No Student Should Feel Alone in Their Faith
Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Iowa. Since 1919.
LCM is a place where students question, grow, and belong
LCM Connects Students to God’s Love
At Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM), love truly lives here. Each year, new students arrive at the University of Iowa seeking friendship, purpose, and faith, and with LCM, they find a community that welcomes them just as they are. Through worship, conversation, service, and care, students discover what it means to experience God’s love in daily life.
Support from congregations, foundations, and generous individuals makes this ministry possible. Together, we nurture faith, build lasting relationships, and share God’s blessings with the next generation.
Over a Century of Partnership
Since 1919, LCM has had a presence on the University of Iowa campus. As part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), LCM is energized by lively engagement in faith and life, bearing witness to God’s amazing grace within the context of higher education.
A Safe Place for Students to Explore Faith
Your financial support will help students break the cycle of loneliness and uncertainty about their college years and their future while growing their spiritual life around Jesus Christ. Hear their stories.
A Fit for Everyday Life
I never planned to join a campus ministry when I came to Iowa. I had been struggling with my faith, and I did not identify with the “youth-group people” that I had grown up around in my high school. At LCM, I was immediately welcomed by a diverse group of people who would later become my closest college friends.
LCM gave me a place to question my faith without judgment from others, and I learned how my faith fit into my everyday life. I have so many fond memories of LCM, from Thursday-night dinners and worship to our many shenanigans. I cannot imagine my five years at college without LCM, and for that I am so grateful!
A Renewed Faith
When I arrived at the University of Iowa as a freshman, I wasn’t sure if there was a faith community that was for me. I’d been hurt by churches that claimed to welcome everyone but didn’t mean it. At Lutheran Campus Ministry, I found something different: a space where I didn’t have to hide my mental-health struggles, my doubts and questions were honored, and my voice was heard. I found a genuine community that walked with me as I found healing and experienced joy again.
Love Lives Here
About Lutheran Campus Ministry
The University of Iowa is one of more than 500 academic settings across the country where Lutherans and others engage more deeply with the teachings of Jesus Christ and the activities of their faith communities. These engagements help students discover and fulfill their vocation as disciples on campus, within the community, and in the world.
LCM provides a variety of activities and support for students:
- Bible Study
- Study & Meeting Space
- Worship
- Leadership Roles
- Weekly Meals
- Weekly Social Activities
- Retreats
- Service Opportunities
Come find us
New, returning, undergraduate, graduate, full-time, and part-time students as well as faculty and staff are always welcome. Simply stop by the LCM Student Center at 123 East Market Street, Iowa City.
Look for the large “Love Lives Here” mural on the lower level of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, and ring the doorbell at our own entrance right next to it.
We meet every Thursday at 6 PM, and you are invited.