Theology Today - Vol 41, No.2 - July 1984 - SYMPOSIUM

173 - Musings on My Ministry

Musings on My Ministry

AS I sat in my office one rainy morning, looking out the window, I saw students rushing to class. They seemed unaffected by the rain, and certainly unaware of my gaze from that tiny office of Campus Christian Ministry. They couldn't know my mind was full of thoughts and concern about them as students, their educational interests, about their needs and desires. How was I, as a campus pastor to be involved with 34,000 students, a host of faculty whose jobs were as uncertain as the weather that misty morning, and the community of administrators and legislators who make decisions about their education? What pertinent insights could I draw from my life as an ordained minister that would nurture and challenge faith in those rain-drenched students?

I was startled out of my querying by a phone call from a colleague down the street whose ministry with students was based in a local parish. She had a student in her office who needed some counseling. So we arranged an appointment and exchanged some words about the weather. Then I had to get a bulletin ready for ecumenical worship... a knock at the door brought another student with concerns over whether she could handle a class load... staff meeting... program planning for a course with women about feminist theology. And so my early morning ponderings about campus ministry were devoured by the routine of the day.

Yet, the issues which drew me out of the window and into myself that morning are still at the forefront of my thought. Since that day, many other issues have arisen to add to the larder of concern. Funding for ministry outside of the parish is scarce. Ecumenical ventures in campus ministry do not have nearly the appeal to denominations as their own individual programs. More control is being exerted by sponsors regarding the shape of ministry, programmatically as well as philosophically. A relationship between local parishes and campus ministry programs is being sought.

With all these voices ringing in my ears, it has become important to draw upon models for ministry in higher education. In surveying the various forms of ministry, one comes quickly to the conclusion that there is no set pattern for a specific campus ministry. In private colleges, there

Lucy Forster-Smith is an ordained Presbyterian minister serving with the Campus Christian Ministry at the University of Washington in Seattle. She is a graduate of Sioux Falls College and Princeton Theological Seminary.

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are chaplains who are hired by the institution to express the institution's interest in matters of religious and spiritual import. These people may be scholars holding advanced degrees, teaching religion courses along with preaching, and involved in student programming and counseling. Other chaplains coordinate student programs of spiritual nurture and create social outreach projects in which students can become involved. Still other ministers are hired by colleges to create a close tie between church-related colleges and denominational bodies. Church-relation directors may have some religious (that is, counseling, preaching, teaching) functions on campus, but their primary focus will be relations with associated bodies. This may include recruitment of students, coordinating continuing education, or fund-raising.

Moving to public higher education, campus ministers, a term generally used to distinguish those affiliated with secular institutions from the "chaplain" of the private realm, -bring their own distinct models of ministry. Some find themselves immersed in political concerns within the community. They see their ministry as one which brings students along with them. The conviction of such professionals is that faith is rooted in one's involvement in faith issues. Thus, their own enactment of a personal commitment creates opportunities for students to do the same. Some campus ministers seek to make an impact on university policy and direction. Faculty, staff, and legislative bodies are the targets of their energies. Others become experts in a particular area such as career planning, sexuality, medical ethics, or counseling. They provide resources for the university by sharing expertise. Probably the most common campus ministry seeks to find a balance between the nurture of students through educational programs, interpersonal concerns, worship, and opportunities for community involvement. In this model, encouragement is given to students to explore faith with regard to vital issues in the "secular realm," experience the church in its pluralistic expression, and become involved with interfaith exploration and social justice. Though the form of ministry varies greatly from one person to another, the tasks of preaching, administration, counseling, and spiritual nurture are common to most campus pastors.

Is campus ministry, whatever the model, meeting the needs of students, and what are students like in the '80s? If we were to walk around a typical campus today, we would see students dressed in top-siders, polo shirts, and jeans. Alongside of these students there would be some older men and women back for a second career, a few teen-age prodigies crowding the computer labs, clusters of international students, back-to-the-earth types with backpacks flung over their shoulders and peasant skirts brushing ankles.

