The Mission and the Campus Tribes

I love writing, but I often avoid it.  Why?  It’s difficult.

Yes, in a certain sense, writing is very easy.  Sit down, pencil in hand (or laptop on lap), and let what comes to mind flow.  However, writing with a specific purpose in mind is a bit more challenging. This form of writing takes a great deal of focus and energy. I guess I’m too often guilty of avoiding the challenge.

This latter, more difficult, method of writing is my intent for this blog.  I’m not writing merely to spew out random thoughts.  My intention is to be very focused and purposeful.

I’m writing with one overriding goal in mind:  To sound the alarm among God’s people for the need to direct our resources to the greatest mission opportunity in our time, the CAMPUS tribes.

In effect, I’m asking the Church to do as I’m doing…stop avoiding the greater challenge and focus.

I doubt any of my readers need to be convinced in regards to the nature of The Mission, but just in case, let me remind us all that Jesus clearly stated his command to his followers to “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28). That’s our job as Christians, Christ-followers.  That’s The Mission.

Now, understanding The Mission, why do I suggest that our university campuses are in critical need of our attention?  Consider the following:

• Young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are America’s MOST UNREACHED demographic (Barna Research)! The national average of Christians on university campuses is less than 5% (campusrenewal.org from a 1997 study).  Mission-minded folks will tell you that any demographic where less than 10% are Christian is considered “unreached.”
• Young adults, between the ages of 18 and 25, are at a time in life when they can devote massive amounts of time and energy to advancing the Kingdom.  The church needs the efforts of this untapped demographic.

These two items might be reason enough to cause us to rethink our current mission strategies, but let me continue on.

• Approximately 78% of all Christians make a decision to follow Christ before the age of 21.  Campus ministers (or shall we call them “campus missionaries”) are in position to serve students who are at a critical stage of life.
• Ultimately, failure to reach the college campus today will have monumental consequences on the Church, and society as a whole, tomorrow.  Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) was correct when he said, “Win the campus today, and change the world tomorrow.”
• THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IS THE GREATEST MISSION FIELD IN OUR WORLD TODAY…more than half of the world’s population today is under the age of 25!  These people are where?  On the university campus! (UN Population Reference Bureau)
• Did you know that, throughout modern history, nearly every single great missionary movement was started through revival on the university campus?  It’s true!  Win the campus and we unleash a massive work force for the Kingdom.

Most US churches have a link to a “cross-cultural missionary” (generally defined as someone serving among a people group from a differing culture than the church’s own culture).  These types of ministries are often perceived to be a bit more “glamorous” (simply because the target people are so different from us) than the local food pantry, or the local campus ministry, so we feel like these cross-cultural ministries are more worthy of our resources.  But let’s be real…God neither shows favoritism nor sees greater glamour from one mission field to the next. What is local to us is cross-cultural to someone else.

Now I’m not suggesting that we ignore cross-cultural fields.  We’re called to go “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  But I am suggesting we discontinue our ungodly favoritism and treat campus ministry as a part of The Mission Field.  The local church is often set in the midst of a monumental mission field…the university campus.  Why not turn our sights to these fields which are ripe for harvest?

I have much more to say on the topic, but I can’t do it all in one day.  Please, keep reading.  Together we can re-think modern mission strategy and, as a result, win millions to the Kingdom.

Finally, I do not intend to suggest a new course of action without clearly outlining the how to accomplish it.  Therefore, I’ll keep two primary purposes in mind:  1) to bring to the forefront of discussions the importance of campus ministry, and 2) to recommend the most effective method the church can utilize to reach the university campus for Christ.

As I begin this blog, I’m going to first write a series of seven parts on “Right Life Principles.”  These are MY top seven life principles.  It will be good to lay this foundation at the outset as these guiding principles will help determine the method utilized to pursue the task.

Blessings to God, to His Church, and the ALL the earth which was created for His glory.

Welcome to the Earth’s Edge Perspective!

Welcome!

I know, not much here yet, but there is much on the way.

This blog is dedicated to campus ministry, and, specifically, developing a “mission mindset” among campus ministers, churches, and students.

May God alone be glorified.

I owe a debt of gratitude to a guy who motivated me to start writing more.  Benson Hines!  He recently wrote a book, which a fiercely recommend!  Reaching the Campus Tribes.  And…IT’S FREE!  Download a copy at

http://reachingthecampustribes.com

I was extremely encouraged to see Benson’s book for the first time this past spring. I found out about it when a guy sat down next to me on a flight from Kenya to Amsterdam. He pulled out a 3-ring binder and began reading. My curiosity escalated when I saw the primary words in the title “Campus” and “Tribes.” Of course, a long conversation ensued!

Since reading the book, I have recommended it to literally hundreds of people. My hope is that churches will soon begin to see the great harvest campus ministry will yield with a little focused effort.

I spent 4 years in Kenya as a missionary, God then led me into campus ministry. With missions in my background, it was easy to see the similarities between “cross-cultural” work and campus ministry. However, when I tried to explain the connection to existing supporters, I was, except for a couple of exceptions, shut down, and “shut off.” We lost over half of our support because we were no longer “cross-cultural missionaries” (we’re CAMPUS-cultural missionaries).

Still, underfunded (like 99% of campus ministers across the nation…ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration…98%), I began doing ministry at Boise State with an eye toward a “missional” approach.

It’s worked! With God in the lead, we’ve established a cooperative relationship with more than a dozen other campus ministries at BSU. Our student group has grown, both numerically and spiritually. We now enter year five at BSU with the realization that we have to continually “remake” ministry according to the cultural context. I’m very excited to see where we’ll be in another year.

Benson has started a conversation that is going to continue to build momentum. We need to “put some legs” on his thoughts and begin to cooperatively develop a missional approach to campus ministry, and to work at educating the church on the importance of this “unreached” segment of our nation. I’m going to devote this coming year to documenting our approach to campus ministry as missions. Working together, we’ll see huge successes!

Great things are in store for campus ministry as we look to a new decade. Well done Benson!

Here’s to the future, to promoting campus ministry as MISSION, to reaping the harvest together, and to viewing campus ministry from a new perspective…at Earth’s Edge!