What We Believe

As a ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America, we reflect the historic positions of the Church which include the full authority, inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible; the necessity of new life in Jesus Christ; and the task of the Church to be about the "gathering and perfecting of the saints."  A further synopsis of our beliefs can be found here.  The PCA's full doctrinal statement is the Westminster Confession of Faith.  All RUF Campus Ministers receive and adopt it as explaining what the Bible teaches.

Our Distinctives

However, a typical university will have several Christian ministries represented on campus.  An important question is this: "What makes RUF distinctive?"  Our distinctives are found in the following commitments:

THE VISIBLE CHURCH:  RUF ministries are not to replace the church.  We are the church going to the campus.  Essential to our ministry is a commitment and accountability to the visible church.  It is of first importance in our practice and teaching.  The church is never seen as merely a useful means to grow, but rather it is seen as God's ordained institution by which the gospel is proclaimed and Christians become more like Christ.  It is in the context of the church that all the means by which we grow are available.  It is to the church that Christ has given the task of evangelism and discipleship.

IN-DEPTH BIBLE STUDY:  At RUF we believe in having fun, but we also believe that the quality of our fun and relationships as a group will be better, more mature, and more fulfilling when our lives are being transformed and seriously affected by a real encounter with all of God's Word.  We believe that college students are ready for and interested in knowing God deeply.

THE STUDENT'S VOCATION:  The vocation of the university student is just that - a university student. RUF takes that seriously and strives to equip students to be faithful and growing Christians who are conscientious in their studies.  The campus is not reduced to a convenient pretext to do evangelism, but rather it is the place where God has providentially placed students to prepare for legitimate vocations after graduation.  Christians learn, grow, and reach others in the midst of this, not in spite of it.  Our activities and expectations always seek to be consistent with this view.

EMPHASIZING BEING RATHER THAN DOING:  RUF ministries will have a variety of activities on the schedule, but we do not expect everyone to be involved in everything.  We have no agenda to involve students in a crush of activities, something that often burns them out.  Rather, our goal is to help students become people who truly know God and whose lives are profoundly affected because of it. This, rather than a flurry of activities, is what we believe people (especially students) need.  And we believe that it is only this, more than techniques and memorized methods, which will make their life and witness more effective and authentic.

CHALLENGE AND THINK:  We believe in absolute truth, and we also believe the most helpful thing we can do for people is to help them learn to recognize and discover that truth themselves.  We avoid giving a set of pat, canned answers.  We encourage thoughtful questions and place a strong emphasis on critical thinking, learning how to interpret and understand the Bible properly, and then applying it to all of life today.

Our Philosophy of Ministry

GROWTH IN GRACE:  RUF aims to help students understand and use the means of grace which God has provided for Christian growth.  This includes studying the Bible, developing a prayer life, understanding worship, and depending on the Holy Spirit in order for us to die to sin and grow in righteousness.

EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS:  RUF must proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the university community with the hope of reaching the world.  We take seriously Christ's command to go and make disciples. As a result, we are witnessing to the truth about God and man in the world of academic, relativistic thought, and we are depending upon the Holy Spirit to draw students to trust in Christ as Savior and serve him as King.

FELLOWSHIP AND SERVICE:  Because Christians are united to Christ, they are also united to other believers.  As Christians learn to participate by using their gifts and strengths, the body of Christ is built up.  It also means reaching out as a loving, believing community to the university community -- demonstrating what it means to be a Christian.

BIBLICAL WORLD AND LIFE VIEW:  Christianity is a way of seeing all of life.  We believe that God is at work in the world, upholding His creation and ruling over all His creatures. His revealed truth is the integrating principle for all knowledge. This provides the Christian with a frame of reference for thinking and living.