Council for Ecumenical Student Christian Ministry
Backgrounder
Compiled by Kathleen
Stopyra
The Council for Ecumenical Student Christian
Ministries (CESCM) originated in 1985, a number of national
staff for ministries in higher education, global ministry, and the National
Student YWCA worked to form the basis for a partnership that strengthened the
ecumenical and global vision of student ministries, according to the
organization’s statement of purpose.
Beginning as part of the National Council of Churches, the American
Baptist Churches USA, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal Church,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Moravian Church, National Student YWCA,
Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, and
Senior Friends of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) all contributed
staff time and funding support to this effort, forming the national initiative
named Council for Ecumenical Student Christian Ministry (CESCM). At present, membership within CESCM is
open to all who are financially able to participate.
CESCM acts as a student-centered partnership of students and staff that meets twice a year to conduct business, set program priorities and approve a budget. Each year CESCM elects co-moderators and an Administrative Committee to oversee programming. Funding support comes from the affiliate denominations and organizations, WSCF Senior Friends, gifts, grants and student contributions.
The CESCM partnership is committed to exploring effective ways to make common witness to God’s will for the ministry and mission of the church on college and university campuses and their communities, to encourage Christian students to leadership in the church and our society, and to promote denominational activities in the service of an ecumenical vision.
The structure of CESCM affiliations and the relationship of parent and subsidiary groups is complex because of its many different facets. CESCM is one of three ecumenical organizations in partnership serving higher education. These three organizations are the Higher Education Ministries Arena (HEMA), United Ministries in Higher Education (UMHE) and CESCM. Within these three organizations, CESCM is the one organization that directly serves, involves and interacts with students. It is also the only organization in which students comprise the majority of the executive board. The others focus more on targeting campus ministers or working within the denominational structures to form Christian higher education.
CESCM itself also acts as a parent organization for the separate denominations that declare themselves members. CESCM partnership is open to all denominations, with the only limiting factors being the ability of the denomination to fulfill the financial responsibility. Individuals on the CESCM executive board are chosen by the separate denominations to act as representatives on their behalf.
In addition to formal members on the board, CESCM also allows affiliate memberships. These denominations have a significant voice and interest in the mission and vision of CESCM but are not given a voting voice on the board because they are not held to the same financial responsibilities.
Among the most important of these affiliations is the
partnership with the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). CESCM shares in the vision of the WSCF,
which began in 1895. The WSCF has
long been a training ground for Christian leadership in the world. At its 1995
General Assembly in
The key publics for this organization include member denominations and associated and affiliates, particularly students with staff partners. The current member denominations are the student organizations of:
Council partners include:
These publics are diverse not only in type, but also in their geographic locations. All of the student groups represent their respective denominations operate on a national level, the Student Christian Movement of Canada operates out of Canada, and the WSCF trustees come from all over the world, even as far as South Africa.
CESCM strives to build foundations that can renew a
CESCM commits itself to work together to build a more just and peaceful world and to help the church understand itself as part of a global community, to make common witness to God’s will for the ministry and mission of the church on college and university campuses and their communities, to encourage Christian students to leadership in the church and our society, to promote denominational activities in the service of an ecumenical vision, to ground ourselves in spirituality through Bible study, worship, solidarity and mission that affirms our denominational diversity and calls us to Christian unity, to work cooperatively with Roman Catholics and members of the National Council of Churches in Christ USA proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed, to ensure appropriate racial, ethnic, and gender representation on CESCM, and to help Christian students in the United States join with Christian students from around the world in discipleship.
These commitments define the organization’s priorities so as
to guide the mission of the organization.
These priorities are to encourage dialogue among students of different
denominations, to host a national ecumenical student gathering once every
student generation, to encourage regional ecumenical student gatherings, to
provide opportunities for the spiritual growth of students, to provide an
ecumenical network through which denominations can share news, information and
resources between ministries in higher education, global ministry and the WSCF,
to provide a contact point for communication with the WSCF, for relationships
with the National Council of Churches in Christ Ecumenical Young Adult
Ministries Team, and for various student groups to come together to share news,
information and resources, and to encourage and facilitate regional, national
and international programs including: student exchange, leadership development,
education and community projects in collaboration with the WSCF.
When examining its role in society, CESCM is an activist organization, varying in degrees based on the motivations and priorities of the students and members of the executive board. It speaks out actively against capital punishment, war, workers’ rights, sweatshops and other pressing social justice matters. It encourages students to become politically active and takes the initiative to contact lawmakers with resolutions on issues that either oppose or uphold the values of the organization, and provides access to such resources as MoveOn.org and the Center on Conscience and War.
True to its ecumenical nature, the culture of the organization and its executive board is consensual. Every member organization participates in the decision making with an equal voice, whether a student or a campus minister.
The organization strives to create a place where all students, regardless of denomination, have the ability and means to work together in Christian community with one another towards the common goal of spreading Christ’s message to the world, particularly other college students.