While on vacation this summer, I received word that two of our alumni had been murdered in separate incidents. One, a doctor serving in western Asia, was killed while caring for the poorest of the poor in a remote region. The other, volunteering for a ministry that rescues abducted child soldiers in Uganda, died in a terrorist bomb blast.
These deaths jolted my summer slumber, abruptly reminding me about the gravitas of our mission. When we call students and faculty to become radical disciples of Jesus, lives are changed and destinies altered. Comfort zones are stepped out of and risks are embraced.
As I reflect on the range of world-changing activities our alumni engage in, I am deeply humbled. Whether serving overseas, the academy or marketplace, they boldly demonstrate God's grace – often in the face of adversity.
Campus Ministry
Radical discipleship is also on full display as our 860 campus chapters kick into gear this fall. Missional student leaders are reaching out to spiritually clueless freshmen in the hope that they will join investigative Bible studies. Relationships are being built with humanists, Muslims and gays.
Missional faculty leaders are reaching out to peers despite incumbent career risks. Over fifty faculty chapters are meeting – most in large groups, others in cells.
Campus staff are investing deeply in student leaders – confronting personal issues and resolving team conflicts. And, in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, staff may be engaging in more difficult conversations with college administrators.
Hope of the Gospel
Why do we espouse a discipleship that results in hardship and adversity? Why do we call students and faculty to embrace self-emptying lives?
Because – paradoxically – such a life is the only pathway to true freedom and joy. Only in Jesus are the riches of grace and hope found. Only in him are forgiveness, shalom and community fully experienced. Only through him are we provided with the strength to aid others selflessly – both by proclaiming the Gospel and through sacrificial service.
As students and faculty return to campus, we are reminded of the heft of our mission. Chapters are not merely "safe places" for Christian students to be protected from culture.
No. Our purpose is much more radical than that. We disciple students and faculty so that they will faithfully follow Jesus wherever he may lead. This includes unexpected places such as western Asia and Uganda. It also includes places like Wall Street and Stanford University.
What counts is not where they go, but what kind of disciples they become.
May the Lord equip us so that we, in turn, may equip them.
