Serving Bread

Using a pseudonym, a college professor shares his reflections on his students in this Atlantic Monthly article. As the writer wrestles with the myth that a university education is for everyone, he makes observations that resonate with my own but comes to conclusions that I find far too cynical.

As he describes students, I can relate to his reflections and frustrations. The shift that I have had to learn and make in my thinking about college students has had to do in learning the culture of students who commute. College had been defined to me as, “going away to school.” That was certainly my experience and definition of college.

But for the vast majority of Americans, college is not “going away to school” but simply “going to school.” Professor X writes, “They chose their college based not on the U.S. News & World Report rankings but on MapQuest; in their ideal academic geometry, college is located at a convenient spot between work and home.”

I minister in such a convenient spot, and the challenge is to focus students to consider the convenience as a calling rather than simply a campus of “last resort” (as the writer of the article puts it). If the majority of Americans will do college in a place of convenience, how does a ministry such as mine that is committed to the college campus minister in such a place?

Core to the vision of InterVarsity is to work toward the renewal of the university. The language of renewal feels even more relevant being at two commuter campuses. It may be counter-cultural to call students in a commuter culture to consider their campus as their mission field and a place to pursue community, but it is the very thing we are calling students to do.

There are plenty of joys and challenges in leading a community on a commuter campus. One challenge is best captured by Professor X. He writes, “When I am at my best, and the students are in an attentive mood—generally, early in the semester—the room crackles with positive energy…. The bursting of our collective bubble comes quickly. A few weeks into the semester, the students must start actually writing papers, and I must start grading them.” There is always positive energy at the start of the semester (and year), but within a few weeks, I notice it is a little easier to find parking and the lines for food are shorter.

My ministry requires me to lead my community of students through the bubble and the bursting of it. I find myself having to do two things: to work against the bursting of the bubble but to also plan for (and expect) the bursting of it.

The campus is no doubt a value-added entity in our society. I think that the college campus is also a value-added entity for the church. The college campus provides a fantastic laboratory for leadership development, cross-cultural training, ministry experience, character integrity and lifelong skills. Personally, I don’t care for the debate of whether college is for everyone–and that is a tempting debate to pursue, particularly when I minister among 60,000 students at two commuter campuses.

What I do care about is how to best minister in this place of convenience and empower students to radical and deeper faith that will bring transformation to our campuses now and to their contexts in the near future.

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