Our Mission

Ecumenical Campus Ministry (ECM) at Kansas State University is committed to support safe and nurturing spaces for students at the university and in greater Manhattan who are eager to explore and affirm the complexities of diverse and thriving community. ECM embodies God’s love by fostering community in the midst of multiple religious and non-religious identities, ethnicities, genders or sexual orientations, and native languages.

​‘Humans Welcome-No Strings Attached' is our directing phrase which inspires the ways we engage as community, whether through discussion, sustainable lifestyle choices, or by sharing our personal journeys.​

ECM continues to imagine what the world might look like if we asked how to be faithful to the earth we walk, the food we eat, and the people we encounter.


What does ECM at KSU value?

We value people. We value differences. We value celebrating those differences. 

ECM is a place to be yourself and to learn about yourself in a community of people who care. We do not pretend to have everything figured out, but know that's totally fine. Religious, spiritual, or not? ​Gay, straight, transgender? English not your first language? Want to make the world a more fair place? Love sustainable practices? You belong. Without any question. That is the ECM way.​
We value your passion. Your ideas matter. We take your community-minded ambitions seriously. 

​ECM values your ideas. Looking for a place to make a difference? Want to try something, but don't know where to start? ECM provides resources for students and community members to pursue their passions, like offering spiritual mentorship when you feel stuck, learning to grow your own food, or editing your community-focused grant application. You can make a difference. We know it.
We value growth. We value a space to ask questions. We value purposeful change. 

​ECM encourages the big questions. What does it mean to figure our your career path? What does it mean to 'adult'? What does it mean to live with people who come from a different place or speak a different language? Maybe you'll find answers or maybe you'll find people who want to figure it out together. ​

​What does 'ECM' mean?

'ECM' stands for 'Ecumenical Campus Ministry', but it's not what you might think at first glance.

Being involved at ECM does't mean you have to be Christian, or even, religious. We value Christian expressions of faith and non-Christian expressions of faith. At ECM, we like to say 'Human Welcome-No Strings Attached.' We say that because we practice this idea that being a part of a community includes asking questions and having doubts. So maybe you're Christian, maybe you're Buddhist, maybe you're not religious, maybe you don't know-that's great. ECM believes individuals in a community are not required to believe or act the same way. We like it that way. Our community supports inclusive practices. When we say 'inclusive', we mean:  interbelief, multicultural, LGBTQ+, & multiracial inclusion. We prioritize environmentally conscious choices. 
So, why do we use the word 'ministry' in our title if I don't need to be Christian?

ECM at KSU started 101 years ago as the campus ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Manhattan.  In 1964, some local churches joined together to form the United Campus Christian Fellowship.  In the late 1970s, the ministry was renamed the United Campus Ministry.  In 1991, four local churches (First Presbyterian, First Christian Church, Trinity Presbyterian, and the United Church of Christ) decided they wanted to work together and set an example of collaboration, instead of trying to create four different campus ministries. This cooperation was named the Ecumenical Campus Ministry.  These communities had a vision of cooperation in circumstances which might have otherwise divided. That vision continues today. ​
What does that word I cannot pronounce-'ecumenical'-mean?

'Ecumenical' (ek-u-men-i-cal) refers to 'cooperation amidst difference'. In the past, it meant cooperation among Christian groups, but ECM thinks 'ecumenical' can mean something bigger. So, that's what we aim to do through collaboration and cooperation.