KBC Missions Conference 2023

Q&A about University Church

How long as University Church existed?
We first began as a Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) back in 2014, when the University first opened. In fact, our first meeting was before classes even began. Bruce had used social media to connect with incoming students in the months before the University officially opened.

Then, in late 2017, we decided to start a church on campus. We partnered with KBC and the Florida Baptist Convention, and had our first Sunday service was Jan 7, 2018.

What is the church like?
Well, other than the Sabin family, everyone in the church is either a college student or recent college graduate. Other than that, we’re a pretty normal church. Our Sunday worship services have singing, praying, and preaching. And we have small group Bible studies that meet during the week. We also do a lot of outreach to the Florida Polytechnic University community.

Isn’t it weird to have a church that’s almost entirely people in their late teens and early 20s?
Yes, it is. But a church should represent its community and Florida Poly students live in a community of mostly young nerds. If you start a church in a hipster neighborhood, you’re going to have a lot of hipsters. If you start a church in the Villages, you’re going to have a lot of retirees.

How does a church of college students manage financially?
The things we do on Sunday mornings are funded by the church members. Our biggest Sunday expense comes from the fact we have a lunch together every Sunday. That’s an important aspect of building community among college students. But we also pay for printing, licensing music, technology used in the service, etc.

The rest of what we do as a church, such as discipleship and outreach programs are funded by a few churches and some individuals who give to our ministry. And we’re very thankful for those ministry partners, because they make so much of our ministry possible. If you’re interested in becoming a partner, you can click here, or contact Bruce at bruce@uclakeland.org or 863-969-8475.

How big is University Church?
We have about 20 or so students on a typical Sunday, but we have more people than that who are members or regular attenders. That’s because the majority of Poly students live close enough to go home a few weekends each semester. So, we’re always missing some people who are out of town. We also have people who attend our small groups and outreach events. And keep in mind that we lose roughly 1/4 of our members every year because they graduate. So, we’re having to grow by 25% per year just to stay the same size.

What is University Church’s relationship with Florida Polytechnic University?
As far as the University is concerned, we’re a student club. They know we’re a Christian organization, that we have church services, etc, but from an official standpoint, we’re considered a club. That gives us all the rights of any other club, such as being able to reserve meeting space.

We have a good, strong relationship with the University. We’re the oldest club on campus and consistently have the most events of any club and the highest total attendance at our events when compared to other clubs. We’ve even been recognized multiple times with the “Student Choice” award from Student Government. It helps that we maintain good relationships with the administrators, campus police, and faculty. So, the University is happy to have us as part of the Poly community.

What if I have more questions?
Send an email to Bruce (bruce@uclakeland.org) or give him a call or text (863-969-8475)