Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) is the campus ministry organization of the

Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...

(PCA). RUF has experienced rapid growth in the 1990s; its income in 1995 was $200,000 and grew $24 million by 2012. Currently, RUF has more than 170 ministries at different college campuses spread across 41 states in the US and throughout the world. RUF began on college campuses in the southern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

but expanded throughout the country, with campus ministries from Hawaii to Massachusetts. The PCA follows traditional

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

standards, including belief in the

inerrancy Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible "is without error or fault in all its teaching"; or, at least, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact". Some equate inerrancy with biblical i ...

and infallibility of the Bible.

Purpose

RUF is not intended to be a substitute for formal

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

. It is open for anyone to join and is not exclusive to those within a certain denomination. However, the organization itself is closely associated with the

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

theological viewpoint, as their name implies. Its meetings range in size from campus to campus. There are also different types of meetings, often referred to as 'Large Group' or 'small groups'. RUF hosts its main conference, Summer Conference (popularly known as SuCo), for students during three weeks in the summer at Laguna Beach, Florida. There are also regional conferences that take place throughout the year. The conferences, like the organization meetings, are not limited to those ascribing to Calvinist theology.

History

The first RUF was started by Mark Lowrey in 1973 at the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

. The mission, vision, and guiding principles of RUF were approved by the PCA in 1979, and Lowrey became the first National Coordinator in 1982. RUF grew significantly in the early 21st century. It went from 35 campuses in 1998 to over 100 in 2012. Its revenue was $200,000 in 1995, but $24 million in 2012. As of 2021, RUF has 170 campus ministers, 49 campus staff, and 176 interns.

Other similar movements

The Reformed Youth Movement, while a ministry similar to RUF, is not officially a part of the PCA.

References

{{reflist

External links

The Official National RUF pageThe Presbyterian Church in AmericaThe RUF Hymnbook
Student religious organizations in the United States Presbyterian Church in America Christian organizations established in 1973 Presbyterian organizations established in the 20th century Student societies in the United States