There is much talk today that students' values are more conservative. This assumption may have to do with the economic climate and global uncertainty about us. Many students do seem to be claiming values

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much like those of their parents or even grandparents. The notion of education for life, or liberal arts training in order to be conversant in a wide spectrum of disciplines, is not in the forefront of students' thought. Rather, students are seeking training for specific careers that will optimally give them financial security or at least a tolerable job. Pre-professional programs such as medicine, law, and engineering are extremely popular. Fields of business and high-tech are swamped with students. Specialization, knowing a lot about a little, is more highly regarded than knowing a little about a lot. Ethical and value-laden questions are seen as peripheral to objective knowledge. Thus, the student's "personal concerns," such as issues of intimacy, career satisfaction, sexuality, or religion, are for the most part left out of the formal education enterprise. Many students express a sort of schizophrenia about the system, whereby personal concerns and vocational goals are never married or even engaged. Since 1970, the average age of students in colleges and universities has shifted dramatically upward. Some of these "mature students" are women seeking a career outside of the home; others want to update credentials. Many are second, third, or even fourth career-shift candidates. With the influx of non-traditional students, the need for such necessities as child care, life-work planning, support groups for women has been widely felt. Counseling for those in transitional phases has been added to many higher-educational programs. The number of part-time and night school students has also increased. Thus, one can see that in the '80s, students are not "kids."

III

With this in mind, let us now consider student attitudes toward religion. As one might guess, the perspectives, preferences, and commitments are as varied as the students. It would be presumptuous to make broad, sweeping statements about all students. If there is a common strand, I would say that the theological postures of students parallel their values, life-experience, and the "schizophrenia" referred to above. There seems to be a separation between a person's religion and academic studies. Religious expressions which give easy, quick solutions to complex issues, not calling into question the status quo, are sought by many. Some of the more populated campus fellowships provide definite belief statements, rigid moral strictures, and political stances closely allied with upper-middle-class society. Ethical considerations and global consciousness, as related to professional goals, are rarely questioned. Religion and its expression are isolated from the secular realm, and few attempts are made to connect the two.

Another religious expression on the college campus is what I would call a glorified youth group. These are often comprised of charismatic leaders, with their close inner circle of disciples, who function as leaders at retreats and help plan programs. There is usually a large weekly meeting with these groups where the leader gives a talk, small groups discuss the talk, and they then close with worship. A wide range of

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socializing activities such as square dancing, picnics, roller skating, and pizza parties are planned. Many students find their needs for affiliation met in these groups, and through them they establish a sense of belonging.

Still another typical religious expression on campus is the more individualized approach which seeks to connect faith and life-experience. This is often seen in people who have lived through crises in their lives and are looking for ways to make sense out of these experiences, theologically, and so tie those insights into their education process. One woman with whom I had a very intense counseling relationship had been a victim of incest from the time she was five years old. She left home at seventeen to enter college. In her college experience she was involved with a campus fellowship group. One evening she was at a Bible study and the text for the evening was the commandment to honor father and mother. As the leader began to lecture the group about the importance of honoring parents, Mary (not her real name), said that she had been sexually abused as a child and found it difficult. to love her father. The group began to condemn her, saying she must forgive him and honor him. She left the group devastated. Two years later she came to me with grave concerns about the church and a cynicism about Christian faith. As we spent time in conversation and study, she discovered another approach to her life experience. She became aware of how her own experience could give her a keen, compassionate attitude towards others. Becoming involved with a crisis intervention program, she was able to transform this tragic experience of her early life into a recognition of her unique gifts in relating to others in crisis. To me this is a dramatic example of the way one's life-experience can be informed by faith. She is now seeking a degree in counseling.

The intensity with which students, like Mary, seek out a faith posture which is "in sync" with their experience makes campus ministry an exciting place to be. The strength this ministry brings to students can equip them to find a faith expression valid for their own life and experience. It also lays the groundwork for growth in faith and enables them to seek avenues for expressing faith in the wider community.

Let me add one more faith expression which is peculiarly related to the present moment. There is an urgency on the part of many students to be involved with the issues to which they are committed. With such students, now is the ultimate time. The energy with which issues are approached is amazing, not to mention the conviction. The task of a campus minister, at least in part, is to channel that energy toward issues in the world, connecting students with issues and challenging students to find avenues of expression in their convictions. Inherent in this is a mandate for campus ministers to "practice what they preach." If the campus minister doesn't, credibility decreases dramatically.

