Some commentators are disparaging Americans under age 30 as spoiled ninnies who are unable to cope with the ups and downs of real life.
So, I wondered what do real people in this generation have to say about that! I asked several recently. After a few minutes of careful comments, the conversation turned to the topic of sports. To be fair, several scholars are worried about younger Americans’ life skills, and they point to youth sports as an area in which those skills are being dismantled. One image that crops up often in the debate is the “Thanks for Participating” trophy, supposedly given to all members of many youth teams.
“You know,” one student remarked, “I wonder if the parents are the ones after the trophies. After all, they made a big investment in time and money for their kid to play.”
I don’t know who actually wants the trophies, but I think what the student said about investment was right on. After all, many of our big decisions are about investments: whether to invest in the stock market, or in an exercise program, or in a college education. We place a lot of faith on those who “sell” us the investments we make.
I sell investments too, but not the kind you might expect. From my office in the basement of a wonderful church, I offer the church a chance to invest in itself. And in my humble opinion, the returns so far are phenomenal.
I’m a campus minister, and I direct a small congregation-based ministry that gets results. For instance, at any given time, around one-third of the members of our campus ministry group are directly involved in local churches — teaching Sunday school, serving as elders, or working with youth. Several of our members have seriously contemplated seminary or mission work, which is a big surprise at a public university without an official religious studies department. Moreover, students in Presbyterian Campus Ministry are known around campus as intelligent, caring Christians who can hold their own in the classroom and then listen to your personal problems over lunch.
Why do we get such great returns on our investment? I think it’s because the students who come my way are ready to grow. They have seen the excesses of their generation, and want to break that cycle of neediness and self-centeredness. They have experienced churches that cater to a fun-loving crowd, but don’t offer much for the deep recesses of the soul. In some cases, they have been harangued by preachers who offer all works and no grace, or by pompous classmates who want to look cool by denying God.
When these students show up at our congregation’s 11:00 a.m. Sunday service, they tell me how much meaning they find in the traditional hymns and critical reflection in the sermons. When it’s time to recruit more leaders and helpers for local churches, my main difficulty is finding students who actually have a little free time. These students are poised and ready to serve Christ, if someone will offer them a way.
There is an overture in front of General Assembly this year to re-establish the national collegiate ministry office. I hope this passes, because we campus ministers (and the students) need support. We struggle with funding, meeting space, and unfriendly university administrations, not to mention various cultural considerations that impact the delivery of the Good News.
No matter what happens at GA, when you finish this article please find a way to support Presbyterian campus ministries in your area — bake some cookies, send a donation, team-teach Sunday school with a student, or take a student out to lunch.
KERRI HEFNER is the campus minister for the East Carolina University Presbyterian Campus Ministry in Greenville, N.C.
