Why the College Campus? Pt 4

This article is part four of a five part series. Click here for Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

IT’S WHERE THE FUTURE LEADERS OF THE WORLD ARE 

Of the 535 members of Congress in 2020, 95.2% of them have at least a bachelor’s degree. Every Supreme Court Justice in the 20th and 21st century went to college. The vast majority of the leaders of our country pass through the narrow window of college. How different could the trajectory of our country look if each one of them went to a university that had a dynamic, multiplying gospel movement to engage them with the gospel? Engaging a future congressman when they are in college, when they are younger and more open, can change the course of not just a life, but a local, state, or national government. A college freshman is more accessible, easier to talk to, and has less pressure to conform than a member of congress, plus it is easier to get through their security detail.  

It’s not just U.S. leaders that will walk the college campus. Twenty percent of all students who study abroad do so in the United States. In 2019, just over one million international students studied in the U.S. Many of these international students come from countries that are closed to the gospel. Think about that for a minute. Their countries are closed to the gospel, but God is bringing them to a U.S. campus, where we have the freedom to openly share the gospel and train disciples! It is far easier to reach and disciple an international college student in the U.S. while they are learning language and culture and asking the serious life questions than it is to send a missionary into their country to learn their language and culture in a closed-minded society. Will the church rise up? Not only do those international students come from countries in need of the gospel but they go back as leaders in their countries and the world. Many world leaders walked U.S. campuses in their twenties, former U.N. General Secretaries, Kofi Annan of Ghana (1997-2006) and Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea (2007-2016) are just two examples.

During COVID, food delivery services like Doordash and Uber Eats grew exponentially.  Restaurants were scrambling for ways to keep serving their customers and get them food in the safest most convenient ways. These services found a way to connect the provider with the customer. Like these delivery services, U.S. colleges and universities are delivering a million international leaders, in their most impressionable stage of life, to the doorstep of American believers. It is no understatement to say that a gospel movement on the college campus could ripple effect out and change the course of entire nations.

Reflective Questions:

– Do you know how many international students are on your college campus and from what countries they come from?

-What are one or two ways your ministry can serve them in a practical way?

-Do you know anyone who has experience working with those people groups? They might be a great resource as you explore connecting with international students!

This article is part four of a five part series. Click here for Part One, Part Two and Part Three.