80% of the world’s evangelical Christians live in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Over the last 50 years, God’s church has grown exponentially in these areas.

These regions have tremendous mission sending potential to help bring the gospel to unreached peoples, but they currently send only 20% of the world’s cross-cultural missionaries!

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We are always on the lookout for ambitious and talented people to come and join Via. If you are passionate about the bringing God's glory to the nations and want to help mobilize the global church then we would love to hear from you.

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Total Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges to UPGs

Regional Access to UPGs

Religious Freedom

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Current Sending Abroad

Mobilization Potential

Custom Mobilization Potential

Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges

Strategic Access

Religious Freedoms

Current Sending

This infographic provides a visual score for seven data points ranked on a 0 to 100 scale. Faded icons show scores for other countries on the mobilization index. See below for actual scores and country-specific insights.

ADDITION

FINANCIAL DEPENDENCY

INACCESSIBLE

LIMITED MISSION FORCE

DISTANT AND FOREIGN MISSION FIELD

THE WORLD IS THE MISSION FIELD

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Team Profile

In the middle of a fruitful, momentous ministry, it can be very hard to keep track of all of your people. In the midst of a busy semester, how do you discern who is really on your team? How you do know who is committed and who is just a spectator? This tool, typically known as the &ldquo;Vision Analysis&rdquo; in the Campus Outreach world, will help you cut through the fog and determine who is really committed to your ministry.

Commitment to the Vehicle

Via Students

Similar to parents of newborn babies, we have the responsibility as spiritual parents to help care for spiritual &ldquo;newborns&rdquo; and help them adjust to the world. Just as Jesus tells Peter to feed and care for the flock that He will entrust to Peter, we ought to also prepare ourselves to be able to care for those who God will entrust us with (John 21). The follow-up process includes a combination of giving direction and affection. We not only need to help them understand the gospel and the plans God has for them but we also need to care for them in the same way as Paul guides and cares for the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:7&ndash;8). It&rsquo;s important that we take the lead in helping shape their values and convictions as Christ followers. This tool provides a general list of topics to discuss with new Christians.

New Christian Follow Up

Campus ministry has cycles. During&nbsp;the slower seasons, most campus ministers need to take some extended time to pray and evaluate. Use this as a simple guide to help you rest, restore and renew during the slower months.

Day of Prayer and Evaluation

This simple, straightforward study of nine scriptures will help assure your priorities are in order on a day that our culture accepts irreverence and folly.

Twenty-First Birthday Quiet Time

The Nine Jesus Lessons is a collection of lesson guides based on nine of Jesus&rsquo; teachings. Each lesson includes the scriptures and multiple application experiments designed to help participants dig deeper. This tool is great for Small-Groups, church Bible classes, one-on-one, or as a reference in a teaching series. We've even provided your music.
<h2>The Jesus Lessons Playlist</h2>
Some great song suggestions are given for each lesson, and we thought, "Huh... Wouldn't it be great if all those songs were accessible as a playlist on the world's most popular music streaming app?" You're welcome. https://open.spotify.com/user/campusministrytoday/playlist/29zxDi2i9zdVDto6uE7BU1

The Jesus Lessons

It&rsquo;s the night before your big trip to another country. You have everything laid out on the bed and you&rsquo;re staring back and forth from the pile of stuff to the small bag you are allowed to bring&hellip; what makes the cut and what stays in the closet? Aside from your toothbrush, there are some non-negotiables for foreign travel, but these are not always so obvious. Here is a list of your top 10 must-haves.

Ten No-Brainers: Short Term Packing List

This printout is a simple framework to use as you address the issue of alcohol with your disciples who are sincerely seeking God&rsquo;s will for their lives in an attempt to honor Him with their actions and thus produce good fruit. It's relevant for disciples both under and over 21 years of age. My hope is that they begin to develop their own convictions based on the word of God.

