Meeting Charts Possibilities, Acknowledges Difficulties in Campus Ministry
Episcopal News Service. May 9, 1997 [97-1761]
Rev. Timothy J. Hallett, Episcopal Chaplain, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign/Rector, Chapel of St. John the Divine, Champaign, Illinois
(ENS) There were university faculty, administrators, students, clergy from parishes near colleges and universities, part-time campus ministers, both lay and ordained, full-time university chaplains, diocesan executives, and friends of college work. They came from diverse settings and places, but they held a common stake in ministry in higher education.
The group of about 25 persons was brought together at the Trinity Conference Center in West Cornwall, Connecticut, in March as a trial run for a national strategic planning event scheduled for Atlanta, December 3-6, 1997. Their task was to reflect on expectations of campus ministry and to share hopes, but also to examine that hope and expectation in the light of personal experience and church reality.
The event came about as the first fruit of a wide-ranging collaboration by agencies committed to revitalizing the church's ministry in higher education: the Episcopal Society for Ministry in Higher Education (ESMHE), the Office for Young Adult and Higher Education Ministries at the Episcopal Church Center (YAHEM), the Association of Episcopal Colleges, the Trinity Institute's Teleconferencing Network, and the Episcopal Church Foundation. In a fitting expression of that collaboration, it took place under ESMHE auspices at the Trinity Conference Center made possible by a grant from the Episcopal Church Foundation.
The structure of the pilot event took seriously the contribution of everyone present. The expertise was that of real players; there were no addresses by hired talking heads. Persons from the various streams of campus ministry had a chance to swap ideas and approaches with others in similar roles and settings, and also to learn of the broader sweep of campus ministry from those who live and work in different contexts. The emphasis was constantly on practical insights and strategies that can be adapted to a variety of situations.
Some participants were looking for ways to begin new ministries; others sought ways to reinvigorate existing work. Some were struggling to keep their ministries alive. All shared a commitment, or better put, a passion for campus ministry and a frustration at the church's ongoing devaluation of a once-vibrant area of mission.
Students, faculty, and administrators spoke as one on the importance of the church's presence in the university, and sadly, of the implications of its absence. Students, all too familiar with the results of "de-funding," were earnest in their plea for stability and continuity in campus ministry. They pleaded for ministry that is responsive to the needs of students and truly available to them.
Even for parishes that really try to reach out to the campus, the struggles were real. Clergy find themselves caught in tension between parish and campus needs. One rector whose parish is beginning to reach out to a small college nearby, said, "You know about 'sticker-shock' -- when you find out that the cost of the car you want is a lot higher than you expected? I know now that this will take a big commitment. But we're going to do it. We're still going to do it."
Parish traditions also may militate against the involvement of those who do not respond to traditional forms. Too many parishes fail to see the rewards of ministry with young adults. Too many dioceses assume that a parish adjacent to campus will embrace campus ministry.
Still, it was clear that parishes that are willing to make the investment in campus outreach will reap rich rewards from the energy and commitment of young adults, and will find the students to be more agents than objects of ministry.
Students were adamant about their stake in the life of the church now. As one put it, "Students are more affected by what the church does now than anybody else." They understand that the church often sees them as its future, but they find it hard to understand why the church is so reluctant to invest in that future now. They challenge the church's foolish and patronizing notion that young adults are going to drop out for a while and then come back when they have kids. They know their generation, and they know their church, and they don't believe those who've left will be coming back.
They believe the church's ministry on campus is urgent, for their generation and for the church, now and in the future. For them, the future is now, and they are the future present and active in the church's life.
For information on the December 3-6 event, contact the Office of Young Adult and Higher Education Ministries at the Episcopal Church Center, 800/334-7626 extension 5267.