Living With a Missions Mindset

Don’t hear me wrong. I’m not advocating that students abandon their schoolwork all in the name of advancing the Kingdom. However, if we view our campus as a true missions field then it helps us shift our perspective to one of being at school only to get a degree to instead seeing God’s heart for those around us while we’re working to get an education.

Once students have this perspective it definitely affects the decisions they make. It affects how they spend their time, who they befriend, and how they interact with their peers. As the time draws near for students to choose their living arrangements for the fall semester I think this perspective should also influence that decision.

I wanted to make this point because I think it’s easy for 3 or 4 Christian students to move off campus, get an apartment together, and very quickly isolate themselves from their unsaved friends. It’s natural for students to choose to live with Christian friends at college and some really need the strength and support that comes through that. While I’m not advising students purposely look to room with someone who is not saved (this could lead to plenty of problems), I do think for most it’s important to at least live on campus.

Just like any other missions field, in order to be a missionary you must live among the community you want to reach. Jesus commanded us to be in this world, not of it and He spent a lot of time amongst the crowds. If we want to see our campuses reached for the Gospel we must do what Jesus did by intentionally spending time with those who are in need of a relationship with God.