ADOC Campus Ministries

Nancy Bryan ADOC Writings, CarolinasCurrently
First, the bad news.  When sociologist Christian Smith published Souls in Transition: The Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers in 2005, he famously observed that while the majority of Americans still identified as Christian, the quality of their belief tended to be the theologically dubious “moral therapeutic deism.”  If anything, the spiritual squishiness of young adults in 2005 has only increased.  According to Pew Research, in 2015 the fastest growing religious group in the United States among young adults was “unaffiliated,” jumping from 16.1% in 2007 to 22.8%.  This helps explain recent research showing that between 60 and 70% (Barna) of students who grew up in church leave during college.  Add to this the American College Health Association’s findings that 53% of students felt hopeless.  Needless to say, there is a tremendous need for the gospel on college campuses.

Despite these statistics, college is a time of tremendous opportunity.  If I were to ask a room full of Christians in an average Anglican Church in the Southeast if they had a conversion experience with Jesus Christ in college, odds are that a majority would raise their hands.  Just as many lose their faith in college, many also find it.  Simply put, college is a transformative time.  The question for the church is: how will we respond?

For this reason, Anglican churches in Clemson and Columbia are partnering with the CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach) to reach college students––collectively around 60,000 students between the two areas.  Recognizing that the Church is Jesus’ chosen instrument for proclaiming and living the gospel, our goal is to connect students to the life of the local church.  Our ministries will be Anglican in nature, but our hope is that though it Christ’s whole church will be built up.  From move-in day when we help move students into their dorm rooms, to the day they are anxiously preparing for final exams, we will be with them, praying for them, and exploring what it means to live in the light of the lordship of Jesus Christ.

This is where we need you.

  1. If you have students in Columbia or Clemson, we would love to meet them!  Feel free to reach out to Justin or Jonathan through a phone call or email (see below).
  2. To learn more about students’ stories and partner in prayer, join our newsletter by sending us an email (see below).
  3. The ministries in Clemson and Columbia depend on individuals and churches to financially partner with them in order to reach students.  If you are an alumnus, have students in either city, or just want to change the university through the spread of the gospel, consider becoming a sustaining financial partner.

For more information about the CCO: Go to  www.ccojubilee.org

  • For more on Anglican ministry at Clemson, contact Justin and Molly Hare at Christ the Redeemer:
  • For more on Anglican ministry at the University of South Carolina and Columbia Area Schools, contact Jonathan Furst at Church of the Apostles: