Why CUs?

Mo ponders homogenous church (HT Bish). For what its worth my thoughts on this matter are:

Christian Unions are not (or, at least shouldn't be) para-churches, they do not exist to do the same work a church does, for very simple practical reasons that can not do the same work a church does.

Christian Unions are mission teams. A groups of people focused fro three or four years on doing mission in the campus that God has bought them to. This is their primary aim. Alongside this is the responsibility to support Christians on campus and bring them to a greater level of maturity. I think things like PURE and Forum are good examples of this.

Churches simply can not get onto campus, and do the things that students can do. There's no way a church group would be able to meet in halls and weekly on campus. NO way, it just would not happen. Students can do this, and are.

Students should of course, of course get involved and serve in the local church at Uni in any way they can. Churches are great places to grow, to serve, and to meet deeply wise Christians, something you probably won't find at CUs. Thats why i am baffled by the idea of student churches. WHY? How is that biblical? To segregate off a group of people, and make them meet together apart from the rest of the congregation. Does that not defeat the object of churches?

I think at Reading we're really blessed to have such a god relationship between the CU and the local Churches, who are happy to support, challenge and get alongside what we do as a mission team. As their mission team to thousands of otherwise unreached peoples.

Churches: great. CUs: great. Unity of purpose between them for the Gospel: GREAT.