Let the Tensions Remain: LCC International University’s Missional Inclusion of Students with Non-Christian Religious Identities

LCC International University in Klaipėda, Lithuania, enrolls students from more than fifty nations. Many students identify culturally as Christian, but most are not active practitioners of the faith. In addition, LCC has become home to students identifying as Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or affiliated with another non-Christian religion. The university aims for full participatory inclusion of every student while maintaining its Christian identity and purposes. Thus, LCC seeks faithful witness to Christ and discipleship for young Christians while also demonstrating respect and meaningful campus inclusion for students who claim a non-Christian identity. Based on the results of two recent campus surveys of student religious identity and practice, this article sketches tensions created by the religious diversity of students and the dual commitments to discipleship and respect for all. The authors summarize six missional models before mapping specific practices and policies of LCC in relation to three of these models: Convicted Civility, Bubble to Bridge, and Embodied Apologetics. These models provide categories for conversation among leaders in international Christian higher education about practices and policies in their respective contexts. LCC International University has learned that its goals with non-Christian students are most significantly achieved by facilitating personal relationships with Christian students and staff/faculty who are humble, relatable, and caring. This posture and openness seem more impactful than mere evangelistic programming or required religious activities. Planned occasions for interreligious engagement on campus have proved not a threat to Christian faith but an opportunity for the enrichment of relationships between participating students.