Diocese of Charleston Prioritizing Campus Ministry as a Key to the Church's Future

Deacon Jerry White

Few Dioceses in the country do as much for their campus ministers as the Diocese of Charleston. Led by Diocesan Director, Deacon Jerry White, the Diocese assists local campuses in a variety of ways. The following is a narrative by Deacon Jerry on how the Diocese has organized its support for those on campus:

“In the Diocese of Charleston, the diocesan office of campus ministry meets three times a year as a large group with the campus ministers of the diocese which is comprised of the whole state.  They meet in the fall and spring and have a three-day meeting in July outside of other specialized training and gatherings throughout the year.  The purpose of the meetings is to continue to build relationships with the diocesan office and those ministries in the field.  It is important that a diocesan director understands the needs of each campus and how the office can support, encourage, resource, advocate, and pray for each campus ministry program.  It is also a time to review new policies, changing diocesan procedures, overall budgets, and the diocesan five-year plan.  However, the main purpose of the meeting is to check in and see how each campus minister is doing professionally, spiritually, and personally.  It is the one place they can gather with people who really understand what they are going through day to day.

The three-day meeting in July is crucial to the overall ministry.  The three-day gathering is divided into several meaningful days.  The first day is for our retreat, welcoming new campus ministers, and sharing what is going on at our campuses.  Usually, we as ministers are not well-known for taking our own personal retreat, so this is purposely scheduled into the gathering.  The second day is usually some type of in-service like evangelization on campus or working on building stronger communities on campus. The third day is a time to discuss items that the diocesan office needs to share with campus ministers such as budget information or new legal information.  However, the main part of the day is to share our concerns, questions, and new ideas affecting campus ministry across the state and the nation.  Each night we build fellowship as we go to different places to eat, and then head out to the beach or walk around downtown Charleston.

We are extremely blessed in the Diocese of Charleston, as we are seeing tremendous growth in most of our campuses.  Almost all our level 1 campuses are currently building or in the process of finishing building a larger space for their students to gather.  We are also very blessed with outstanding chaplains and campus ministers who understand the vision and the direction we want to go in the Diocese of Charleston.  One thing that is certain as we go through this next phase in our ministry in Charleston, is the importance of gathering and building relationships in ministry.  It is the desire of the diocesan office that each campus minister feels like they are supported, encouraged, challenged, prayed for, and advocated on the local level and diocesan level.”

👉🏼For more about the Diocese of Charleston and their work in campus ministry.