RUF is Not the Church

Over the past semester, I’ve found that I’ve been falling in love…with a group of people. RUF has been such a blessing in my life in so many ways, and I’ve been glad to share these last four months with such an outstanding and Christ-centered group of people. I think we may be catching on to this whole fellowship thing.

And in talking and hanging out with all of you, I’ve discovered that a majority of you feel the same way about RUF that I do. Here we can find a group of friends that accepts us for who we are, no matter where we are. We can find mentors and older college folk willing to take us under their wings and disciple us. Here is a campus ministry with a spine that convicts us of our sin, calls us to repent, and then drives us to the open arms of a loving and trustworthy Savior. And, there is a lot of fun to be had along the way. The great theologian of the 20th century, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, said in his book Life Together that within the context of Christian community, there is only one way to relate to each other: on the basis of the finished work of Jesus. This is a little abstract and it works itself out in many ways, but it essentially means what Britton has been preaching all semester: we are to be a group of friends who shares a common horizon: love for Christ.

I’ve only ever loved a group like this once before, and it was my senior high youth group back at my home church. And that got me to thinking the other day: what is the difference between a youth group and a campus ministry? In a lot of ways, RUF is just a grown up and more mature youth group, except our youth minister watches Gossip Girl. But there is one fundamental and striking difference between RUF and a youth group: a youth group is connected to a church.

Britton and Soren have repeatedly emphasized the fact that RUF is no substitute for the church. I know we Reformed people all believe that. A church is a place where the Word is preached, the sacraments are administered, etc. all under the supervision of ordained deacons and elders. But do we really act like it? Maybe it’s just me, but I think we are all a little guilty of functionally treating RUF as our church and ignoring the real church. I know for one that I have. How many of us are really and truly connected to a real and fluid congregation in the Columbia area? My guess is that we are all like me: we all go to late service and evening service at First Pres, sit together, sing the songs, and listen in awe to Dr. Ferguson’s exposition. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, except for me, going to First Pres has become more of the Sunday version and extension of RUF rather than my connection to a real and genuine church.

Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Seminary, recently wrote an article titled “Jesus Didn’t Die for a Campus Ministry: The Spiritual Danger of Unchurched Spirituality” (the text of which is linked here: http://www.henryinstitute.org/?p=484). In it, he says that a healthy campus ministry should constantly be asking us “Where are you in church—and what’s happening there?” I for one think that Britton and Soren are doing a good job of encouraging that…the question is: how have we reacted to that question? Can you answer that question? Are we really connected to the body of Christ here in Columbia, or are we on a spiritual island?

If you are like me, then we need to figure out something to do to solve this. For me, that means going to Sunday school and then branching out from there. For some, it might look like actually transferring membership to First Pres or volunteering in the nursery. Others of you might need to even stop going to First Pres and start looking for a church community that will be more accessible to you. Maybe you need to start reinvesting in your old home church. Still others of us need to intentionally start befriending the old people. I’ve been told that there are a bunch of good people in the church that are able and willing to help us college kids get involved.

I’m not saying that we should stop doing RUF things and start doing boring old church things. Keep going to as many RUF functions as you see fit, because if you don’t I will miss you all very much. We need each other and we need to fellowship as much as possible on campus, because when we gather, Jesus gathers there with us. I’m just saying that we should “stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25). We would do well to remember that.