The first step in creating a plan to help Seventh-day Adventist students around the world develop public campus ministries was approved in principle November 14 by the administrative committee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide. The move is a direct response to calls by Adventist students for the church to place greater emphasis on reaching out to students at secular colleges and universities, says Richard Stenbakken, director of chaplaincy services for the Adventist Church worldwide.
Stenbakken points to the “Berkeley Resolution,” a charter of action voted last September by an international group of Adventist students from public campuses who met at the University of California, Berkeley. The resolution calls on the Adventist Church to give “serious attention and support” to “ministry and evangelism on non-Adventist university and college campuses.” It was passed unanimously by student delegates from the United States, Germany, Bangladesh, Ghana, England, and Kenya.
“The expense of placing a full-time chaplain on every public campus means that traditional campus ministry is not feasible on a large scale,” says Stenbakken. “And yet the need is there. Adventist young people who choose to study at non-Adventist institutions often feel disenfranchised. They forego the on-campus spiritual nurture and sense of spiritual community that their contemporaries at Adventist institutions enjoy.”
The draft proposal calls for church leaders to work with students in developing innovative ways to create and sustain Adventist student ministry on secular campuses.
“Instead of appointing full-time chaplains, we could instead empower Adventist students at the public universities and colleges to go out and create a network, organize activities, and develop evangelistic programs,” explains Stenbakken.
Under the proposal, which Stenbakken says is still in its formative stage, the student would receive some form of support such as an hourly wage, access to church resources, and academic credit in exchange for playing an organizational role in campus ministries. These students will be required to connect with local Adventist congregations and report to both their regional church administrative body (known as a conference or mission) and, through established channels, to the chaplaincy department of the Adventist Church worldwide. “The whole concept is geared toward training leaders,” says Stenbakken.
Stenbakken notes the Adventist Church is already sponsoring effective public campus programs in some countries. “We need to learn from these existing programs, and explore ways in which the church can help sustain a global network of student-led public campus initiatives.”
The education department of the Adventist Church worldwide estimates that there are at least 200,000 Adventist students on secular campuses.