pcm is the presbyterian campus ministry at the university of arizona.
we’re affiliated with the presbyterian church (usa).
we’re a small ministry made up of people working in some measure with a Christian way of understanding things: that God made and loves the world; that Jesus Christ (who is also God) lived, died, and rose from the dead to free that world; that the shitshow around us does not have the last word about anyone or anything.
we want to understand the world, what’s wrong (a lot) and what’s good (surprisingly also a lot), and work to heal it as best we can.
big mission, little ministry. come and see.
more about our beliefs
the big litmus-test questions for church-adjacent stuff are often “can you say black lives matter with your chest,” “what about women,” and “what about lgbtq people,” though church websites phrase those questions less directly.
our answers are “YES,” “can hold leadership in the church,” and “can marry and hold leadership in the church.”
nobody becomes antiracist or fully inclusive just by saying they are, but that’s what we believe is right and are working to live out in practice, not just on the books.
the theological basics we start from—which doesn’t mean everyone at pcm holds them entirely—are outlined in the Nicene Creed: one God in three Persons, divinity and humanity of Christ, atonement for sin, everlasting life.
the implications of these beliefs require working out.
pcm, in general, treats the Bible as authoritative.
“authoritative” is a term that’s up for debate, but it at least means that the Bible is a starting point for understanding God, people, and how we are supposed to live.
it is not code for “textual literalism.”
“sin” exists and is a useful category for understanding the world. for instance, racism, transphobia, and economic exploitation are sins. being gay is not.
good faith and charity are more important than total agreement.
Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.
1 John 4:20
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