What is RUF?
Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) is a Christian campus ministry. We are the campus ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). We welcome and invite all IU students regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
The purpose of RUF is to reach students for Christ and equip them to serve in order that they might learn to love Jesus for a lifetime. Regardless of your beliefs or doubts, RUF seeks to be a place where every student is invited to encounter Jesus, explore faith, enjoy community, and be empowered to change.
Reformed
The word "reformed" simply means that we hold to a historic understanding of Christianity that emerged during the 16th century Reformation. 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 trust in him alone for salvation. In RUF, we invite opportunities to wrestle with Jesus’ claims as we explore the Bible and to see that the gospel speaks to every area of our lives.
It’s worth nothing that we believe that Christianity is not just a moral system. It has a moral system, but that is not all of what it is. Christianity is not intended to make us better people; the gospel makes us new people. It brings new life for those who are dead in sin, and brings hope for the hopeless. We believe that those who come to see that Jesus is the truth will also see that He is life.
University
It is the aim of RUF to be a ministry for the campus of Indiana University (IU) and not for ourselves. Our intent is to see IU transformed by the power and beauty of the presence of Christ. God has placed you at IU. Your calling as a student is to glorify God by diligently studying in whatever area He has gifted you, whether it be business, psychology, or music. We also encourage you to involve yourself in all that campus life has to offer and serve in the IU community.
Fellowship
Christianity is not something that can be lived out alone. The believer is called to live within a very special community - the church. Because Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, we gather together to worship Christ, to strengthen each other, enjoy life together, face our struggles together, and proclaim his hope to a world in need. While RUF is an arm of the church on the campus, we don’t want to be a substitute for a local church. We encourage you to involve yourself in RUF as well as to worship weekly in a Bible-believing church in Bloomington.
For more about RUF, please visit our national website.
90 Seconds with Tim Keller
Dr. Timothy Keller (Redeemer Pres, NYC) explains the vital nature of RUF's ministry to college students and its strategic import for the larger church.