Collegiate Ministry: Investing in the Future, Reaching the Nations

Oct 20

4 min read

Hey Pastors and Ministry Leaders,

The last time we talked, we looked at Church Planting and how our churches are working together to reach communities across the Northwest. This week I want to continue looking at our third Gear, Church Planting & Missions, by highlighting another ministry that is making a difference across our region: Northwest Collegiate Ministries (NCM).

Have you ever stopped to think about how many college and community college campuses are located across the Northwest? Hundreds of thousands of young adults are attending these schools, many of them making important decisions about what they believe, what they value, and what direction their lives will take. Some grew up in church, while others have had very little exposure to the Gospel. What an incredible mission field!

That’s what Northwest Collegiate Ministries is all about. Their mission is to engage college students with the Gospel, develop disciples of Jesus Christ, multiply servant leaders for the church, and mobilize missionaries to the world. I love that mission because it doesn’t stop with reaching students. It recognizes the potential God has placed in these young adults and the impact they may have on our churches and the world for years to come.

God is doing some exciting things through NCM. Director Ken Harmon recently shared that NCM had some form of ministry presence on 23 college campuses across the Northwest in just the past couple of weeks! He also reported that the ministry at Washington State University is off to its best start in five years. At the University of Oregon, NCM is engaging students through Bible studies and opportunities to discuss questions about God and faith. And at Lane Community College (Eugene, OR), a weekly free lunch serves 80–120 students, providing opportunities to build relationships, share the Gospel, and invite students into Bible studies.

Brad Schneeflock, who serves as NCM’s Puget Sound Strategist, shared that nine campus ministries have been established in that area over the past two years, with three additional ministries launching this fall. Something else Brad shared really caught my attention. During the past school year, students from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Japan, Cambodia, South Korea, and Kenya placed their faith in Jesus Christ through NCM’s work in the Puget Sound!

Think about that for a moment. We talk about taking the Gospel to the nations, and we should. But God is also bringing the nations to us. Students from around the world are coming to our campuses, hearing the Gospel, and placing their faith in Jesus. And who knows where God might take them next? Some will remain here, while others will return to their home countries or move to other parts of the world. What an opportunity to make disciples who can carry the Gospel around the world!

But here’s something I don’t want our churches to miss. NCM isn’t simply a ministry happening on college campuses. It’s a ministry our churches can be part of. One of NCM’s goals is to have at least one local church partnering with every campus ministry. That makes sense to me. Students need more than a campus Bible study. They need a church family where they can grow, serve, and develop relationships with other believers.

And our churches have something to offer. Some provide volunteers to help with outreach or Bible studies. Others provide meals, hospitality, or simply people willing to invest in the lives of students. I wonder how many of our churches are located near a college or community college but have never really thought about that campus as a mission field. What if your church began praying for those students? What if a few people from your church began investing in their lives?

At our upcoming NWBC Annual Meeting, Warren Davie (NCM Southern Oregon Strategist) will be leading a breakout designed to help pastors and churches discover how they can begin a ministry on their local community college campus. I hope some of you will take advantage of that opportunity. And if you can’t attend but would like to explore how your church might become involved, let us know. We’d love to help connect you with NCM.

As we talked about church planting, we emphasized the importance of discovering, developing, and deploying future leaders through our churches. I believe NCM is another important part of that picture. We’re not simply reaching students for the few years they’re in college. We’re investing in people God will use for decades to come.

Many Churches. One Mission.

Next week we’ll finish our look at the third Gear by talking about Missions and some of the ways our churches are working together to take the Gospel beyond their communities and around the world.

Lisa and I count it a privilege to serve alongside you as a family of churches on mission together.

by Faith,