We strongly believe that Christian students should be attached to, and involved in, a local church during their university/college years. This is the message we have been communicating to CU students over the past few years:

We promote involvement in a local church as the lifelong and primary place of Christian community, teaching, discipleship, ministry and pastoral care…

…and involvement in Christian Union as a short–term (3–4 year) ‘workplace’ Mission Team on campus.

We encourage CU members to:

• be involved in the local church, not independent of the local church
• seek personal accountability to local church (mature) leadership
• be committed to getting good Bible teaching from a local church
• receive appropriate pastoral care and discipleship in their local church and if it’s not obviously on offer, request it from church leaders.

Our staff have been reinforcing this message with students in cooperation with local church leaders. In turn, they have been happy to encourage and even commission their students into CU Mission Team ministry on campus.

As a consequence, we are witnessing some significant changes in student attitudes to local church. Many new CU Leaders are now in accountable, mentoring relationships with someone from their local church. Churches are noticing the changes too.

‘It has been noticeable and hugely encouraging over the last few years to see students who are thoroughly involved in their Christian Unions becoming more fully engaged in the life of our church fellowship. The whole church fellowship benefits, by being involved with them in their mission through prayer: hearing news of their CU ministry; and supporting them in finance and love. For students to be taking the teaching and the nourishing they receive from a diverse church onto the campus through the CU, in a way that benefits the mission of God, is wonderful – and it is a joy to be a part of it.’
Rev Dominic Smart
Minister of Gilcomston South Church of Scotland, Aberdeen

Sharing in mission

In July a new project was launched in Edinburgh. The aim was to reach out to short term international students, who were studying English as a foreign language. This outreach was organised by UCCF staff in partnership with Friends International and Carrubbers Christian Centre, a local church situated in the heart of the city.

The fortnight of mission included an evening café with various events, evangelistic drama and Bible discussions and opportunities for the team to meet students in the afternoons. The evening café received visitors from: Japan, Columbia, Poland, Egypt, Libya, China and France, amongst others.

Carrubbers Christian Centre generously hosted the team and their café was the mission’s hub for the fortnight. They also put on two international guest services on consecutive Sundays. It was encouraging to see many of the students from the café come and experience a church service, some for the first time.

Sharing of resources and experience

In recent years we have been trying consciously to share our best resources with local church ministries through our websites (www.uccf.org.uk and www.bethinking.org), and through publications, such as PURE. Two other resources which have been making an increasing impact on the church are SPACE (a UCCF resource for growing missional small groups – Study, Prayer, Accountability, Community involvement, Evangelism), and Christians@Work, (a mentoring resource for preparing students for ministry in the workplace).

‘The introduction of the SPACE principles in our small group ministry has really helped to develop and expand this part of our church ministry. The backup we received from UCCF in helping to implement this and train our small group leaders was invaluable. We’ve since had enquiries from other churches wanting to know about SPACE and how we use it in our groups.’

Andrew Hunter, Full-time Teaching Elder at Greenview Evangelical Church.

Below are some comments from local church mentors who have used the Christians@Work material with some of their final year students:

‘I found the Christians@Work programme really excellent and beneficial for both my student and myself. It is extremely challenging and inspiring. I really can’t praise the material and the whole concept enough. Thanks UCCF!’ Shirley, a local church student mentor

More and more, we’re seeing UCCF sharing with local churches in the mission of making disciples of Christ in the student world.