Our Vision
The Forgotten Mission Field - For the last twenty years, the American church has been making a strategic error in its ministry activities. Great churches have been built, ministering to every age group but one. We have been neglecting our college students. We have thought that if we disciple our young people through high school, they would be ready to enter adult life. Problem is, they’re still not adults. Most of them are not ready for the work force, marriage, children, or other adult responsibilities.
The New High School- Dr. Tim Elmore, a leadership expert to the Y generation, recently commented, “College is the new high school, grad school is the new college.“ How true. Whatever a person’s chosen trade, further education after high school is almost always required. This is where the problem is. Attending many colleges requires a young person to relocate – away from church, youth group, and family. In other words, away from almost every godly or positive influence. These positive influences have been replaced with an exclusive peer influence, with almost an expectation toward immorality, and a faculty, many of whom are far more liberal than our mainstream culture. Even those who attend college or trade school locally often find there isn’t a group in the church they can relate to. The fruit is evident: almost 70% of those active in a youth group quit serving God while in college.
Why have we done this?
The Church has neglected this generation for two reasons:
Intimidation - College students are presumed to be skeptical, intellectual, and given over to a life of immorality. Many churches and church leaders feel ill equipped to minister to them.
Financial - Many churches minister to children and youth out of necessity. If they don’t, the parents won’t attend! While this may be valid, it doesn’t excuse the neglect of this generation. Our nation is becoming more and more liberal because of this. We’ve created safe little (or large) Christian subcultures, and let the world have our young adults. If we don’t reverse this soon, we won’t like the nation our young adults are leading.
What can the church do?
Campus Harvest exists to provide tools to help the Church to accomplish this mission of reaching and discipling college students. We exist to equip the Church in this all important task of reaching, training, inspiring, and sending this amazing generation, the largest in American history, into the future God has for them.
The Time is Ripe - College is a time of exploration and a bit of pushing against the status quo. Fortunately, right now that means pushing against the culture of secularism, unbelief, selfishness, and immorality of the culture created by the self absorbed Baby Boomers. The new radical is conservative! However, for this moment to last, they need inspiration, guidance, tools, and role models. Campus Harvest is in a position to provide those tools.
What can you do?
(1) Send your young adults to one of our conferences, rallies, and training events. Invite one of our team members to come and equip your church to reach college students. (2) Support us financially, either with a one time or monthly gift. We have many great speakers available for the campus, and many come at no charge, but it still costs money to get them there, and campus ministries don’t have it. Every year we sponsor many worthy students, including minority students, to attend our life changing conference. (3) Or, if you prefer, become a monthly support for a campus missionary. Contact us, and we’ll show you different ways you can help.
