You can reach college students with the gospel. Here’s how:

I’m David Johnson. I train and disciple students with the Baptist Student Ministry at Texas State University to help them actively engage in ministry and evangelism in their classes and with the students they meet on campus.

We need your help; all of my costs of ministry are donated by generous people like you.

I’d like to share with you how God is reaching these college students at Texas State—through one-on-one discipleship, campus evangelism, worship and Bible studies, and more.

What’s My Week Like As a Campus Ministry Intern?

This past semester I served as a Campus Missionary Intern (CMI) at the Texas State University Baptist Student Ministry (BSM).

In my first term as a CMI, I discipled students for six hours each day, coordinated our weekly worship and Bible study event, and led multiple outreaches on campus. I met for one-on-one discipleship with an average of 13 students each week and 3 students twice each month. I also met with students who were not yet believers (average 3 students each week) to form relationships and share God’s love and His gospel with them.

After meeting each student, I developed a personalized “curriculum” for us to study over the course of the semester. The content of my meetings with students included:

  • addressing and giving advice for students’ personal issues,
  • helping them plan for any ministry or outreach on they were working,
  • discipling them and developing their spiritual discipline,
  • training them in evangelism and Gospel fluency,
  • and any additional topics with which the individual student needed help.

On Thursday nights we have an event called “Refuge;” this is our primary weekly event that includes worship and small group Bible studies. My work with Refuge as a CMI has included coordinating the small group leaders and ensuring they understand the material, helping to lead the worship team, and running the audio/visual systems.

Ministry in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Now, the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown forced us to restructure how we do ministry at Texas State.

Many people would people would tell us to stay home. Don’t risk it. But students are returning to campus. We can’t sit safe at home when students are taking those same risks for their education. They need to know Jesus now more than ever.

So we adapt.

We cannot hold large group events due to local and campus regulations regarding gatherings.

Our response to this is to form “base-10” groups (a pun on an expedition’s “base camp” and the decimal number system that deals with groups of 10!).

Base-10 groups are comprised of approximately 10 individuals, including 2 staff members, some student leaders, and students to whom those leaders are reaching out for discipleship or evangelism.  Our goal is for these groups to engage in evangelism, ministry, and outreach independent of each other. This is done so that in the event that one of the staff members or a student gets sick then only that group needs to self-isolate.

We are working hard to prevent a situation that could shut down our ministry.

We’ll do whatever it takes to take care of these students. Show them God’s love. Give them a refuge.

In the fall 2020 semester I will be co-leading both a base-10 group and Refuge, our mid-week worship service and Bible study. Refuge is necessarily going to look different this semester. Since we cannot safely gather everyone into a small space, now we will use Facebook and Instagram to live-stream the worship. Students will then either meet in person for their small group and watch the livestream together or watch it individually and connect virtually with Zoom for their small group study.

Student discipleship and evangelism training is needed now more than ever for ministry to happen effectively on campus.

Because of the pandemic, our Baptist Student Ministry staff are not able to engage students in the same ways. In reality, one of the only ways for people to get connected to the BSM now is for individual students who are involved in the BSM to engage actively in outreach and evangelism.

As a CMI, my primary focus this semester is in training, equipping, and exhorting the students I meet with to actively engage in ministry and evangelism in their classes and with the students they run into on campus.

How Can You Help?

Prayer

Please pray for the students of Texas State University. Pray that they will be open to God’s call on their lives. Pray that they will follow Christ. Pray that they will open their hearts and minds.

Please pray for me and my fellow workers in ministry. Pray that we will follow the Spirit’s leading as we disciple students and share God’s love. Pray that we have the endurance to continually meet the constantly changing needs of the students we serve.

Please pray for our health. Students are required to go to class in this pandemic. I can’t just stand by and watch them go to campus alone; I’m called by Christ to serve them in any circumstance. Even a pandemic.

Please pray that God will supply the funds needed for me to stay in ministry.

Financial Support

Will you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry through a generous donation today? Every aspect of this ministry is supplied by the gifts of people like you. Your support has a direct, positive impact in the lives of Texas State University students.

Please click this Donate button to give to this ministry through King’s Cross Church.