Gathered in the name of the Triune God, the church in the university is nourished and sustained with the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation given in sermon and sacrament. While genuine evangelism is generated from the Divine Service and leads the evangelized back to font, pulpit, and altar, the liturgy itself is not an evangelistic tool. That is, campus ministry ought not let those who know the least about the Christian faith dictate the shape and substance of the liturgical assembly. As the Word of God has free course, others are drawn into the Divine service by catechesis and Holy Baptism. Catechesis is the necessary link between liturgy and evangelism on campus.
Catechetical clarity is essential for campus ministry.
With the large influx of international students as well as increasing numbers of otherwise educated Americans who know little of nothing of the story line of the Bible or of the doctrinal content of the Christian Faith, the campus minister must be a catechist. Here Lutherans are particularly well equipped as we have the Small Catechism as a guide into the heart of the biblical narrative, Jesus Christ crucified and risen for the salvation of the world. Structured around the distinction between law and gospel and centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Catechism n provides its user with a summary of Christian doctrine as well as a pattern for understanding the Christian life shaped by faith and love. There is no substitute for careful catechesis. As many of the students with whom we work have a hard time discerning the difference between superstition and faith, the campus pastor may not make any short cuts when it comes to catechesis.