, which means we get hit," says Jennifer Fouse, Presbyterian campus minister at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

The Living Waters synod remains a strong supporter of campus ministries in the four-state region, but funding has fallen off compared to previous generations. Presbyteries still support college-student ministries, though at widely varying and unpredictable levels of commitment. Partly the fall-off in funding - for many national ministries, not just campus work — is a casualty of church politics. Decades of debate over homosexuality and ideology have alienated some churches and resulted in less congregational giving to denominational offices.

But it's a sign of cultural shift too: local congregations are more assertive about initiating their own ministries, examining local issues and funding projects closer to the neighborhood. "The trend is, these funding decisions are being made closer to home," says Terry Newland, Living Waters synod executive. "Congregations are more involved in their communities now than before." This cuts both ways for campus ministries. Many local churches in college towns have stepped up to sponsor campus programs more actively than before. (More than 700 congregations have special programs serving students and faculty in nearby colleges.) But other congregations not situated near a college are less inclined to send money along to denominational officials who could distribute funds for campus ministry.

Today, some college Presbyterian ministries work completely out of a neighborhood church, not the campus. Others work on campus as chaplains, or in an interfaith setting, sharing a building with a half dozen other faiths.

At Vanderbilt, Fouse has a board of directors whose duties include fundraising. A fundraising board-style configuration is a model other campus ministries are examining or embracing in order to bring stability to an important traditional church mission, the nation's campuses. "We can't stay stagnant in our ministries, our worship," Fouse says. "God does not stay stagnant."

The climate for ministering to college-age young adults has changed too, Fouse and Upchurch say. Students these days are overscheduled, distracted and carry no automatic loyalty to denominational ties (and, often, not much knowledge of their own Presbyterian heritage), yet still yearn for spiritual connection and have passion to do social good in practical ways. Campus ministers do lots of one-on-one counseling, lead Bible discussion, shore up Presbyterian theology and give them the chance to tutor at community centers or build Habitat homes or take mission trips abroad and patch up villages or dig wells.

"I love college kids," says Fouse, 32. "They're the most honest people . To empower them to be leaders in their church and have a solid foundation in their faith - that's my hope and prayer everyday."

Contact Jennifer at jennifer.e.fouse@vanderbilt.edu or rick at rupchurch@lpts.edu