Church Group Banned on Some Campuses: Additional Information

Tommy Magazine/November 19, 1998
By Dan Pasquini

Wondering why you've never seen the Los Angeles Church of Christ on campus? It's probably because they're not officially here.

At the beginning of the school year, when Trousdale Parkway is teeming with off-campus organizations, the church members invite students to join their congregation, but most of the recruitment comes from informal word-of-mouth advertising.

Sophomore Janine Marnien says one of her first responsibilities after being baptized into the church was to attract more followers. "There was a large emphasis on numbers. They kept statistics on how many people would be at a meeting or were coming to Bible studies."

The church has run into some opposition on college campuses. Last year, Rensselaer Polytechnic University in New York disbanded the Upside Down Bible Talk Club as an official university organization because of its close ties with the local International Church of Christ congregation. Officials cited aggressive recruiting and encouragement for members to drop out of school as reasons.

David Crandall, USC director of student activities, said the LA Church of Christ has asked for official recognition. "They have never had a formal presence on campus [for USC] to try to prevent them from being here," he said.