Alcohol One-to-One

Do you have students in your ministry that have recently come to Christ and need help processing what has happened in their life? Do you know some students who need to cut their teeth on evangelism but don&rsquo;t know where to start? This tool is one of the most helpful resources at your disposal to help meet both of these needs. In the scriptures, it appears God has ordained that people&rsquo;s changed lives can be used as a powerful evangelism tool (See Acts 24 &amp; John 4 among others). Though not the &ldquo;power of God for salvation,&rdquo; (that&rsquo;s reserved for the gospel &ndash; Rom. 1:16) a personal testimony shared in sincerity can be just what someone needs to hear in order to convince them of the validity of Christianity.

Sharing Your Personal Testimony

An understanding of WHO God is lays the foundation for growth in your relationship with God. Most of the problems in the Christian life are rooted in a false or inaccurate view of God. This short study of the attributes or character qualities of God is an excellent way to begin or deepen your understanding of who God is. When we see God more and more for who He is, our life will be transformed by that view.

View of God

"The best kind of evangelism is the evangelism that you <a href="http://campusministry.org/article/gospel-appointments-part-1-intentional-relational-evangelism">do</a>." Gospel appointments is a tool that mixes best practices of relational evangelism and initiative evangelism. It's simply an intentional get-together with a student who isn't a believer. They're easy to <a href="http://campusministry.org/article/gospel-appointments-part-2">arrange</a> and create a rare opportunity to discover their story and share your own.

Gospel Appointments

Evangelism is one of our most important purposes in life, therefore we must discipline ourselves to carry out this biblical command. The goal of this tool is to get your disciple excited about the potential of living every day on mission with Jesus, practicing these habits as a part of daily living.

Three Habits for Everyday Evangelism

Many students are willing to do outreach, but they don&rsquo;t know where to start. Part of your role as a leader is to unlock their potential and empower them to be obedient to the Lord! One helpful resource I&rsquo;ve used is an Evangelism Brainstorm. It&rsquo;s a very simple document, with a list of areas to help students think of people they know with whom God is giving them opportunity.

Evangelism Brainstorm

Be one of the most active members in your chapter! In this simple 2-pager, I discuss opportunities unique to fraternities or sororities that allow your Greek brothers and sisters to see you living out the faith you proclaim. There may never be a time when you're around so many non-believers who can know you so well and also have the opportunity to share the gospel with them. For more encouragement and insight into reaching every fraternity and sorority with the gospel check out these articles: <a href="http://campusministry.org/article/nine-insights-spiritual-leader-chapter">Nine insights on being a spiritual leader in your chapter</a>, <a href="http://campusministry.org/article/a-light-in-the-house">A Light in the House</a>, <a href="https://www.cru.org/communities/campus/would-jesus-have-joined-a-fraternity.html">Would Jesus have joined a fraternity?</a> &nbsp;

How Active Should I Be in My Chapter?

There's something powerful about reading scripture every day. As a result, the story of the Bible begins to make sense and dots start connecting that never did before.
B90X is a nine-week Bible study, taking about 40 minutes each day to complete. It requires effort and dedication, but it's worth it! The only regret you'll have is not doing it.

B90X

Character seems to be a thing of the past. There are few who value it, and even fewer who possess it. Why is it absent? What makes having good character so difficult? What is character? Character has been described as &ldquo;who you are when no one is looking.&rdquo; Character is not only revealed in your public life, but your private life as well. This bible study seeks to inform us of our need for Christ-like character and where we can get it.

Christlike Character Study

Jesus epitomizes the word compassion, and in Matthew 9:36, we see it in action. Being like Jesus in this respect is not an easy thing for human beings because it's our nature to look to our own benefit, rather than to others' first. But if we want to make our evangelism last longer than a few semesters, we need to develop a pursuit of the lost like Jesus. Complete the worksheet with this audio to cultivate compassion driven evangelism. *BONUS: look up the word splagchnizomai, Greek for to have compassion. You won't be disappointed.

