Frequently Asked Questions

What is Intervarsity USA?

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.

Why do we have AAIV and MEIV?

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 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. If you would like to look further into this question, this recording of Prof. Peter Cha’s talk may help in clarifying the history of AAIV and why students felt the need to start it

Is AAIV a church?

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.