Report of the task force on campus ministry

Episcopal Diocese of Kansas

December 20, 2004

Members of the Task Force

The Rev. Sam Criss, chair; Carol Connizzo; the Rev. Jim Haney; the Rev. Jonathon Jensen; Michael Massey; Teresa Rogers and Bob Skaggs.

Prologue

We are a Church of diversity, rich in our belief based on Scripture, tradition and reason. We are willing to welcome the hard questions for discussion.

Recommendations

Philosophical

• Philosophy of campus ministry should be shifted from passive care taking to active mission and should be regarded as an outreach ministry of the Diocese of Kansas. Terminology should be changed from chaplaincy to mission.
• Mission emphases should include 1) making the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Episcopal Church a vibrant presence at every post-secondary campus in the Diocese of Kansas and 2) discerning and raising up young people in leadership for both lay and ordained ministry.
• Campus mission on each particular campus should be adapted to local contexts (an incarnational model).
• Expectations and accountability structures should be clear.
• Fullest possible use should be made of all four orders of ministry.
• Worship should take place primarily in local parishes.
• Local parishes should be heavily involved with campus mission and governance.
• Diocesan funding, oversight and coordination are crucial.
• It would be beneficial to work with the ELCA whenever possible.

Practical

• Appointment of one full-time Diocesan Campus Missioner, appointed by and reporting to the bishop. This person must be skilled in recruitment and management, to equip and oversee the ministry on all diocesan campuses: flagship, commuter and community.
• Appointment of stipendiary young adult interns, accountable to the Campus Missioner and Bishop, with the eventual goal of having at least one intern per convocation beginning at flagship schools. Interns to agree to a (renewable) one-year commitment. At the flagship schools, these interns will be accommodated in existing Canterbury houses. Interns would be discouraged from having other employment.
• Recruitment of local college students as peer ministers.
• Recruitment or appointment of deacons for each campus mission.
• Keep existing Canterbury houses well-maintained and repaired.
• Each campus ministry should have governance structures that are active and accountable, drawing heavily from the membership of local parishes and operating under clear diocesan guidelines.
• Development of a system of matching grants from the diocese to local parishes for the purpose of campus ministry.

Appendix 1:
Summary of site visits to campus ministry programs
at the University of Kansas and Kansas State University

Program and Ministry

• Goals, strategies and structures are unclear.
• Accountability mechanisms are weak to nonexistent.
• There is little faculty involvement with either program.
• Eucharistic worship is not the central emphasis at either house.
• Eucharist at the KSU house has been eliminated.
• Weekly Eucharists are being held at both campus chapels.
• The Jubilee Cafe is great but only tangentially related to the perceived goals of campus ministry.
• Websites are not maintained at either place.
• Chaplains’ morale is very low.

Students

• There is an apparent assumption that recruitment should center on students who already are Episcopalians.
• Identification and tracking of Episcopal students is sporadic.
• Ministry is largely reactive, not proactive, in seeking students.
• There is a de facto focus on ministering to juniors, seniors and graduate students.
• There are low expectations for the students, especially freshmen and sophomores.
• Residents of the houses are not peer  ministers.
• Peer ministers are no longer present.
• There are lost opportunities for mission.

Support

• Both Canterbury houses are well-located and enjoy strong support from many persons who have helped develop them.
• The KSU house is in pretty good shape. The KU house is run-down, except for the third floor.
• Local parish support is strong at KSU.
• Local parish support is uncoordinated at KU.
• There is a perception from the KU program that they are in “friendly competition” with the parishes.
• Competition from para-church programs is a perceived problem for both programs.

Finance

• Finances are confusing and problematic.
• The chaplains say more money is needed (for salary at KU, for program at KSU).
• There are few students in the program, and the cost/student ratio is very high.
• Diocesan Canterbury scholarship funds are hardly used.

Other campuses

• There is a strong proactive ministry to Washburn sponsored by the cathedral.
• Some work is being done at Pittsburg State and Emporia State.
• There is no involvement at WSU, Haskell or the junior colleges.

Appendix 2:
Meeting with ELCA Campus Ministry Task Force, 11-22-04

Present: The Rev. Sam Criss, Michael Massey, Carol Connizzo, the Rev. Jim Haney, the Rev. Jonathon Jensen, Bob Skaggs, Teresa Rogers and guest Deacon Monte Giddings. The ELCA Campus Ministry Task force: Don Freeburg; Susan Gronbeck-Tedesco; the Rev. Sean Norris, campus minister at KU; Marcus from national; Cynthia Schaart; and Jack Hall. The meeting took place at St. Michael and All Angels, Mission and opened with prayer and introductions. Father Sam Criss welcomed the ELCA task force.

1. Where do we have chaplains? Episcopal: KU and KSU. ELCA: St. Louis, KU, KSU, Bethany.

2. Do you have congregations that participate in college ministry? Episcopal: Grace Cathedral; Trinity, Lawrence; St. Margaret’s, Lawrence; St. Andrew’s, Emporia; St. Peter’s, Pittsburg. ELCA: numerous places

3. How do you support, encourage or lead congregations into college ministry? ELCA: Congregations are identified by the College Ministry task force and the regional board, and they are divided into three levels:

engaged level — doing something

emerging level — identified to have potential for ministry and being worked with

identified level — beginning and planning for ministry

Little money is available to parishes from the Synod’s budget for congregations, but occasionally there is a small pool or small grants available.

There was discussion of what was presently being done in the area and nationally in joint ministries between ELCA and Episcopal Church and the impact of the Concordat on those ministries. ELCA representatives gave the impression that they would be encouraged more now.

Pre-Called to Common Mission —  local initiative, like-minded staff, when staff configuration changed and relationships may or may not have survived.

Post-Called to Common Mission — Stronger/structure reinforced by national and regional synod. SWU ministry in Texas: co-owned and co-ministry.

KU’s campus ministry is linked Episcopal and ELCA. Funding is separate, some worship is separate, committees and many other activities are joint. Sean feels that differences are more cultural than theological. Campus newsletters, joint celebrations, advertising all joint.

Could we have a Synod/Diocese joint ministry for college work? The ELCA bishop and Synod are very interested in a cooperative ministry.

To the ELCA: Are all your college chaplains ordained? Usually ordained, some lay professionals. Lay professionals are usually in a multi-staff ministry. What is your structure? Primarily considered mission outreach.

ELCA to Episcopal: Are you going to close your houses and close down your ministries at KU and KSU? That is what we are being told. Answer: No, we want to strengthen those ministries. What they will look like in the future we aren’t sure, but they will exist. That is why we are meeting — to see how we meet the need for campus ministry throughout our diocese in a creative way.

There was discussion about what authority we in this room have to continue this discussion and what do we want to recommend to our bishops.

Both task forces are temporary, but the universal feeling was that there was great opportunities in ministry to work together and would recommend that the ongoing committees of each denomination look at forming a joint committee to explore campus ministry.

                                                       Respectfully submitted, Teresa Rogers