About the Ministry

“InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is an evangelical campus mission serving more than 31,000 students and faculty on more than 580 college and university campuses nationwide. Incorporated in 1941, InterVarsity has a rich tradition of campus witness, thoughtful discipleship, and a concern for world missions.” (from http://www.intervarsity.org).

I will be a full-time missionary to the students and staff of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, just north of St. Louis, MO.  My ministry will be to work alongside of another IV staff-worker and two interns to pioneer and grow a witnessing community in its second year of development.  I am especially excited about IV’s ministry at Lindenwood for two particular reasons.  1.  There is a great sense of anticipation that the timing and circumstances of this chapter plant are incredibly providential  2.  There are over 700 internationals from 80 countries enrolled at Lindenwood.  I look forward to showing the love and hospitality of Jesus with this often lonely and marginalized group.

As we plant and foster the growth of this community, we will be meeting a great need that Lindenwood’s students have felt for several years.  There is a general sense on campus of spiritual dryness due to lack of community.  Many students transfer and cite lack of community as the number one reason.  I think in part because Lindenwood is such a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, the students tend to remain isolated and cut off from one another.  There are several Christian groups already on campus, but only one other ministry has a staff worker present, and the rest are completely student lead.  IV seeks to develop student leaders and ministries, but without consistent, equipped, long term, prayerful, and focused leadership Christian students at Lindenwood will likely continue to experience a lack of growth, fellowship, and spiritual vibrancy that IV is strategically poised to bring.  Both of our interns are former students who are well connected with the University staff and with the student activities director, who is also a former youth pastor.  As a result, he has given IV a lot of freedom to minister on campus.  One of the interns is the head resident director who does all of the training for the ‘dorm parents,’ and lives in the dorms herself.  Both of our interns testify that there are a great number of hungry Christians on campus, but a lack of unity and community.  I truly believe that as we labor to build this community and equip students to share their faith, God will use IV as a catalyst to bring this campus to life.  As a result, we will send hundreds of new disciples of Christ back to their respective countries and communities, and our witness will be multiplied strategically and effectively.

I will use this blog to keep you all updated

So check back often!