Who We Are
A Church at Loyola University Chicago
OUR Story
Agape & Ecclesia is a campus church at Loyola University Chicago. Centered on Jesus and shaped by the rhythms of college life, we seek to love God and love Loyola together!
We believe a table is one of the best places to share a meal, make a friend, ask a question, offer a prayer, and grow in faith. That's why we think one of the best ways to get to know A&E is to join us for a meal, in worship, or at our next gathering! But if you can't do that just yet, here are a few things that shape our life together.
OUR Mission
We are a church at Loyola University Chicago committed to following and serving Jesus Christ, raising and developing disciples and growing in our love for God and all of God’s people of every ethnicity and culture.
OUR Vision
For students to follow Jesus with their whole lives, for their whole lives.
What Shapes Our
Life Together
A CHURCH ON CAMPUS
We are a church on a college campus, which can make us a little hard to categorize. Are we a church? Are we a campus ministry? The easiest answer is… yes!
We do not meet in a church building. Instead, Loyola graciously allows us to gather in campus spaces for worship, Bible studies, and community events.
Though our congregation is made up primarily of students, we believe college is a uniquely formative season for learning how to follow Jesus.
These college years are not a break from the church, but an opportunity to both be and become the church in meaningful and lasting ways.
A communitY
around the table
The table is where our community happens.
Our communion table is made from wooden blocks engraved with the names of students who have been part of our church family over the years. It represents how much of our life together happens around tables -- sharing meals, studying Scripture, praying together, and literally breaking bread with one another.
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In the Gospels, we see Jesus making himself known to his disciples around a table, and we're convinced that Jesus still makes Himself known in this way today. Whether you join us in the dining hall for Thursday lunch or gather with us on Sunday night for The Lord’s Supper, we believe you’ll encounter the love of Jesus through the people, the food, and the drink in these spaces.
If you’re thinking about visiting A&E, you can expect to be fed in more ways than one!
Led by Students, ShepherdeD by Pastors
In order to lead, we first submit ourselves to being led.
Students play a significant role in the life of our church: leading small groups & worship, discipling others, and helping shape our vibrant community life. Because college ministry naturally involves constant transition and turnover, our church is also shepherded by a team of campus pastors responsible for the long-term vision, teaching, and care of the congregation.
Our staff remain committed to being discipled themselves by trusted mentors and leaders who have walked faithfully with Jesus over many years. Alongside our board, they seek to lead not through hierarchy or power, but through mutual submission and service (Matthew 20:25–28).
Agape & Ecclesia is a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church and a member of the Christian Reformed Campus Ministry Association, which provide support, accountability, and spiritual covering for our community. Students do not need to come from a particular denominational background to belong here. We simply invite people to pursue Jesus alongside us and participate in the life of the church together.
A hospital
for sinners
Our church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints.
There is no expectation of perfection at Agape & Ecclesia. When sin entered the world, it was far more than “getting kicked out of the pool.” All of creation was fractured and distorted. Because of this, no one walks through life without some experience of hurt, fear, brokenness, insecurity, grief, or longing.
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This means we don’t come to church as people who have it all together. We come as people in process, learning how to follow Jesus in the middle of real life. And that life includes roommate conflict, hard family dynamics, friendships that form and fall apart, questions about identity and purpose, academic pressure, and seasons where faith feels clear and seasons where it doesn’t.
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We don’t pretend to have everything figured out.
But we do believe Jesus meets us in the middle of it all.
The best way to experience Agape & Ecclesia is to simply show up. Share a meal, join us for worship, sit in on a Bible study, or simply introduce yourself after a gathering. Whether you’ve followed Jesus for years or are still figuring out what you believe, there is a place for you here.
We’d love to meet you!