All such faith expressions and theological postures find a variety of outlets. My own involvement in campus ministry relates to teaching and

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finding opportunities to express my vision with others. With an ecumenical staff of nine, including Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, as well as representatives of the five denominations sponsoring the United Ministries in Higher Education, I have found a wide range for ministry. What are some of these things, and how has campus ministry changed since the '60s?

No, we are not marching in the streets. Yes, some of us are doing civil disobedience to protest nuclear arms and Trident submarines. No, we do not have encounter groups and coffee houses with folk-singers. Yes, we do have marriage preparation workshops, life-work planning events, and dinner discussions on contemporary concerns in our campus ministry setting. No, we don't have write-your-own worship/spiritual peak-experiences. Yes, we do have ecumenical and interfaith worship, with common liturgies and (with much regret) separate Eucharist. (I understand some campus ministries have Roman Catholic/Reformed joint Eucharist.) So, there are some remnants of the '60s fabric still in our midst, and yet there are changes as well.

My own ministry has focused quite specifically on reaching women students and young adults. We have extensive and intensive programming for a diverse population of students. Such issues as women's political concerns (abortion, rape laws, hunger, etc.), feminist theology, inclusive language, ritual, worship, and Third World women have been considered. I have also made an effort to become involved in the women's studies program at the University.

Another area of personal involvement is with ecumenical worship. Weekly, Roman Catholic and Protestants gather together for a service of the Word. The significance of this is powerful in a time when many church bodies are turning from an ecumenical vision to a new denominationalism. Many who find this service meaningful are students whose marriages combine both Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions. Rather than be forced into a decision of which faith is to be their joint' faith expression, they find that this service provides a significant avenue of worship wherein both traditions are embraced. Yet the importance of this goes beyond individual accommodation. It is my conviction that this service is a symbol of the way campus ministry can provide a glimpse, if not a full view, of the reality of God's presence in our midst. Having people from a variety of traditions sharing a common worship in a common building embodies this vision. It provides an opportunity to rub shoulders with those who represent a whole spectrum of theological and liturgical understanding. In this contact, we realize there is much common ground and also much challenge to our assumptions. Students, more than anyone else, need to taste and see the possibility of shared ministry between denominations. They are then empowered to take that vision into their old dispensations, and the potential for change is enabled.

One other arena in which my own energies are focused is that of church relations. This is a relatively recent mandate of United Ministries in Higher Education, the ecumenical body comprised of American

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Baptist, United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Methodist, and Presbyterian (U.S.A.) which supports our ministry. The intention of this function is to create a relationship between our ministry and parishes which are in proximity to the University. Some of this relationship is a simple matter of communicating our involvements and encouraging support for them. We have met with pastors and layworkers whose responsibilities revolve around student ministries. Trying to coordinate our programs with theirs and consider ways that our ministries can be complementary rather than competitive is the heart of the task. We have also discovered the importance of finding a theological basis to inform our campus ministry, as well as formulating a strong statement about the church's emphasis in the campus ministry arena.

To reflect theologically on our task is crucial in this day when specialized ministry is under a critical eye and para-church groups dot the horizon. Connecting our varied experience in campus ministry with our Christian tradition has been meaningful and has strengthened and nourished us in this process. The most common strand of conversation spun out at Wednesday brown-bag lunches is how to reach the student whose mind is very sophisticated and whose critical eye is sharpened by the college experience with a faith appropriate to that level. "High School" faith, whether affiliated with a group or a more private spiritual experience, often is characterized by identification and compromise, rather than by differentiation and non-conformity. I have found John Westerhoff's work in faith development very helpful in this regard. He talks about post-high school faith as having the potential to move from an affiliative faith to a searching faith. According to Westerhoff searching faith has three characteristics: (1) doubt and critical judgment of inherited faith whereby religion of the head becomes equally important with religion of the heart; (2) experimenting with alternatives to earlier understandings of faith; (3) a strong need to commit oneself to persons and causes. Westerhoff points out that a context which supports a time of probing is crucial. Campus ministry to students should seek to provide such a context. (See Will Our Children Have Faith, New York: Seabury, 1976, pp. 96-97.)

