Before enrolling at Rochester College in Rochester Hills, Mich., Calvin Moore chatted online with admissions counselors. He asked about academic offerings and mentioned his desire to double-major in history education and Christian ministry.
But he said it never occurred to him to inquire about Rochester’s association with churches of Christ.
“It was kind of, ‘Are you Christian? I’m Christian, too. And I’ll see you in the fall,’” said Moore, who was surprised to find the school doesn’t use instrumental music in daily chapel services.
Fueled in part by aggressive marketing to the wider evangelical community, Rochester enrolled a school-record 1,075 students this fall.
Likewise, Lubbock Christian University in Texas and Ohio Valley University in Vienna, W.V., both report all-time high enrollments, even as their church of Christ ratios decline.
And the number of students from outside churches of Christ is on the rise at Abilene Christian University in Texas, Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala., and Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., a survey by the Chronicle found.
It’s a trend that Rochester President Michael Westerfield said makes sense in an age when many young people choose to be identified solely as “Christians” and not with any particular fellowship.
“In terms of the spirit of the Restoration Movement, expanding enrollment outside the church of Christ constituency is a fulfillment of that vision,” Westerfield said.
A mix of faith traditions can be found at most American universities affiliated with a particular denomination, said Robert Andringa, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities.
“Most denominational leaders understand that a quality campus must draw from a wider market,” Andringa said. “Even the Southern Baptists, with 16 million members, have campuses with only 50 percent to 60 percent Baptist students.”
‘WE WELCOME ALL STUDENTS’
Rochester student Moore said he has learned a lot in a short time about why most churches of Christ do not use instruments.
“A lot of people come from a biblical standpoint of how the New Testament didn’t use music,” said Moore, who describes himself as “more non-denominational, Baptist-leaning.” But he said he has learned to “agree to disagree.”
At Ohio Valley, which has a record 563 students, the percentage of students from outside churches of Christ has jumped to 44 percent — up from 40 percent in 2000.
“Because of our mission, ‘to transform lives,’ we welcome all students to the university so that we can help them with the ultimate transformation in life, being a child of God,” said Becky Mathis-Stump, senior vice president for enrollment.
Bethany Kordella, a Lutheran, said she chose Ohio Valley because of its relatively small size and friendly people.
“The only thing that’s really seemed to make a difference is just people asking me what Lutherans do that’s different from the church of Christ,” the 19-year-old psychology major said. “They sometimes seem very amazed.”
At Lubbock Christian, enrollment topped 2,000 this fall — a 65 percent increase from 1,124 in 1996. Much of that growth stems from community-based degree-completion and graduate programs and undergraduates from outside churches of Christ. Less than half of students are church of Christ members.
“LCU strives to remember its heritage as a Christian university by recruiting in churches, Christian schools and church-related summer camps,” said Mondy R. Brewer, assistant vice president for enrollment management. “We are finding that all of these organizations are more diverse, which in turn helps to make our university population more diverse.”
He added: “We are also finding that more people of many different backgrounds are looking for an education like the one LCU has to offer.”
A similar phenomenon has marked growth at Faulkner, whose 2,641 students include about one-fourth traditional undergraduate students.
“Faulkner University requires Bible classes for all students each semester, which provides a natural outreach opportunity,” spokeswoman Leigh Brannan said.
Abilene Christian enrolled 4,703 students this fall, its third-highest total ever. The Internet has helped expose more students from outside churches of Christ to Abilene Christian and other Christian universities, said Robert Heil, director of admissions and enrollment management.
“Although the majority of students attending ACU are drawn from churches of Christ, ACU is increasingly attractive to students from other faith traditions because of our academic quality and distinctive programs,” Heil said.
Similarly, Lipscomb has focused more on recruiting “students who are seeking a top-quality academic experience in a Christian university regardless of their religious background,” said Ricky Holaway, director of admissions.
The percentage of Lipscomb’s 2,518 students who listed “Church of Christ” as their religious preference dropped to 61 percent this fall, down from 64 percent a year ago, Holaway said.
In a twist, Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., has long marketed itself to a diverse student body. But in recent years, it has actively recruited church of Christ students, pushing their representation to 20 percent of undergraduates, said Paul Long, dean of admission.
SOME GROWING WITH TRADITIONAL FOCUS
On the other hand, Harding University in Searcy, Ark., Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn., and Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City all said their percentages of church of Christ students remain steady. Still, all three set enrollment records this fall.
Enrollment has nearly doubled at Harding in the past 18 years, hitting 5,975. Freed-Hardeman and Oklahoma Christian both topped 2,000 for the first time.
Harding is committed to keeping its student body at between 85 percent and 90 percent members of churches of Christ, said Glenn Dillard, assistant vice president for enrollment management.
But Dillard added, “Even though Harding has done very little to market the university beyond members of the churches of Christ, Harding’s emphasis on academic quality has caused many home-schooled students as well as academically superior students from across the country looking for a faith-based university to inquire about attending.”
Church of Christ members represent about 90 percent of undergraduates at Freed-Hardeman, said Wayne Scott, vice president for enrollment management. “This continues to be a positive for us,” Scott said.
About 80 percent of Oklahoma Christian undergraduates are church of Christ members — a figure relatively unchanged for four years, said Risa Forrester, enrollment and marketing director.
“The additional 20 percent are generally student families looking for a safe, quality Christian and academic environment,” Forrester said.
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