Wherever Christians are, there is the Church. The S.C.M. is a part of the Church and it is nonsense to speak of conflict or cooperation between the two. It has a special role to play in the life of the Church, as students should always be most aware of the fallings of the Church and the changing need of the world.

Organisationally and intellectually they are freer to explore new fields than other branches of the Church. Christian students must try to bridge the gap that exists between the advanced thinking about the Church and the actual life of the churches. Hence the S.C.M. has a responsibility to the whole Church as well as to the University.

Life and Mission

The special endeavour of the movement at the moment and for the next few years is a heavy study and teaching programme on "the life and mission of the Church," of which the recent Conference of the N.Z.S.C.M. was a part.

The programme has been undertaken by the World Student Christian Federation and its members because there is a growing awareness among Church leaders and thinkers that the Church's outreach to the world—her mission—has been frustrated by changing circumstances and hence to some extent neglected.

There is a clear need for a new kind of mission based on a deeper understanding of the world and this can only be reached by serious study in a context of evangelistic involvement. In the university situation the S.C.M. has tended to follow the general pattern in the Church and the need to concentrate again on mission is especially clear.

Mission of Reality

The Church's mission, showing to the world the reality of life, giving to the world the good news of Christ, evangelism if you like—is her life. Hence if evangelism is not the fundamental aim of the S.C.M., we have no right to the word Christian.

I hope any differences between religious groups in the university are seen as differences in interpretations of evangelism, not of degree of enthusiasm for it.

If it has not always been clear that our enthusiasm for the unity of the Church, for political interest, etc., is a result of our concern to help all men to a knowledge of God, then we owe someone an apology.

Our evangelism does not mean, I hope, a constant conscious impression-making, which would inevitably lead to introspection and possibly hyprocisy. But by merely being a Christian, or being thought a Christian, one cannot help evangelising. Nor one can draw a line between evangelist and evangelised. No matter how sure or unsure we may be we are all involved in both, and we may thank God for it.