Most groups have weekly general meetings with speakers or music, and Bible studies, in which a smaller group discusses a selected passage from the Bible.

Recruitment has stayed the same as well, group leaders say, even as their memberships have grown.

"We've haven't made any increased efforts [to recruit students," Clisham says. "There's just been an increased general interest."

Most groups rely on word-of-mouth and tabling during registration, leaders say.

And not all Christian groups have expanded their core memberships so quickly.

The Catholic Students Association's committees have maintained a steady membership for the last few years, with between 80 and 90 members, according to president Frank A. Pasquale '96.

But the association offers a more cultural type of Christianity, students say.

It is the evangelical Christian groups, like Christian Impact and Christian Fellowship, that are drawing the biggest increases.

Members say they can see the greater student numbers and enthusiasm in their activities.

Christian Fellowship's noon prayer meetings, for instance, traditionally sparsely attended, now draw many undergraduates.

"Noon prayer used to be something that people didn't want to come to," Hwang says. "More people care now, and a dozen people come every day."

A Fad?

But though many groups say the number and commitment of their members has grown, leaders are not sure about the reasons for the phenomenon.

Asian Baptist Student Koinonia President Cho says that he is concerned that the increased membership is just a brief trend, with students joining simply to imitate their friends.

"I'm not sure if it's something that's spiritual, or if it's just a fad," Cho says. "There's definitely a lot of that among Christian groups, especially among Asian, ethnic-specific groups. It's inevitable, it happens."