Why Campus Outreach???

Once we realized that college ministry seemed to be the direction God had for us...we wanted to "try it on" for awhile.  We started out with the organization mentioned in the last post and they have a great team and lots going for them.

However, a student who has tried out several campus ministries encouraged us to try Campus Outreach (often referred to as "CO").  When I met with the campus director, it was a "scary-good" fit.  And when we went to the campus meetings, it was very similar in language and philosophy to our home church (where we have learned so much)!

So we spent all year volunteering with CO.  Why Campus Outreach???

1) Synergy with Grace Church.  There is so much alignment within the two organizations, it felt like home almost immediately.

2) Leadership.  The leadership team within CO encompasses some of the most capable leaders around.  They love Jesus and have a unique balance of personal humility and professional will.  I have a lot to learn from them.

3) Intentional equipping.  While we have been involved in ministry in various forms for years, we still have a lot to learn.  In some ways, we are very much the "rookies."  CO takes staff training and equipping very seriously.

4) Teams built around gifting.  Yes, we all have general things we are all called to, but CO takes it a step further with their staff teams.  They honor how God has gifted team members and structure teams around those gifts.  There are regular trainings (some seminary-level) and evaluations to help staff develop their gifts and discover their individual contribution to the redemptive work of the Gospel.

5) Open-handedness.  CO's mission is to "Glorify God by building laborers on the campus for the world."  They want to help students discover their gifting and interests, identify developmental needs, and give them confidence around both their general call as well as their individual contributions.  The same is true of their staff...most of their staff serve an intense tenure of 3 or 4 years before they are launched into the business world (or some other context) to continue to engage culture and impact the world.  They want students to "wear the staff out" while they are in college, get everything out of them they can, and then launch into the world to find new mentors and new opportunities to have impact.

6) We have come to love their team.  They embody Matthew 22:36-40...Love God and love others.  They love Jesus, love students, love their calling, and love each other well!

So we are moving toward being on staff with Campus Outreach and (essentially) full-time missionaries at Clemson!  I will still have "a foot" in insurance because I do think I still have a role there for awhile...and hopefully so I can support some other guys.  But when I wake up in the morning, I want to be thinking about the best way to help students.