Who We Are and What We're About
RUF is here at NMSU and at campuses all across North America to build a community on the college campus that reaches students of different beliefs and doubts with the message of the gospel and to equip them to love and serve Jesus and his church. As we shape our lives around the gospel we have the opportunity to participate in God's work of changing lives, healing our world, building community, and renewing our culture. We aim to do this by pursuing the following goals:
Growth in Grace
The way in which we grow in the Christian life is the same way in which we enter it - by receiving Jesus and relying on what he has done for us by his grace. That is why we are devoted to helping one another use the means of grace God has given us to promote our growth in Christ-likeness. We affirm that deep, lasting change occurs by studying the Bible, developing a prayer life, participating in worship, and forming authentic relationships with others.
Evangelism & Missions
We believe the gospel is true, and, therefore, it cannot be kept to ourselves. We are committed to thoughtfully and respectfully communicating the gospel through the words we speak, the deeds we perform, and the community we embody so that we might give others the opportunity to discover the true story of God's grace. And since the salvation Jesus brings is comprehensive and affects the whole person, we are committed to tangibly expressing God's care for the world by seeking wholeness for the poor, justice for the oppressed, and restoration for creation.
Fellowship & Service
Jesus not only calls us to follow him as individuals, but also gathers us into a community through which we learn to apply the gospel to every aspect of our lives. In our relationships with one another, we strive to reflect the counter-cultural values of the gospel. As we do this, we provide the world around us with a glimpse of who God is and what his coming kingdom entails. In light of the fact that God calls us to himself in order to be a vehicle of blessing to others, we are committed to sacrificially serving others on our campus and in our world.
Biblical World & Life View
Christianity is a way of seeing all of life. Rather than dividing the world into sacred and secular realms, we recognize that every sphere of life belongs to God and provides us with an opportunity to serve him. We aim, therefore, to discern our unique vocations within the world and to pursue them with excellence, distinctiveness, and integrity so that our university as well as our culture might experience the renewal of the gospel.
What we Believe
Why Reformed?
We are reformed. This simply means that we believe 1) Jesus is enough to make us right with God and 2) the Bible is enough to show us who God is, who we are, and how we can be made new in him through Jesus. More specifically, "reformed" means that we hold to an historic and Protestant understanding of Christianity. Though many today would claim that truth is relative or unknowable, we believe that Christianity stands upon very clear and specific truth claims. Jesus himself said that we must believe who he claimed to be and hold to his teachings. RUF works to give students opportunities to wrestle with the truth of God’s Word in the Bible and see that the gospel speaks to every area of life with sophistication and relevance. Christianity is not intended merely to make us better people; God’s aim is much higher—he makes us wholly new people from the inside out. We hope that many will come to know the One who is truth -- Jesus Christ -- and find new life in Him that he eagerly, willingly offers.
Why University?
We are pro-university and deeply supportive of its mission. Jesus said, “I am making all things new!” RUF was born out of a desire to see the church minister to the world without abandoning the campus or becoming lost in it. The university is a crucial element of our society, and we neglect it to our own detriment. It is the dream of RUF to be a ministry “for our campus,” not for ourselves. We believe that the gospel can change any person and any place in Christ. Therefore, our leading question is not “what kind of ministry can we be?” but rather “what kind of university can this be?” We long to see the entirety of NMSU (her people and institutions) transformed by the power and beauty of the presence of Christ. Then, and only then, will the intellectual, relational, cultural, and spiritual life of this place truly thrive.
Why Fellowship?
We are others-oriented. The Christian faith is not something that can be lived out alone. Christians are called to live within a very special community -- the Church. We taste the life of heaven together. We face our struggles together. We sharpen each other and remind one another of reality. This deep fellowship is rooted in the new life given to us by Christ. RUF is committed to building up and inviting people into this unique and loving community. But we know that the glory of the Church is not her people. Her glory is her Redeemer, Christ the Lord! Because Christ loved the Church, and gave himself up for her, we are then delighted to gather under her care. That is where God is at work, gathering His people, and strengthening them for work in His kingdom. As such, at RUF we do not simply want to invite others to our ministry, we want to invite you into our lives and the body of Christ.
We are reformed. This simply means that we believe 1) Jesus is enough to make us right with God and 2) the Bible is enough to show us who God is, who we are, and how we can be made new in him through Jesus. More specifically, "reformed" means that we hold to an historic and Protestant understanding of Christianity. Though many today would claim that truth is relative or unknowable, we believe that Christianity stands upon very clear and specific truth claims. Jesus himself said that we must believe who he claimed to be and hold to his teachings. RUF works to give students opportunities to wrestle with the truth of God’s Word in the Bible and see that the gospel speaks to every area of life with sophistication and relevance. Christianity is not intended merely to make us better people; God’s aim is much higher—he makes us wholly new people from the inside out. We hope that many will come to know the One who is truth -- Jesus Christ -- and find new life in Him that he eagerly, willingly offers.
Why University?
We are pro-university and deeply supportive of its mission. Jesus said, “I am making all things new!” RUF was born out of a desire to see the church minister to the world without abandoning the campus or becoming lost in it. The university is a crucial element of our society, and we neglect it to our own detriment. It is the dream of RUF to be a ministry “for our campus,” not for ourselves. We believe that the gospel can change any person and any place in Christ. Therefore, our leading question is not “what kind of ministry can we be?” but rather “what kind of university can this be?” We long to see the entirety of NMSU (her people and institutions) transformed by the power and beauty of the presence of Christ. Then, and only then, will the intellectual, relational, cultural, and spiritual life of this place truly thrive.
Why Fellowship?
We are others-oriented. The Christian faith is not something that can be lived out alone. Christians are called to live within a very special community -- the Church. We taste the life of heaven together. We face our struggles together. We sharpen each other and remind one another of reality. This deep fellowship is rooted in the new life given to us by Christ. RUF is committed to building up and inviting people into this unique and loving community. But we know that the glory of the Church is not her people. Her glory is her Redeemer, Christ the Lord! Because Christ loved the Church, and gave himself up for her, we are then delighted to gather under her care. That is where God is at work, gathering His people, and strengthening them for work in His kingdom. As such, at RUF we do not simply want to invite others to our ministry, we want to invite you into our lives and the body of Christ.
