Campus Ministries Demonstrate Unity

By Casey Coston

At best, some people are content to remain in their silos doing their own kingdom work and being left alone, while at worst, some are polarized and divided with no desire to work with other Christian groups because of an emphasis on their disagreements. Amid the campus ministries of the Churches of Christ and the Independent Christian Churches, however, a story of restoration, renewal, and unity has unfolded that emphasizes the unity of our Restoration Movement heritage.

In the summer of 2017, Greg Swinney, Director of Crossroads International Student Ministries and a member of the Independent Christian Churches, and Scott Lambert, a member of the Churches of Christ with a long history of campus ministry at Pepperdine University, were able to connect at their separate summer campus conferences. They went on to become the catalysts for the rest of us to become a part of this unity effort.

The following February, Swinney and Lambert invited campus ministers from both of our fellowships to meet on the campus of Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN, for a brief retreat simply called “Together.” They knew Lipscomb would be a great place to meet with a common heritage for both groups. There was no huge agenda, only a chance for us to get together, to get to know one another, and to hear about the commonalities of our Christian faith and campus missions. We quickly discovered our spiritual family resemblance and we soon felt like cousins getting together at a family reunion.

“I suppose there is a bottom line,” Lambert said with reference to the gathering of the two groups. “If we know each other better and appreciate our paths, we will see ways forward in working together and for unity in the kingdom.” Swinney observed, “We have so much in common. We share the same vision, we share many of the same struggles, we share the same hopes, we share the same challenges with this new generation of students, [and] we share the same desire to make the gospel known on campus.”

As a relatively young campus minister, serving on the campus of Ole Miss at the time, it was refreshing to have the support of my local church elders in Oxford to participate in this gathering and not be burdened by the baggage of the past. I know history and awareness are important, but we don’t want it to hinder the mission of God in the present and future. 

So, about 30 of us (both men and women) gathered at Lipscomb University for some great, easy conversations. We jointly studied and memorized Ephesians 4:1-6, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” We toured David Lipscomb’s house, where he wrote his famous letter to the U.S. Census Bureau in 1906 describing two separate movements. After so long, we wondered, could our little group contribute to healing some of the division and separation that had taken place? To be sure, we knew there had been other steps to unity before us, but how exciting it was to have our own participation in it! 

Since that historic meeting, our two groups have continued to pursue additional opportunities to be together.

• Swinney and Mark Pike, and now Mike Kerrick, have consistently come to the Campus for Christ Conference and have made great connections. Swinney has taught classes and been a tremendous guide to the need for a more international focus within our ministries. 
• Swinney has made us aware of at least two grants that we could all apply for to help reach international students on our campuses. 
• Two campus ministers who embodied this partnership best both worked together for a few years at the University of Tennessee: Tyler Ellis for the Church of Christ ministry and Glenn Kuhn for the Christian Church ministry. 
• Chris Buxton, with ULife Consulting, Inc. and a former campus minister among Churches of Christ, is on the planning committee with the Association of Campus Ministers (ACM) that plans a yearly debrief retreat in May. 
• This planning committee has invited me to facilitate discussions at the retreat this May. 
• We have begun seeing each other at the International Conference on Missions (ICOM). And, with Swinney preparing to serve as President of the 2027 ICOM in Richmond, VA, there will be a focus on campus missions and college students that will bring many of us together again.

Seven years after those unifying seeds were planted, they continue to grow, to weave their way through the kingdom of God, and to produce good fruit. I can’t wait to see the fruit that is still to come by being TOGETHER! 

Casey Coston has been President of Campus for Christ for over 10 years, is the current Campus Missionary at the University of Delaware, and is author of Made Competent: A Story About Life in Ministry.