InterVarsity at UChicago is a Christian fellowship where students come together to learn about what it means to follow Jesus as Lord. We hope to see our campus renewed as people are transformed by their growth in God’s love.
As one fellowship, we are united in our desire to follow Jesus. Although we are one fellowship, we are made up of 2 chapters: Multi-Ethnic InterVarsity (MEIV) and Asian American InterVarsity (AAIV). MEIV seeks out students of all ethnicities to reflect the ethnic diversity of God’s Kingdom and to explore how to exist as one body in Christ when we come from so many different backgrounds. AAIV welcomes students of all ethnicities, but focuses on uniting Asian/-American students who want to understand what faith looks like in light of Asian experiences and contexts. As one fellowship, the two chapters come together for several joint events throughout the year as a reflection of our united desire for God’s love to be known. However, throughout the majority of the year our chapters host separate programs to fulfill the separate, context-specific visions.
Click the links to explore more about each chapter, and to read each chapter’s vision statement. If you would like more information on choosing the right chapter for you, please reach out and contact us!
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is a vibrant campus ministry that establishes and advances witnessing communities of students and faculty. We minister to students and faculty through small group Bible studies, large gatherings on campus, leadership training, thoughtful discipleship and life-changing conferences and events.
Because InterVarsity is a campus ministry and not a church, our main purpose is to bring the gospel to as many students as possible. One method that has been repeatedly demonstrated as effective is having ethnic-specific ministries such as Asian American InterVarsity, Black Campus Ministry, etc. While there are many reasons contributing to the success of ethnic-specific ministry, one of the most important ones is being able to explore issues that are relatively unique to certain cultural backgrounds/upbringings. Having ethnic-specific space for students to grow in understanding of their faith allows us to more richly understand the way that the gospel integrates with every aspect of our lives.
InterVarsity is a para-church organization, meaning it is an arm of the church but not a church in and of itself. The difference between the two is InterVarsity exists for the sole purpose of spreading the gospel to students on campus and is not meant as a replacement for pastoral care and involvement in a local church. We strongly advise members to get plugged into a local church and see their time in InterVarsity as a way in which they can uniquely contribute to the greater mission at hand.