There are few books on campus ministry. Youth ministry? Preaching ministry? Children's Ministry? Hundreds. Campus ministry? Very, very few.

Thankfully Stephen Lutz, campus minister at Penn State University, has written a fantastic book that goes a long way to filling this void. Lutz argues that ministry to college students is the most vital ministry in our culture today. Part of me wants to say, "of course he's going to say that...we all want to think our thing is the most important." But I think he is right (full disclosure: I am a campus minister, lol). University campuses shape the future leaders and entrepreneurs in our country. Further, university campuses in America have a worldwide influence as many students who will lead other countries attend university here.

That said, campus ministry is no new thing. There have been ministries on campus for a long time. But Lutz identifies a problem - most campus ministries are stuck in a "Christendom" way of thinking (as are most churches, probably). In Christendom you could assume most people in your community were at the very least "Christianized". If they did not attend church they still had a basic understanding of the things of faith. Getting them into church required as little as asking them to come, having a revival (think Billy Graham crusade).

The world has changed. Christendom is dead. Most people are not "Christianized". Most college students lack a basic understanding and will not simply show up if we have a Bible study. Part of the problem, Lutz identifies, is that campus ministries are fighting over a shrinking portion of the college campus population: those Christian students who will show up with little effort. Lutz urges us to recognize the post-Christendom era we live in and take steps to reach out to that large population, the majority on campus, who are not Christian.

The rest of the book offers all kinds of ideas and thoughts on how to do this. He lists various shifts that come along with becoming "missional": rather than creating a large group, focus on reaching a large campus; rather than inward focused Bible studies that meet the needs of the group, create outward focused communities that bless the whole campus. Later chapters expand on these shifts, urging campus ministers to work to not just see the whole campus as "non-Christian" and then talk at them, but to take time to listen to them, realizing there are many different types of people who may not take part in Christian community from hardcore atheists to disillusioned church kids to those who just don't care.

Overall, this is a must read for adults who work with college students. It is a good read for Christians in college too. Thanks Steve for a great book.