The following post is by Todd Martin, Pastor of College and Missions at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington, KY Sometimes the God who gave us the Great Commission also gives us a perfect set-up to fulfill it. Pentecost is one example – it was a beautifully staged day for the good news of Jesus. A…
Eric Warren writes about discipling international students within the context of a local American church and shares a new model for trying to address some common tensions. A big issue that those who minister to international students wrestle with (or need to wrestle with more) is how to think about the relationship between international students (Christian…
Chris Mills writes about the strategic value of translating students’ mission experience to reaching the nations all around them, wherever they go. One of my primary areas of ministry is mobilizing students to the nations. I love to hear stories of how students have seen God at work through their service, whether it’s across town…
Jon Varner writes about international student ministry being a simple way that every church and ministry can begin engaging the nations for Christ. Have you ever heard the phrase, “…can’t see the forest for the trees?” I believe the opposite is the problem concerning major missions strategies at this time. We have become so overwhelmed by…
By Chase Jenkins, FBC Durham, NC. I remember eight years ago being asked to serve as an English teacher during our church’s weekly ESL outreach, a ministry I didn’t know we had. It was an urgent need; the ESL team was already at capacity and needed additional teachers. My students would be Nepali refugees who spoke…
Dennis Runner shares some practices that could help you add international student work within an existing college ministry. What do you do if you are launching an International student ministry? Here are some questions that might be going through your head: “How do I begin to connect with international students?” “What about creating a registered…
One of the bedrock principles God has used to guide my heart in evangelism came from a statement in Oscar Thompson, Jr.’s book on relationship evangelism, Concentric Circles of Concern. It is found in the first few sentences in Chapter 1. He said, “The most important word in the English language apart from proper nouns, is…
There are 4,964 international students in Arkansas. The majority of these come from the 10/40 window. Many of these have no idea of what Jesus Christ has done for them. What can we do to help them really see and experience the love of Christ? The greatest thing we can do is bombard heaven with prayers…
According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), over one million students from countries around the world are currently studying in colleges and universities in the United States. When we think of taking the gospel of Jesus “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), we can begin by reaching out to the international students that…
I was in college before I remember ever seeing my “first international student.” I grew up in a small town in southwest Arkansas. I hardly remember seeing people of color or culture driving through our town. I do remember one Hispanic family that lived in our town. Things sure have changed in the past 30+ years.…