Why the College Campus Is Strategic

College is a formative time in someone's life. Whether students live on campus or commute from home, they are beginning to become self-sufficient. They are figuring out who they are and who they want to be. They are asking questions about life and purpose, thinking critically, surrounding themselves with lifelong friends, and expanding their networks.

In our ministry, we often say freshmen come in with a big sticker on their forehead that says, "Influence me." The decisions they make during college will set the trajectory for who they will be for the next 40-plus years. That's how universities present themselves — a formative season of preparation before entering the workforce.

If college is meant to be a formative time intellectually and socially, why not spiritually as well? Statistically speaking, college is one of the last concentrated windows where people come to faith in Jesus before a sharp decline, according to research from the Barna Group. While there may be many reasons the Lord works during this stage of life, one is clear: for the first time, many students are seriously considering who and what they want to become.

Commencement speakers across the globe often say, "You are the future." As cliché as it may sound, it's true — not just for the world, but for our churches as well.

Universities are raising up future leaders in business, education, science, medicine, and botany. What an incredible opportunity to disciple these students into greater joy and holiness in Christ. We want faithful Christians in every sphere of society. We are called to be salt and light in a dark world, and that starts with teaching students how to read their Bibles and follow Jesus for a lifetime.

Now, I get it — college students can be like Bermuda grass, taking up all the nutrients and energy (that's a botany reference!). They require a lot of time and investment, and it's not always easy. But Paul calls us to entrust the Gospel to faithful people who will teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Lord willing, these students will become faithful, deeply connected members of local churches who do incredible work for the Kingdom.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few."

Matthew 9:37

The vast majority of college students on any given campus are nonbelievers.

As one friend puts it, college is a unique time where you live, work, and socialize all in the same place. There was a time where people would sit on their front porch, talk with their neighbors, and bring freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to the family that just moved in. Today, much of that has faded. People often keep to themselves, interacting only in passing.

But not on a university campus.

Campuses are one of the few places where dense, relational, and consistent interaction still happens regularly. This creates tremendous opportunities to share the hope of Christ. If students are not only convinced of the Gospel themselves but also understand that God desires to use them to reach others, evangelism becomes natural. Opportunities are everywhere!

One of the unique strengths of campus ministry is its funnel nature. Every year, new students arrive — you don't have to go looking for them; they come to you. They come from cities, suburbs, states, and nations.

Why not minister where people are already gathering?

We have the opportunity to engage students with the Gospel, cast vision for reaching others, and do it all for the glory of God — year after year. And then, those students graduate. They scatter across the globe, returning home or stepping into new communities, carrying the Gospel with them.

Think about the blessing we can be to churches all around the globe by having a healthy campus ministry on your university campus. The college campus is not just a receiving ground, it is a sending ground. May the nations be glad and sing for joy because students' lives were changed in college which propelled them to spread the Gospel.