You’ve likely heard whisperings — if not shouts — about it.
The “town and gown” phenomenon often puts academic institutions up against their neighboring communities in a struggle to navigate such a delicate relationship.
As a university with a gospel-centered mission, Taylor University’s leadership must decide how best to leverage their connection with and position in Upland and Grant County.
This is where the local church comes in.
Dan Blosser, lead pastor at Upland Community Church (UCC), located just steps away from Taylor’s campus borders, has sought to be intentional with this fragile — yet essential — partnership.
During his undergrad years, Blosser pursued a nursing career, yet he was highly interested in ministry. There, he discerned a calling that would lead him not just to ministry, but to ministry in a college town.
He recalls the moment where the tug on his heart bubbled up to the surface.
“I do remember, one day, (in) a specific class, the professor wanted us to just take a few moments in this class to think about our ideal ministry setting,” Blosser said. “And I remember, even then, thinking, ‘Oh, it’d be really cool to be in a church that’s sort of nestled near a university, where you could be engaging college students.’”
This hope would not manifest immediately.
As a young, married man, Blosser worked as a nurse for several years while working on a master’s degree at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Graduating in 2007, the crash of the stock market greatly affected church hiring. Seeing as he was not finding a pastoral position, Blosser decided to continue his nursing career for five more years.
“I was starting to just give up, like, I’m probably never gonna be a pastor,” he said. “I’m probably just supposed to be an administrator in a hospital that also just knows a lot about the Bible and theology.”
Yet, after nine years in Dallas, Blosser and his wife, Diedra, received a call.
Their friends told them about an application opportunity for the associate pastor role at the church they were attending, Upland Community Church.
“I had been told ‘no’ a lot at this point,” Blosser said.
Despite his hesitancy, Blosser and his wife prayed about the opening.
It wasn’t long before they were flying out to Upland to interview as some of the top candidates for the job.
Blosser began as an associate pastor and pastor of adult ministries at UCC in 2012.
In the years since, a passion for college-aged students and families has fueled his ministry.
“We have probably less than 400 people that live here that go to our church, and yet we provide pastoral care and facilities for an additional 400 people that don’t live here, who don’t have the means to tithe,” Blosser said. “You (college students) don’t even have jobs, right? So, you give your time. It’s beautiful. But it also means that the church is giving in a generous way to pay salary and facilities to staff our church twice its size. It’s been remarkable.”
In 2023, Blosser transitioned from associate to lead pastor at UCC.
In addition to the preparation and delivery of weekly Sunday sermons, Blosser leads a weekly class for young adults offering a deeper dive into the theological and ecclesiastical concepts that the sermons often bring up.
Blosser explained the aim of UCC’s many ministries as serving the Upland and surrounding communities by building trust and good rapport as a foundation for effective evangelism.
“UCC works hard to engage in as much as we can,” Blosser said. “We have the most success with children. So, Basics, Basics Jr., was the Wednesday evening deal, but really, we’ve seen a lot of inroads with the Lift program, just an after-school literacy program, and gaining parents’ trust over time as we love on their kids.”
There is a proven correlation between literacy rates and incarceration, Blosser said.
Thus, Basics, a ministry that has stemmed over the years from what began as a prison ministry to women, is of great value for the spiritual health and longevity of the surrounding area.
Blosser finds great fulfillment in modeling a love for the local church and leading his fellow staff members to do college-town ministry well.
“We’re kind of all in on equipping the generations,” Blosser said. “And really, I see a global vision, because you all (college students) don’t stay. You move away, and some of you move very far away. So, to know that maybe there’s a little UCC imprinting on you as you go out into the wide world, and we love that as part of our legacy and heritage as an investment.”
It’s not just universities that people are moving away from.
A national crisis is emerging that harkens back to the Great Awakening, Blosser said. Church leaders are starting to see more people than ever before leaving their congregations altogether.
It is crucial that pastors around the globe remain convinced of their calling to equip others for Christ, but even more, that Christians remain committed to the bride of Christ: his church.
“I’m very passionate about instilling a love for the church, a love for the local church,” Blosser said. “You know what? You love Jesus, don’t you? I can tell you love Jesus. But do you love his body? Do you care about this beautiful lady?”
Blosser’s encouragement to college students looking for a church home is simple: go to church and get involved in whatever way you can.
Riches such as intergenerational blessing increase with the more time you give, Blosser said. But all churches depend on those who attend.
“If we didn’t have the students engaging, we wouldn’t be able to do that programming that we do,” Blosser said. “So (engagement) actually is important for the life of our church, for us to be able to function.”
Upland Community Church is located at 439 W. Berry Ave. Join the UCC community for Sunday morning services at 8:30 and 11 a.m.
