There’s a whole bunch of pragmatic reasons why campus ministry is strategic and efficient in terms of long term cultural transformation. And I believe them all. The ministry my wife and I are a part of, Every Nation Campus, have an 8 point campus manifesto. You can check it out here.

But I don’t think you can stay in campus ministry for over 19 years just because it makes missiological sense and you have a compelling manifesto. There are many things that I know would be a good idea to do that I just don’t. Something else has to happen.

‘Of course Ken, you have to be called’. That’s right you have to be called. But to what? A strategy? A manifesto? I think you have to be called by a person to a people. Campus ministry isn’t fundamentally a way to change the world. It will do that. But in its essence campus ministry is primarily about people, like all good ministries are.

I remember answering a question for the graduation video for the 16th School of Campus MInistry about why campus ministry. I said something along the lines of:

When I look at the next generation of young men and women on the campus I ask myself the question ‘Who is going to believe in them?’ I think to myself ‘ Who is going to serve them, encourage them?’ Who is going to look beyond the external confidence or the outward brokenness and see what God sees? 

I know I’m not the only one but regardless if there are thousands or few my wife and I say: I will.

Why do we still do campus ministry? We’ve been called by Jesus to be with him so that Jesus can be with them.

Share This