Chapter Growth

Do you ever look at the campus and think to yourself, what would it take for every student on campus to get a chance to meet Jesus? 

We don’t make things grow on campus; God makes things grow. The Chapter Growth Strategy is the trellis where growth happens.

All of us want campus ministry to advance. All of us want to see conversion ministry thrive. All of us want to see students discipled and developed as leaders. So why do we struggle to hit our goals?

On campus, what power do we really believe is going to create change in people and set them free? Is it our great proxe stations, or our winning personalities?

My senior year at Maryville College (pronounced Mare-Vul by native Southerners) was a pivotal year for my InterVarsity chapter. The chapter president (my roommate and best friend) set a goal of leaving a legacy on our campus, which seemed like a monumental task. She didn’t rely on herself to get things accomplished and never lost sight of the goal. At the end of our senior year, the unthinkable happened.

It was a sunny spring Saturday when I gathered with a group of six graduate students in a cozy living room to plan for the fall. The student leaders were all busy with end-of-semester responsibilities, but eager to see God continue the slow, steady growth in the chapter. Yet the all-consuming demands of grad school nearly sank our NSO plans — until the Holy Spirit did something remarkable over the summer.

As you seek to live out God’s calling on your life, there might be times when you ask yourself a form of this question: What is more important—living a life of holiness or reaching out to friends that don’t know God? Do you want to know Jesus’ answer? It’s “yes.” That is, they go hand in hand.

For most of my life in the church, “apostle” has been something of a dirty word, either because it’s assumed to be an expired gift or because we’ve so often seen it abused.

I came to college thinking my church days were far behind me. I was ready for my new college life and I wasn’t sure that God was going to be a part of it.