A student came to my office recently deeply troubled by the suicide of a friend. As she shared the tragic incident, she told me that she had been affiliated with a very fundamentalist Bible study in her dorm. One evening during the session she began to question why God let her friend commit suicide. The group had said that God would judge her friend, and she would probably end up in Hell. Such an issue needed a supportive network to allow for uncertainty and growth. Instead, she was given a quick solution which left her devastated. The young woman was in crisis. Such times have the potential for mobilizing and expanding faith. She needed the freedom to question her faith and seek her own

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resolution. She was seeking a sense of authority, inner authority, which could move her on into life.

Sensitivity in such a time of searching is an exceedingly important function in campus ministry. Times like this with the student provide the context in which a world view is developed. Campus ministry needs to be about the task of encouraging people into newness of life and fullness of faith. It is a spiritual task insofar as it relies on the Spirit ultimately to teach us all things. It is also a storytelling enterprise where we tell the story of our faith, inherited and unfolding, and we begin to make connections between that faith and the various arenas of our lives.

Much of this kind of searching, I believe, has to be done outside institutional church settings. Distressed parents and pastors have come to me, wondering why their child has dropped away from institutionalized religion. Their fear is that the faith they instilled in their children will be lost forever. I certainly do not think these concerns are unjustified, but the maturation of faith in many cases occurs outside of the familiar structures. The journey from childhood to adulthood can really occur only outside of the nest. The faith journey may end up in the wilderness, wandering, and not returning to any institutional affiliation. But our experience has been that a large percentage of people affiliated with some sort of congregation prior to college, return to a formal faith expression at some point in their post-college years. Even Jesus spent time in the wilderness prior to his ministry. And the children of Israel wandered for forty years before they reached the promised land.

Let me try to illustrate in a personal way how campus ministry can assist college students in their quest for a deepened faith.

Craig (the names are fictional) grew up in a suburban community in a well-to-do family. When be came to the University, his goals were to major in law or political science through which he would perpetuate a life-style similar to that of his parents. His family was not interested in religion except as it affected cultural awareness. Yet Craig felt compelled to get involved with the church at the beginning of his college years because he wanted a place to sing choral music, and the University prohibited non-music majors from singing in their ensembles. He joined the choir in a congregation near the University and found the sermons as well as the music compelling. Seeking the activities for college students and young adults he found them to be mostly parties and fellowship activities. His need was for a setting in which he could probe faith from an academic standpoint and find ways to express his developing convictions in a wider community.

He came to our campus ministry center with a friend and immediately got involved in a discussion group which centered around social justice issues. I will never forget Craig's question one evening when the group was discussing our responsibility to those who are hurting in our midst. He said, "Well, if you are all so 'Christian,' then why don't you

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get off your high horses and do something with those folks?" He then proceeded to ask what our campus ministry was doing to help those around us who were hurting. Eventually he got involved with a program, a prison project with a group of life-inmates. This experience was life-changing and enabled him to see life from a totally different perspective. He was challenged by the prisoners to consider his faith and develop a theology that put together his own world view with that of people whose life-experience was radically different from his. Craig graduated from the University seminary-bound, committed to ministry with those in our society who are outcast and downtrodden.

Sheryl grew up in a small town and had a rich experience in the church as a child. She dropped away from the church after entering the University. A women's studies class prompted Sheryl to become involved with women's concerns. She became very outspoken on these issues. Several years passed with no significant religious involvement. One Sunday, Sheryl decided to go to one of the prominent mainline churches with a friend. The exclusively male references to God and to humans in hymns and the sermons, as well as a theology which emphasized "man's" sinfulness of pride and lust, did not ring true to her experience. Though the content of the service was troublesome, she realized how much she had missed the church. She decided to explore other congregations, searching for a place where she could experience worship and where she felt included as a woman. In this process, she then discovered the ecumenical service at our campus ministry center. In that service, inclusive language is our policy, and the opportunity exists for students to be involved in planning the liturgy, music, and preaching. With the ecumenical vision and inclusion of a variety of faith postures, the service provided Sheryl with a context to find a wholistic approach to faith, one which included her as a woman and one which involved her as a pilgrim in her faith journey.

She has helped lead classes, written liturgies, and baked the eucharistic bread as expressions of her talents in our midst. She is still uncertain about how local churches can incorporate an ecumenical vision and an inclusive attitude toward all people, but she is probing and living out some of her vision in this place. After graduation, she will, no doubt, find a leadership role in a congregation.

