by Roger Alcaraz
The new school year for College Life has officially begun and it’s while the engines are still warming up that it’s good to remember what the overall goal of the ministry is. It’s easy to do things because we did them last year but we want to be more intentional because worship requires the heart, soul, and mind. That’s why I’ve written a philosophy of ministry for College Life that will remind me of some of the fundamental values and goals we have in the ministry. Below is a section on College Life as it relates to the rest of the church body.
The Priority of the Church
The church is God’s primary vehicle for accomplishing his work in this age. As such, all believers need to identify with, function in, and submit to the leadership of a local church. Because of the emphasis that Scripture puts on this kind of involvement in the local church, College Life ministry must seek to foster in God’s people a deep love for and commitment to the church, as well as a biblical understanding of what it means to function as the church. For this reason, all leadership positions in College Life require the believer to be a member of the greater church body that College Life is a part of.
Our Mission, Vision, and Passion
The ministry of College Life exists in the greater body of Lighthouse Bible Church and should never compete against its theology and ministry. This means that Lighthouse’s Mission: to make disciples of Christ; Vision: to plant churches; and Passion: to love God and people, will be the same for College Life because the ministry of College Life itself comes out of the Mission, Vision, and Passion. Thus, everything College Life does should be done to fulfill our MVP.
The Role of Elders
All members within College Life, including its leaders, must submit to the loving rule of the church elders. As such, an elder will always be overseeing the ministry to ensure that sound teaching and biblical ministry are taking place and if there is a persistent problem, the elders have authority to make any necessary changes. This even includes removing the ministry of College Life all-together if it would serve the greater church.
Priority of Church Events
Because of the priority of the local church, if there is ever a conflict of schedule such as College Life scheduling an event at the same time as a churchwide event, College Life will reschedule or cancel theirs in order to be with the whole church body.
Location
While it seems logical to meet on a college campus, the location for the college wide Bible studies is at the church. The main reason is that we cater to multiple campuses and do not want to seem exclusive. People are welcome from all colleges to worship together. There are events that are done on campus when trying to reach out to the campus. These are mostly outreach events such as campus evangelism, tabling, seeker’s Bible studies, etc.
Summary (taken from the College Life Website)
Christ was passionate about his church. The apostles were passionate about the church. As such, we believe that every believer should have a healthy biblical perspective of the church. The Bible doesn’t prescribe “Lone Ranger” Christianity! Instead, all throughout the New Testament, you see believers incorporated into the local church. It is in the context of the local church that almost all the instruction of the New Testament is given. Since spiritual growth was intended primarily to be cultivated in the life of the church, we encourage all our collegians to be committed to the local church.