Why do you need volunteers like me to work with students? Aren't there enough Campus Crusade staff "experts" to do the work?

Even after nearly 50 years of the Campus Ministry's best efforts to reach every college student in the United States with the gospel, we're nowhere close to succeeding. We've estimated that Campus Crusade and other major evangelical campus organizations have a ministry presence covering less than 50 percent of the U.S. student population. And that's despite the fact that Campus Crusade alone has launched nearly 600 campus outreaches since 1992. Each one of those is led by volunteers we've helped equip to lead them. So it's obvious that if we're serious about reaching every college student for Christ, we need more volunteers like you.

I'm not sure if there's a Christian group active on my local campus. How do I start one?

First, start praying for the campus. Pray that God would raise up students who want to grow in their relationship with God, reach their friends for Christ, and who eagerly desire to see a spiritual movement develop there.

Then start gathering help from your church and community. Talk about your interest in the campus and invite people to pray with you. Identify people who would love to see the Lord start something on the campus, and who won't wait for someone else to start a ministry. You want people who take seriously that God might be calling them to help do it.

After that's in place, gather resources for actually starting the ministry.

How can Campus Crusade help me get started?

That's why Student LINC exists. Call 1-800-678-LINC to find out if one of our evangelical ministry partners operates on your adopted campus. If none do, we'll connect you with the Campus Ministry staff member who covers your geographical area. Our LINC consultantsÑveteran staff members seasoned in practical ministry on campusesÑguide you and others through the process of launching a ministry. This includes elements like getting approval as a recognized student organization on campus; developing strategies for exposing students to the gospel; setting up small-group Bible studies; and plugging into conferences, summer mission projects and other events that help students better see how God can use them.

Does this strategy really work?

Yes, because it's something anybody can do. We have a volunteer couple near New York City who got involved with us because the husband, an engineer for IBM, drove by Pace University every day on his commute to work. He began wondering if a ministry existed there. He called us, and now they direct the ministry at Pace. Another couple who works on their family farm in Minnesota developed a similar burden for their local campus, the University of Minnesota-Morris. They've been the campus directors there for several years and have seen many students come to know Christ and get in tune with God's will for their lives.

So whether you're an engineer, a farmer, or something else, God can use you to turn lost students into Christ-centered laborers.

Access www.godsquad.com or call 1-800-678-LINC (5462) to find out how God can use you to start a campus ministry.