Compassion Driven Evangelism

30 Second Surveys have been our primary tool for getting interested contacts on campus! They provide a simple and reproducible way to talk to hundreds and even thousands of students on campus to discover those that may be interested in your group. These surveys are perfect tools to use the first weeks of fall semester, or anytime that you want to generate more contacts. They accomplish the same purpose as doing an information table except you are taking the table to them!

How to Do a 30 Second Survey

All campus ministers, whether they know it or not, struggle with identity. Walking into the cafeteria, giving a talk or presentation, talking to someone about Christ, all bring out identity issues. Use this resource over the next few weeks to meditate on the identity that Christ has established for us on the cross.

Who Am I?

This discipleship tool is most helpful when used at the beginning of the semester, and then referred back to every few weeks. It&rsquo;s a great way to see measurable, self-initiated growth in your disciple&rsquo;s life. Walking through their Personal Development Plan helps them take steps of faith and continue to move forward in ministry and personal growth. One of the strengths of this tool is that it helps to focus on root issues&mdash;to unpack what is going on at the heart level.

Personal Development Plan

You can use this simple tool to challenge someone you disciple or to train your key leaders on what to look for in their disciples. This tool allows Scripture to speak for itself. Simply read the verses and answer the discussion questions.&nbsp;

Essentials for a Disciple: Becoming a Person of F.A.I.T.H.

Seven Stories of Hope is a simple and powerful tool to help spread the Gospel on your campus. The idea is that you choose one of the four gospels and then do a simple Bible study with seven of the most evangelistic stories from that gospel. These stories have been selected because they are easy to understand and are a great starting place for people who have never studied the Bible.

Seven Stories of Hope

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/the-lordship-of-christ" rel="follow">here</a>.
Scripture memory is one of the most important spiritual disciplines to help a new believer grow and sustain their faith. Use this simple Bible study to establish the value of scripture memory in your disciples or small group. This gives enough information and motivation to get someone started on this life changing habit. Simply print and use at your next meeting!
For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/prayer-and-worship" rel="follow">here</a>.

God's Word

The Christian life can be simplified down to our vertical and horizontal relationships. Use this tool with your students to help them prioritize their life around glorifying God by knowing Him and making Him known.

Knowing God and Making Him Known

Seeking to make disciples among a personal ministry target is one of the most strategic ways to multiply disciples on campus and will become one of the greatest joys in life. Take your time to prayerfully work your way through this worksheet and then talk through it with a leader who can provide advice and accountability for you.

Personal Ministry Target Worksheet

This tool serves as a guide to sex and love addiction resources for women. You may also be interested in our webinar: <a href="/students/article/webinar-confronting-porn-epidemic" target="_blank" rel="follow noopener">Confronting the Porn Epidemic</a>.

Sex and Love Addiction Resources for Women

Every campus minister needs to have a few good talks, quiet times, discussion questions, and Bible studies that he or she can pull out at a moment&rsquo;s notice. You never know when you might be called on or an opportunity arises to teach Gospel truth. &ldquo;Four Questions of the Gospel&rdquo; can be used in a variety of contexts to answer the What, Why, Who, and How of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These major building blocks can be added and built upon according to your need.

Four Questions of the Gospel

God&rsquo;s Word is your most powerful tool in ministry (Heb. 4:12). Unfortunately, some of us feel under-trained on how to accurately handle God&rsquo;s Word (2 Tim. 2:15) and others of us try to overcomplicate it and miss our college audience. 
This tool can help you analyze and develop a discussion or talk around a text. The idea is to bring the passage&rsquo;s proper context and meaning into the talk. Then you should be able to take it from there to bring in application for the daily lives of your college students.

How to Develop a Discussion on a Bible Passage

Often we expect God to only teach us about Himself in His Word, but God has a plan to use our life experiences to draw us closer to Himself. Use this tool to see how God does this in the life of some famous Biblical characters.

Intimacy Through Life Experience

Nehemiah is considered to be one of the best leaders in the Bible. He leads through massive transition against persecution and motivates his people to do the unthinkable. His vast array of skills make his book a goldmine for leaders and potential leaders to learn from. Whether you are a long time campus minister, an aspiring one, or a student leader, you will walk away from this study sharpened and inspired. You will be challenged by Nehemiah&rsquo;s&rsquo; capacity, vision, creativity and more. Let God&rsquo;s Word shape you into the leader He wants you to be.

