Before choosing the career path he's on today, Jonathan Reid, a doctoral student in history at UW-Madison, considered attending seminary.

Many aspects of a religious life still appeal to him, including living among others of faith. So for his campus residence, he chose Pres House, a 51-unit apartment building opened in 2007 by the Presbyterian student ministry on campus.

The building's owners sought to create a place where residents could explore their faith and grow spiritually - a concept that has drawn national attention for its novelty. Now in its third school year, the residence bears some markings of its atypical approach but doesn't flaunt its religion.

The spiritual component remains a work in progress, one that exerts only a subtle influence - or none at all - over daily life for many tenants.

"I'm actually not here for spiritual reasons," said resident Samantha Buchanan, 20, a junior who mentioned location and reasonable cost as draws. She described herself as "not very religious."

The Rev. Mark Elsdon, who oversees the apartment building as the ministry's executive director, said it's entirely likely that a majority of the tenants are not interested in the building's religious opportunities, and that's OK. The spiritual component was always meant to be restrained and voluntary, with people of all faiths - or no faith - welcome, he said.

"Fundamentally, it's an invitational approach," he said. "We never intended to build a Christian cloister on campus."

While some tenants chose the building for its religious overtones, others "just like that it's close to the bars on State Street," Elsdon said.

He thinks the building is fulfilling its dual purpose of offering spirituality to tenants and funding for the larger Pres House ministry. Yet he said imbuing the residence with a spiritual flavor has proven more challenging than anticipated and that upcoming initiatives are expected to deepen the building's spiritual component.

A chapel next door

The Pres House name adorns both the apartments and the ministry center next door, which has operated at UW-Madison for more than 100 years and includes a chapel. The buildings abut Library Mall in the heart of campus.

The $17-million, seven-story residence took the place of a parking lot and can hold about 250 students. Forward Management of Madison handles leasing.

Prospective residents are not asked their religious beliefs, and tenants are not held to any church-related moral standards.

"They don't push religion on us at all," said sophomore Matt Burns, 19.

No religious symbolism is visible in the building.

"My feeling is the real work we're trying to do happens through relationships, not banners or signs," Elsdon said.

Chaplains on site

Two chaplain interns, Sarah Iliff and Christy Strickland, live on site. They do most of their work at the ministry center, but at least monthly, they offer a community-building event at the apartment building. A couple of weeks ago, about 25 tenants sat down for a free lasagna dinner and a discussion about relationships led by Elsdon.

So far, there hasn't been much overlap between tenants and students who take part in worship services and programs next door, Strickland said. Interaction with tenants is often "a ministry of presence," Iliff said. The interns are friendly faces, available to share a cup of coffee and conversation.

Junior Soyoung Chung, 20, said she did not grow up religious and didn't know the apartments were owned by a church when she moved in. She saw flyers for faith-related events and now attends worship services at Pres House.

Strickland said the job of chaplain intern is "continuously evolving" and made more challenging by a lack of peers nationally. The University of California at Berkeley is one of the few other public universities with a similar housing concept. Its campus is considered the originator.

Some frustration

The Presbyterian campus ministry at Berkeley began offering housing in 2002 and currently operates two houses with 175 students. A Bible study for women and a men's study group are going well, but the Rev. Carol Miles, executive director, said she's often frustrated by student apathy. The environment is not yet the intentional community of faith-seekers she desires.

"Are there not 175 students interested in faith questions out of 30,000?" she asked. "We do all this programming, and they don't come."

Tom Schwei of Madison, a Pres House board member, is more upbeat about the situation in Madison. "I'm not displeased at all with where we are today, but I know there is a lot of potential there, too," he said.

Next fall, Pres House leaders anticipate awarding the first 10 "Pres House Residence Fellowships." Recipients will be required to participate in interfaith events to receive a 20 percent rent break. Board members also hope to one day offer some subsidized specialty housing for targeted student groups, such as military veterans and recovering drug abusers.

"It's almost as if there are two parts to the organization right now - the ministry that happens in the church building and the occupancy of the apartment building," Schwei said. "We believe there can be more integration in the future."