As Semester 1 draws to a close, there is much to reflect on after the intensity of a very full three months at uni. Amidst the pressures of being a full-time student, many with part time jobs, and the load of helping EU ministries to run, it is often too easy to forget the core of what’s happening. We talk a lot in the EU about the trajectory of Christian maturity, as Paul explains in Ephesians 4:11-13: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

And so ministry is not about programs, but about people, and building people up in Christ.

One way the Secondary Education faculty has been trying to keep people focused is to think about the way pastoral care happens in the faculty. For most students involved in the EU, this will look like being part of a small group Bible study, where students are cared for by their leaders. These leaders are cared for by the committee and the chain goes on, but not everyone fits into this chain. So we have tried to make sure each student on our database is being cared for, either through a quick message or a catch up over coffee.

As students struggle with different issues and messy life gets in the way of programs, it remains especially important to think through how to continually point students to Jesus, in or out of our regular programs. This is true for all ministries, and will be a great asset for churches in Australia and the world as our students go out from Sydney Uni as mature, servant hearted leaders.

Please be praying for student leaders as they seek to run great ministries which will grow students in Christian maturity, and how they can remain focused on the people involved.