The Basics

Campus clubs are a great tool that has been given by God to Christian students to reach their other students on their campus with the message of Jesus.  Unfortunately, many clubs do not serve any such purpose.  A lack of vision, focus, internal division, or misguided objectives lead a club down the road to ineffectiveness.   This page is about  what your club can do, what it can't do, what it should do and what it shouldn't do.

What Are Christian Campus Clubs all About?
There clubs on most campuses.  Some are scholastic in nature like the French club.  Some are hobby related like the chess club.  Some fulfill some school function like the glee club or spirit club.  
Before 1984, many tried to form a Christian club but had limited success because the constitutional issues were unclear.  The first amendment states that the government cannot "establish" any religion but it also cannot prohibit the "free exercise" of religion either.  This is a tightrope when you're dealing with officially recognized Christian clubs using school resources in government run schools.  The issue was solved in 1984 by allowing club in schools with older children who can understand that the school recognition of a club is not the same as promoting that club religious beliefs.  Schools with younger children do not allow such clubs.  The Equal Access Act of 1984 followed by several supreme court decisions (especially Mergens) solved the issue.  Today, there is very little confusion about your rights to establish a club.
The ability to organize as an official school club means the right to meet in school buildings, during school hours, to use the school public address system, to promote through any means available to others, to sponsor events, have guest speakers and to participate in all other school activities available to other clubs (homecoming, club day, etc.).

Christian campus clubs have taken a couple of basic forms.  The Christian club can provide a forum for reaching the students of your school  Sadly, often it does not perform this purpose.  Many times, the campus club is "another meeting" or bible study in a different place.  There needs to a different model than a church because your school is not a church.  Sometimes, students feel their job is to "plant a flag for Christianity" on their campus or just pray or worship without action hoping something will happen in the spiritual realm, but the Bible clearly teaches that faith without action is a dead form.

The pages in this area provide information on running an effective campus club that will be a ministry to the students on your campus.

What Your Club can Accomplish

Your club should focus on outreach. Evangelism is the only role of your club. This will help you avoid the common problems that clubs face There are 3 things that your club should do:

1. Weekly meetings where unchurched students can hear the message of Christ. Think from the perspective on people who don’t go to church every week. Speak to them—even if there are only one or two. This isn’t your youth group, this is an outreach club. Keep your meetings focused.

2. Student Challenges are organized outreaches for individual students to all do at the same time. Use a short time during your meetings or a separate time to challenge students. Check out the Student Challenges area for ideas.

3. Monthly Outreaches are a way for your club to get the word out and raise awareness that you even exist. Check out the outreaches section or the 1:9 plan area to see how it works and get some ideas.

 

All of this is laid out for you as a plan or just an example of how to do coordinate this stuff in our 1:9 plan area.

Things Your Club Cannot Accomplish
Your campus club will be able to win a lot of people to Christ and change a lot of lives, both for now and for the future. You will be able to encourage each other to serve the Lord while in school. You will be able to be a positive influence in your school.
There are, however, some things that you will not be able to accomplish through your campus club.

Personal evangelism. Never let your club be the only way people hear about Jesus.  Personal one-on-one evangelism is still the most effective way to win your friends to Christ. You can coordinate and encourage personal evangelism (See Student challenges), but personal evangelsm isn’t strategy, it’s a lifestyle.

Church participation. Never allow your club to become a church or youth group for anyone that attends. It is absolutely necessary that every believer of Jesus Christ be part of a local body of believers and attend church on a regular basis. Through the church, Christians find freedom to express to the Lord their heartfelt love that they cannot express while on campus. Through the local church, students develop relationships with other believers, young and old, for prayer and fellowship.   It is also a must for new Christians to have a place to grow in their faith--you must take them to church!

Growing through the preaching and teaching of the Bible. Your club will never be able to go deep enough into spiritual matters to spur growth in the lives of growing members.  It is imperative that students learn how to mature in the Lord through the preaching of his Word.

Family of God. Students need to be aware that they belong to the family of God and not just to a group of students. If they just belong to a group of Christian students, the chances of their continuing on with Christ after graduation are very slim, because members of their Christian peer group will go their separate ways. It is imperative that students are integrated into local churches.

You can do this . . .
You can do this, but you need a plan. Check out the 1:9 plan as an example or a blueprint to follow.