Frequently Asked Questions

How is campus reaching different from what ministries on a campus normally do?

Often churches and campus ministries focus on reaching students and ministering to students in the hope that their fellowship can grow numerically and spiritually. They usually measure their success by the growth of their individual fellowship.

The goal of campus reaching is the transformation of the campus in which the churches and campus ministries exist. Transformation is not utopia, nor is it the eradication of evil. It is not the hiring of Christian administration, faculty or staff who impose Christian values on the students and the staff. Transformation is simply dramatic change in the university community brought by God as He works in response to and through His Church. To achieve transformation, ministries continue to focus on reaching and disciplining individuals but they do this with a systems view in mind. To illustrate: a campus ministry might train its students to lead an investigative Bible study. Rather than randomly sending those students out, the ministry would, based on the spiritual map, send students to colleges, clubs, residences and cultures where no ministry was taking place.

The campus reaching movement calls the Church to make a shift in its thinking. Rather than measuring success by the growth of an individual fellowship, begin to measure success by the measurable presence and impact of the Church on the university community. Church growth asks, “Are we reaching more people?” While campus reaching asks, “Are the people we are reaching making a measurable difference on the campus?”

How is campus reaching different than doing campus-wide crusades or unity events?

Typically when ministries partner together it is merely for a short-term event. Most events have limited success reaching the university, and they are particularly inept at building long-term strategic relationships that continue beyond the event itself.

Campus reaching has its roots in prayer, relationships and a systematic view of the campus — seeing the whole and the parts. Events will be part of the campus reaching effort, but only if they evolve from the prayer that is guided by the spiritual map and embraced through the relationships that are developed. There is no specific agenda. The unity revolves around the vision for transformation of the campus and a commitment to one another, and the strategy emerges out of prayer and relationships.

The campus reaching vision is long-term and strategic. Thus, campus reaching is a process, and every step that is taken together must be strategically inline with the vision for transformation and agreed upon by all. Steps are not taken until the Lord reveals them through open, honest, and thoughtful discussion, and each ministry is able to choose its own degree of participation.

How is campus reaching unity different from uniformity and all-inclusiveness?

Often, there is a justifiable fear that “unity” movements will require ministries to lose their identity or give up their strategic plans. Campus reaching is an attempt to maximize our unique gifts, ministry philosophies, and areas of influence. More than mere coordination, campus reaching is learning from one another, sharing resources, and finding places to work together so as to better reach the entire campus. Every ministry has it own unique “redemptive gift.” Campus reaching attempts to get the whole Body of Christ, with all its parts, working together as one body with Jesus as the head.

Many times, there is a justifiable disregard for “unity” movements, believing that they are so inclusive that they are not useful or even unbiblical. Campus reaching seeks only to unite with those that hold to a Biblical, orthodox statement of faith. More importantly, campus reaching is a commitment to transformation. Transformation is the focal point of every prayer and discussion. While there is fellowship, the fellowship is around the common vision to see the campus changed. Therefore, only those ministries that enthusiastically share the vision for transformation get involved in the campus reaching movement.