By Nate Jones
“Follow me.” Those are Jesus’s famous words to his Disciples as he calls them into a new life with him. In the book of John he is quoted as saying “come and see” with the same purpose. In 1 Corinthians 1:11, Paul tells his readers and listeners to “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” The call to discipleship has always been an invitation. As followers of Christ on a college campus, it is vital for us to bear this in mind.
As a new ministry, it is even more vital for the Light Company to have a presence on campus. Grinnell College is a unique school in that news travels better via word of mouth than any other means. While Facebook posts and group messages can help, they often fail to reach students in time or in a memorable or meaningful enough way to cause any change in their daily schedules. I use the word meaningful intentionally. Having meaningful and intentional relationships with students is critical to the building of a strong ministry bent on carrying out the Great Commission.
When Jesus called Simon and Andrew, they dropped their nets, their livelihoods, to follow him. This, we are often told, is what true discipleship looks like. Giving up everything to follow Jesus. And while this is what we ultimately desire for our students, we can’t expect them to drop everything to follow some random person wandering the campus. We are more likely to have a very stern chat with campus security.
How then, can we foster this attitude towards the Gospel on our campuses? The answer isn’t simple, and is likely different for every person we encounter. Jesus himself knew this and acted on it. While we don’t have the same kind of knowledge that Jesus had, we do have the Holy Spirit to guide us through challenging conversations with students on every step of their spiritual journey. The key is willingness to listen and authentically answer whatever questions students may have. God is at work on our campuses and in the hearts of our students whether we see it or not. Our most important duty is to walk with them in this time.
