Who and What We Are

   

The WHO: Ohio Collegiate Ministries (OCM) is a network of collegiate ministries meeting on college campuses around the state of Ohio.  We are a student ministry organization facilitated and sponsored by Ohio churches and the North American Mission Board.

The WHAT: We do a lot of things, but we focus on
1) Enjoying God
2) Loving people
3) Giving life
4) Developing leaders
5) Sending students out to serve others
6) Planting churches

The HOW: Each OCM does ministry in a little different way. Some chapters are collegiate churches that meet on a campus. They do everything a regular church does, but they have no building and they consist mostly of college students. Some OCM are organizations based/located out of a single church. They can meet at a church building, or on campus, and sometimes both. They are not a church, but rather a ministry out of a church. Some OCMS are simple campus organizations. They meet together on a weekly basis and do activities that connect students to one another and to God.

The DO: A typical OCM involves activities like:

1) Discipleship/mentorship - A student or staff leader meets with other students to help them grow in their understanding of God. In time, as students grow in their faith, they become disciplers/mentors for other students.

2) Bible studies - Students meet together to learn more about God through studying the Bible. This can be done by working through specific books of the Bible or by working through discipleship materials or studies.

3) Worship gatherings - Students meet at different points in the semester to hold worship gatherings. Generally, there is a band that plays worship music, a speaker who teaches from the Bible, and students who share about what God is doing in their lives.

4) Retreats/Advances - OCM groups from around Ohio gather together for one weekend a year in the fall as a state-wide group.  Local OCM meet for smaller retreats/advances where they spend concentrated time connecting with friends, learning about God, and developing a closer relationship with God. These weekends are intense, but they are incredibly fun and meaningful!

5) Mission trips - Each year students from across Ohio Collegiate Ministries go on mission trips locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally (globally). Some of these trips are focused on meeting physical needs of people (building homes, churches, water wells, ESL, etc.), and others are focused on meeting spiritual needs (sharing God's love through telling the story of Jesus, teaching people to sing, leading Bible schools for children, and telling people about God through sports evangelism), but everything we do is about connecting people to God.

The PURSUIT: Our greatest desire is to live as Jesus lived, walking closely with God.  To that end, we seek to live out what Jesus taught: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... 'Love your neighbor as yourself."  -Matthew 22:37-38

Hey, we appreciate you taking time to get to know us.  Have a great day.

Bye.

 

Interested in checking us out? Find a Ohio Collegiate Ministry near you, or check out more about ministry types here.

Who & What • Mission • Core Values • Core Beliefs • Background • Ministry Locations