On 4/18/22, the ProgressiveChristiansUniting.org Board of Directors voted unanimously to make the creation of a national progressive Christian campus ministry network its prime program focus. We are creating a "branded", national, inter-denominational network that can attract students and provide progressive resources to student leaders and campus ministries. We've already created a list of progressive campus ministries HERE, and we are sending out a monthly e-news to campus ministers and student leaders nationwide. PCU has added two new members to our board, who are committed to working on the campus ministry project: Jeremy Steele, pastor of Los Altos CA United Methodist Church and founder of the Zoay Spiritual Practices App for young adults, and noted emergent/progressive Christian writer and speaker Brian McLaren.
Our PCU summer intern, Jessica Wang, is a student leader of Yale Progressive Christian Students. She starts work today, organizing an online national network of progressive Christian students that will be integrated with the new campus ministry network. Contact her with names of college/university students who may be interested in being part of the network. And send her suggestions for the name of this new network! (What do you think of these proposed names: Aspire, Renew (or Renewal), Kairos, Arise - ?)
We believe that this is the "kairos" - the "right time" - to create a lively network, both online and in-person, of theologically and socially progressive Christian students and campus ministries. Existing progressive "mainline" campus ministries have no common "brand" marking their distinctiveness from evangelical ministries. And very many Christian students are disaffected by the regressive social and political stances of evangelical ministries, particularly around LGBTQ+ issues. An exodus of "ex-vangelicals" is swelling right now on campuses around the country. Students are seeking a viable alternative community to practice their faith. We are committed to offer it.
Stay tuned!
