During the first few weeks of the term or semester, student leaders and staff need to make personal contact with each new student by spending time with them outside the group. This may mean meeting informally for lunch, or getting together between classes. It is extremely important that new students feel welcomed into the fellowship. An individual must receive two answers from a group before he or she will join. First, the person needs to feel that he or she can fit relationally into the group.
Community is always the primary motivation.
Secondly, the person needs to know where he or she will fit in. This is tricky on a commuter campus, because students are typically balancing classes, work, and home schedules. In an emerging fellowship, when the concern is to find a core of students willing to commit to developing an InterVarsity group on campus, Bible studies are a smart place to start. They enable the group to identify student leadership and build a core of committed students. However, when working on a commuter campus, you need to decide on the role of small groups or Bible studies.