Higher Education Ministry Team


The Minnesota Conference Higher Education Ministry Team seeks to find ways to help college students encounter a God large enough to move from the Sunday school room to the college classroom, the college dorm, and the workplace. That means helping young people find out what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ as a young adult, making important life decisions.

The Higher Education team meets four times per year to connect campus ministry and congregational leaders working with college students across the conference. The work of this team exists to support and coordinate work in campus ministry within the Minnesota Conference, and to help connect campus ministries to local United Methodist congregations.

Learn about the campus ministries at colleges and universities across Minnesota.

Find agendas and elected team members for the Higher Education Ministry Team.

2023 Meeting Schedule: TBD

The funding for campus ministry is handled by the Investing in Congregations Team, and there is a grant process for limited additional funding through the Annual Conference.


Higher Education Ministry Grant

The Minnesota Annual Conference has limited funding available to assist campus ministry units and congregations in ministry with college students with financial needs. The intention is that grants will be awarded to new ministries or existing ministries engaged in new initiatives that demonstrate the potential, capacity and commitment to reach new people, grow in love of God and neighbor, and heal a broken world.

Funded ministries will address critical issues related to college students in their local context, with an eye toward spiritual development as a necessary component of academic, emotional, relational, and personal development.

Grants are awarded for one year, with renewal possible but not guaranteed for up to two additional years, and usually for declining amounts encouraging self-sufficiency of the ministry. Application deadline is June 1, notification will be made in July, and money disbursed in August. This grant is handled by the Investing in Congregations Team, not the Higher Education Ministry Team.

2023 Grant Applications

  • 2023 Higher Education Ministry Grants - New Programs: For first-time applicants. Applications open soon.
  • 2023 Higher Education Ministry Grants - Renewal Application: For ministries that received the grant in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and/or 2022. Applications open soon.

Questions about this grant can be directed to Gail Johnson.

2022 Grant Recipients

  • Winona Wesley campus ministry, awarded $12,000
  • The Wesley Foundation at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, awarded $21,500
  • Hamline UMC, awarded $16,500

Contact

Chair: Rev. Lauren Rheingans

lbrheingans@gmail.com / (651) 815-7026


Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55404

info@minnesotaumc.org

(612) 870-0058