Philosophy of Ministry

“If I could only have the experience of meeting a passionate thinker, that is someone who honestly and honorably expressed in his life what he has understood.” — Søren Kierkegaard1

This document contains a lot of abstract-sounding ideas about our ministry. As you are a part of this ministry, we hope that you desire to think passionately. That means not only pausing occasionally to ponder what you believe, but also giving your life as though (and because) you understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know the battle against compromise will be life-long, and we know we cannot win it alone. Our hope and victory lie in the completed and continuing work of Christ, which can alone bind us to God. This work, which we know as the Gospel, reminds us of the joy that is ours through the cross, and the knowledge that our weakness and failure will not deter God from accomplishing His mission. Thus, our Philosophy of Ministry seeks to acknowledge our utter dependence on God and to take every opportunity that he has given us, so that we might treasure Christ above all things and are thus able to make and build disciples of Jesus Christ.

Mission

Making and building disciples of Jesus Christ.2

Scope

Drexel Students for Christ focuses primarily on the Drexel University community. People from outside the Drexel community are welcome to join Drexel Students for Christ, and members are encouraged to be involved in broader community through their church. However, Drexel Students for Christ primarily seeks to serve Drexel students as an extension of the local church to the specific context where God has placed them: Drexel University.3

Message

Our message is most fundamentally the person and work of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.4

Scripture

Jesus is prophet. He reveals the will of God for our salvation5 by His word6 and His spirit.7 Scripture is the only authoritative standard for truth, and scripture alone can satisfy the thirst for God’s will.8

Justification, Adoption & Salvation

Jesus is priest. He offered up himself, reconciles sinners to God through his substitutionary atonement, and is making continual intercession for us9. Adoption explains how God, in His free grace, receives us into the body of Christ and extends to us all the privileges of children of God.10 Justification alone explains how God, in his free grace,11 pardons our sins,12 accepts us into righteousness,13 by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us,14 received by faith alone.15 Salvation alone explains that God, and his adoption and justification are personal and powerful.

Sanctification

Jesus is king. He brings freedom to rebels; rules us and defends us.16 Sanctification alone explains how, through God’s free grace,17 we can be renewed into who we were created to be:18 dead to sin and alive to righteousness.19 God’s will is your sanctification.20

Vision

Drexel Students for Christ seeks to build a community where God grows students in Love for Jesus Christ, the mission of proclaiming His Gospel, and the local church.

Values

As we plan for the future and evaluate our past, we will be looking for cooperative growth in each of our values, both in organized ministry activities, and in the lives of our leadership and membership.

Outreach

We define outreach as sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with non-believers that they may know Christ and be known by Him.21 In short, people need to know who Jesus is, what He has done for them, why they need Him, and how they can have Him.22

Discipleship

We define discipleship as your choice to accept and spread the love and teachings of Jesus Christ for the rest of your life.23 Biblical discipleship has several characteristics: putting Jesus first in everything,24 following the teachings of Jesus,25 and fruitfulness.26

Training

“By virtue of being born again, we have all begun to know God and therefore have a certain understanding of His nature and actions. That is, we all have a theology of sorts, whether or not have ever sat down and pieced it together. So, properly understood, theology is not for a few religious eggheads with a flair for abstract debate—it is everybody's business. Once we have grasped this, our duty is to become the best theologians we can to the glory of God, as our understanding of God and his ways is clarified and deepened through studying the book He has given us for that purpose, the Bible.” — Bruce Milne27

We define training as growth in understanding of truth, particularly who God is. We know and believe that every Christian—that is, every disciple of Jesus Christ—is a theologian. Thus, we must pursue a better understanding of doctrine.28

Prayer

We define prayer as the offering up of our desires to God for things agreeable to His will,29 in the name of Christ,30 with confession of our sins,31 and thankful acknowledgement of His mercies.32 We expect disciples to pray regularly, earnestly, and expectantly because their prayers are heard.33

Church

We define the church as the God-ordained universal body of all believers, represented in distinct local churches. The church is God’s intended vehicle for carrying out His purposes this side of heaven. Campus Ministry is not a substitute for the local church, but an extension of it. We believe disciples must be actively involved in a sound local church, above and beyond helping to fill a pew.34

