Students who left Campus Advance complained they were being harassed. Critics of the church including several UC campus ministers, describe it as authoritarian, legalistic and manipulative. The Cincinnati Church of Christ is affiliated with the controversial International Churches of Christ, whose national college ministry often goes by the name of Campus Advance. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio has said it supports the ministry's right to aggressively proselytize on campus and will monitor the case. UC campus ministers say the negative experience with Campus Advance has had a chilling effect on their own work.
Students often get confused over which group is which, they say.