Pastor Smith
People sometimes wonder what the name Concordia means; it’s actually from two Latin words that mean “hearts together” or “with the same heart.” It’s basically that our hearts are connected together in Christ’s love. We try to live up to our name in serving together, caring for each other, living in forgiveness, and showing the hope that comes to us uniquely from God in our Savior Jesus. No matter what your past experience is with faith, it’s something you’ll experience here in a meaningful way. While all the campus ministry things we do here are entirely optional, my experience is that students who are involved and connected with the spiritual life at Concordia are the ones who enjoy themselves the most here at CUW.
I’m Pastor Steve Smith and serve with some great colleagues and a lot of great students who comprise our campus ministry team. In an effort to allow our wide range of students to connect spiritually, we have many Campus Ministry opportunities. Check them out on the links below. We try to help you grow and serve and be one of the hundreds of students actively involved in the faith life of Concordia. Lutheran, non-Lutheran or whatever your background, we invite you to join us in serving God!
Daily Chapel
Daily Chapel Worship services meet in the Chapel of Christ Triumphant each day of the regular school year from 9:30 am to 9:45 am. All services are broadcast live for students, faculty, and staff via the CUW portal. If you'd like to check out some of our recorded chapel services, please visit our YouTube Channel.
Find Your Calling
Whether you’re new in your faith or have grown up in the Church, Concordia’s programs are specifically designed to help cultivate your God-given gifts so that you can have the greatest impact for His Kingdom.
Serving the community
Concordia University’s mission is to prepare our students for service around the world. Toward that end, Concordia provides hundreds of opportunities for students to display their faith and show the love of Jesus; in so doing, they make a difference in the lives of others now and forever. Here are just a few examples of how we serve:
- Orientation: new students participate in service projects in their very first weekend on campus.
- Campus Ministry: dozens of specialized ministries continually share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in various ways from feeding the homeless in Milwaukee to building homes overseas.
- Volunteer Club: initiated and run by students, the club engages in various community service endeavors throughout the year.
- Blood Drives: various students groups organize 4 blood drives a year.
- Athletics: our 25 NCAA Division III sports teams actively engage in service.
- The Respite: twice a year the School of Nursing provides a full day of fun and games for disabled children, thus giving their parents a temporary reprieve.
- Service Learning: the faculty recently formed a committee to promote service learning within the curriculum; 23 faculty volunteered for this endeavor!
- Week of Service: each year in March the University takes a week to embrace our mission with various service endeavors and events.
Spirituality on Campus
CUW’s Christian environment matters to our students. When surveyed (*) about spirituality on campus, here’s what students across the nation had to say:
Developing a deepened sense of spirituality
Of our CUW seniors, 69% said they developed a deepened sense of spirituality either very often or often. How did other schools compare? At the NSSE National level, 29% of seniors reported often or very often, while 41% of seniors at Great Lakes Private (3) universities responded in these two categories.
Participating in activities to enhance your spirituality (worship, meditation, prayer, etc.)
Of our CUW seniors, 62% reported participating very often or often in activities which enhance spirituality. This stands in contrast to the 34% of seniors at the national level and 38% of students from the Great Lakes Private universities who reported often or very often.
(*) Data from the NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement 2009)