Auburn senior Robert Kittinger currently attends three campus ministries because he likes aspects of all three.
“I feel like I contribute to Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM), I like the teaching at Encounter, and I really enjoy the people at Auburn Christian Fellowship (ACF),” Kittinger, a psychology major, said. “Plus, ACF offers free dinners twice a week.”
Through the course of four years, Kittinger said he has visited about seven or eight ministries.
“I’d say BCM is my home ministry,” said Kittinger, a Birmingham native. “I’d give priority to it over the others.”
Kittinger teaches a Bible study at BCM each week and said he is able to bring much to this ministry.
“I like the worship and teaching at Encounter, but it’s a large crowd and I don’t feel like I can be effective or have impact there,” he said. “BCM is small enough that I’m able to have an active role.”
This ministry hopping is not an uncommon occurrence at college campuses around the state.
Steve Thompson, senior campus minister with BCM at Auburn, said he observed many students who are in more than one ministry.
“Students aren’t tied to a denominational ministry,” Thompson said. “They’re content to float and not get involved in just one.”
However, Thompson said, this could be detrimental to students and ministries. “When students attend several places they aren’t as willing to latch on and get involved,” he said. “They’ll come to the weekly worship gathering but won’t invest in local missions, small groups or evangelism study groups.”
“As campus ministers, we need to try and encourage students to get plugged in somewhere,” he said. “They need to be at a ministry where they are challenged — to know where they are spiritually and what they should be doing.”
Mike Nuss, director of the office of collegiate and student ministries at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said this behavior is not surprising because college is a time when a lot of students search.
“They’re making their faith their own and generally have a lot of curiosity about other denominations and groups,” Nuss said.
Matthew Kerlin, senior campus minister with BCM at the University of Alabama, said he also observes students attending several worship services throughout the week.
“I would distinguish these weekly worship events from a campus ministry — these don’t have small groups, outreaches to the homeless or missions trips,” Kerlin said.
Nuss said BCM encompasses more than just a weekly worship service.
“Our ministry focuses on helping students find their faith, grow in it, become disciples and then serve Him through missions and ministry,” Nuss said.
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