VII

Reflecting on all of the above, I want to close by dreaming a bit about campus ministry and the potential it has for representing the various arenas of the community. Campus ministry must be seen, first, as a necessity and not merely as a luxury. Probably the most formative years of a person's life involve the college/university experience. There is a particular vulnerability both to new ideas and to the exploration of faith. Along with this, the university in our time greatly influences the values of our society. Thus, the task is an awesome one and one that must not be taken lightly. Excluding this ministry because of budget crises or

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shifting priorities may have far-reaching effects, not only in the church but also in the wider community where college students find themselves.

Secondly, and linked to the first, is the process of making connections between one's faith and academic pursuits. Underscoring the ethical and moral challenges surrounding one's chosen field of inquiry is an ingredient in higher education that is sorely lacking. This does not mean that we are to impose a narrow worldview, or a bankrupt theology which is uninformed by advances in the secular world, onto one's education. Nor does it mean that we dichotomize our faith expression and academic pursuits. Rather, it is a process of recognizing that faith informs our choices regarding our discipline, whether that of medicine, fisheries, business, or high-tech fields. In this context, many issues and choices are raised and examined to seek a wholistic approach to life. Moral, spiritual, physical, and intellectual dimensions should be in dialogue to create lively conversation.

Thirdly, campus ministry, more than any other ministry in the church, has a quality of enabling. This means providing students with the tools or equipment to live a faithful and informed life. The amount of time campus ministers are actually involved with a given student is relatively brief compared with a pastor in a parish. Someone has said campus ministry is like serving lunch on an escalator or ministering to a parade. It would be unfair to create false security for students, a sheltered environment where every question is answered, and all needs are met. The more appropriate approach is to invite students to be honest with questions they have about their faith, to take a critical look at their inherited faith, and then begin the task of clarifying what is helpful and what is less helpful. This may mean that there are periods of time when the ground of one's faith will seem shaky. But in that uncertainty comes a recognition that life is uncertain and faith is grounded in a reality which embraces and indwells such times and tells us the truth about them. That truth suggests that what seems to be endless wilderness or the bottomless pit may be an opportunity to go farther and deeper with one's faith.

Fourthly, campus ministers, by virtue of our environment, are often people who bring a very exciting perspective to the church, Though the styles of ministry are very different, there seems to be a strand of commonality among many ministers and ministries. The Danforth study on campus ministry done some fifteen years ago described our work in terms of "pastoral," "priestly," and "kingly." All of these ministerial functions are key in this ministry. Yet, it is the prophetic ministry which merits attention and brings a great contribution to the church as a whole. Standing in the midst of an academic community, I have found myself to be challenged by the technological and social advances occurring around me. If I am at all receptive to this environment, my worldview is being expanded constantly, and my theological posture must expand as well. The dynamic of this is that I am stretched and

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strengthened by the process, though at times this is very unsettling both to myself and others. Those whose ministry centers in local parishes are not as directly affected by the academic community. Thus, the perspective of the campus pastor, shared with colleagues and church members, may seem radical and sometimes threatening to them, calling into question assumptions that seem sacred and untouchable. The campus pastor's prophetic perspective, however, coupled with the pastoral and priestly emphasis, is an extremely responsible balance in the church.

Lastly, campus ministry has the unique opportunity to make connections between church, institutions of higher education, and community. This may be the most important contribution of campus ministry in our day. To raise the ethical issues around medicine, education, business, or technological advances must be done. Ministry in higher education needs-to respond -to this imperative. To put the task simply, we need to get people who represent the above-mentioned publics in conversation with one another. In so doing, radical and creative insights can germinate.

There may be times when the institutional church will work in close partnership with campus pastors as a link with the academic community. This has been seen most recently with the concerns about nuclear disarmament. Both medical and technological considerations have been sought by the church in order to come to an ethical/moral stance on disarmament. Other times the university campus ministries will be at odds with the church. This was evident in the '60s with marching in the streets and the suspicion by many students of the institutional church. A deep mistrust grew out of this time. Yet it was a time of deep ferment and power that has energized the church to find its place in the political arena.

Students, parents, church members, clergy, and even those who find no connection with the church are all affected by the work of campus ministry in our day.