At a small service in a local church, the leaders of InterVarsity Link this month commissioned seven new Link staff members to overseas duty with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. “We’re going to pray for you to be like Jesus in the places where He’s sending you,” said Link director Becky Stephen.
The new staff members are headed for Spain and Bosnia and other locations which are sensitive and can only be described regionally—the Middle East and South America. They will be working to establish new student movements and develop leadership for young movements with few national staff workers. Working in partnership with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, they will be building friendships with non-Christian students, sharing the gospel, and discipling new believers.
A great variety of opportunities exist for college-focused ministry in other countries, such as helping to develop student leaders, training young staff, sharing computer skills, and nurturing international student ministry. In some cases, Link staff are working with American students who are studying abroad.
Link began about 25 years ago when increasing numbers of InterVarsity staff felt called to help establish new student movements and strengthen existing ones outside the United States. Today almost 70 InterVarsity staff and family members serve abroad on nearly every continent through Link. While InterVarsity’s ministry is primarily focused on U.S. college and university campuses, it is one of ten founding members of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Thus InterVarsity is a willing partner with sister movements across the globe in response to Jesus’ call to take the gospel to all peoples, particularly those on college and university campuses.