Community

We define community as the building of a subculture. We believe disciples must develop a unique subculture, that is flexible and loving, so as to be inviting to anyone from any background, but also unwavering in convictions and distinct from secular society.35

  1. Provocations: The Spiritual writings of Kierkegaard, Compiled by Charles E. Moore, (Farmington, PA: Plough Publishing House, 1999) p. 337 ↩︎

  2. Matt 28:18-20; Eph 4:11-16; I Jn 2:3-6; Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 3:5-6 ↩︎

  3. Dan 1:1-12; Jer 29:4-14 ↩︎

  4. John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5-6 ↩︎

  5. John 4:41-42; John 20:30-31 ↩︎

  6. Luke 4:18-21; Acts 1:1-2; Heb 2:3 ↩︎

  7. John 15:26-27; Acts 1:8; 1 Pet 1:11 (Adapted from Westminster Shorter Catechism question 24) ↩︎

  8. Mark 1:38; John 1:18; Heb 1:1-2 ↩︎

  9. Isa 53; Acts 8:32-25; Heb 9:26-28; Heb 10:12; Rom 5:10-11; 2 Cor 5:18; Col 1:21-22; Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; Heb 9:24 (Adapted from Westminster Shorter Catechism question 25) ↩︎

  10. 1 John 3:1 (Adapted from Westminster Shorter Catechism question 34) ↩︎

  11. Romans 3:24 ↩︎

  12. Romans 4:6-8; 2 Cor 5:19 ↩︎

  13. 2 Cor 5:21 ↩︎

  14. Romans 4:6-11; Romans 5:19 ↩︎

  15. Gal 2:16; Phil 3:9 (Adapted from Westminster Shorter Catechism question 33) ↩︎

  16. Psalm 110:3; Matt 28:18-20; John 17:2; Col 1:13; Psalm 2:6-9; Psalm 110:1-2; Matt 12:28; 1 Cor 15:24-26 (Adapted from Westminster Shorter Catechism question 26) ↩︎

  17. Ezekiel 36:27; Phil 2:13; 2 Thes 2:13 ↩︎

  18. 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:23-24; 1 Thes 5:23 ↩︎

  19. Ezekiel 36:25-27; Romans 6:4-14; 2 Cor 7:1; 1 Pet 2:24 (Adapted from Westminster Shorter Catechism question 35) ↩︎

  20. 1 Thes 4 ↩︎

  21. Galatians 4:9 ↩︎

  22. 2 Cor 5:17-20; Matt 28:18-20; Col 4:5-6; 1 Pet 3:15-16 ↩︎

  23. Adapted from Merriam-Webster.com ↩︎

  24. Mark 8:34-38 ↩︎

  25. John 8:31-32 ↩︎

  26. John 15:5-8 ↩︎

  27. Know the Truth, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1982) p. 11 ↩︎

  28. Matt 22:37; 2 Tim 3:16; John 17:17; 1 Tim 1:3-10, 4:1-6, 6:3; 2 Tim 1:13, 4:3; Titus 1:9, 2:1-10; 2 Cor 11:4, Gal 1:6-9; Gen 3:15; Matt 25:41 ↩︎

  29. Psalm 10:17; Psalm 62:8; Matt 7:7-8; 1 John 5:14 ↩︎

  30. John 16:23-24 ↩︎

  31. Psalm 32:5-6; Daniel 9:4-19; 1 John 1:9 ↩︎

  32. Psalm 103:1-5; Psalm 136; Phil 4:6 (Adapted from Westminster Shorter Catechism question 98) ↩︎

  33. Phil 4:4-7; 2 Chron 7:14-15; Psalm 65:2; Psalm 34:15; Prov 15:29 ↩︎

  34. Eph 3:10; 1 Tim 3:15; Acts 20:28; Heb 13:17 ↩︎

  35. Eph 5; Acts 17:26-27; Rom 12:2-13; Acts 2:42; Psalm 55:14; 1 Peter 4:9; Heb 13; John 13:34-35 ↩︎