Nehemiah on Leadership

This Bible study has been created so that anyone might be able to interact with the teachings of Christ about the kingdom of God in the end of the Sermon on the Mount. At the end of Matthew 7, we see Jesus drawing a line in the sand separating those in the kingdom of God and those outside the kingdom of God. He does this by laying out two paths, two trees, two confessions and two foundations. In this study, we will discuss in depth the purpose of Christ&rsquo;s teaching and how it affects each of us.

A Line in the Sand: Matthew 7 Bible Study

The Gospel Unpacked is a four-part tool consisting of four excerpts, or articles, from C.J. Mahaney&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Living-Cross-Centered-Life-Keeping/dp/1590525787" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Living the Cross Centered Life</a>. They can be helpful in processing through the gospel with a student who doesn't know Christ. Once you to pinpoint their personal hang ups with faith, these articles can be useful in addressing them. Print out two copies of the appropriate article (one for you and one for them). Read through it together and continue to discuss the thoughts presented.

The Gospel Unpacked

Every summer, I have a student or two who has been faithful and eager to take steps to grow spiritually, but is unable to attend our summer discipleship program. This simple two-page tool will help students be intentional about their spiritual growth over the summer and help you, as their discipler, stay connected to them on this part of their journey.

Summer Growth Plan

This tool is a self-assessment that will help evaluate how equipped the Christian laborer is in 100+ key areas of knowledge, skills, character, and vision. Use this tool by going through the lists of training objectives and honestly rating yourself on whether you:
<ul>
<li>need help getting started in this objective</li>
<li>are already growing in this objective</li>
<li>are established and feel personally competent in this objective</li>
<li>are equipped and able to teach or train others in this objective</li>
</ul>
Mark at least one objective from each of the four major categories that you want to be equipped in the next six months.

Leadership Training Objectives

This tool walks you through actionable steps that will simplify your semester plan. And let's be honest, the beauty of your planning is that God will literally use it to change people&rsquo;s eternities, send people to the nations, and receive a lot of glory for Himself. Don't miss out on that by failing to plan!

Mapping Out Your Strategy

Time is the most valuable asset in our life, even more valuable than money. If you lose money, it can be regained. If you lose time, it&rsquo;s gone forever. This tool will help students determine how they are spending their time each week. Ideally, after completing this tool students will be able to see what areas of their life they are giving too much time, and what areas of their life they aren&rsquo;t giving enough time.

Time Management

We have a limited time with each person that we disciple. How do we choose what truths and habits to instill in them? I have chosen five spiritual disciplines that I emphasize to those I disciple. These habits can transform all who engage in them, but they must be practiced out of a desire to grow in love for Jesus and love for others. &ldquo;The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.&rdquo; &ndash; 1 Timothy 1:5 Read about these five habits below. Underline what stands out to you and write down your answers for the reflection questions.

The Big 5: Foundational Habits for Discipleship

The Discipleship Road map and Discipleship Ladder are two illustrated tools to help you understand, teach, and recruit to the discipleship process. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 5 of <a href="http://cmmpress.org/the-fuel-and-the-flame.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fuel and the Flame: 10 Keys to Ignite Your Campus for Jesus Christ</a> by Steve Shadrach that describe how to use these set of tools. &ldquo;Before we actually implement our ministry, we first need to understand what our ultimate goal is. It&rsquo;s fine to know the seasons and stages of ministry, but what will the students look like when we are finished with them and pass them onto their next assignment in life? God is the one who is at work in them and through them, but He has chosen us to help shepherd them during this pliable phase of their life. To give us a little direction, we&rsquo;ve included some profiles, which the Navigators and others have used in the past, to help the Christian worker understand the end result we are working toward. You might want to use these profiles to guide you in your ministry and also to evaluate where each of your students are and need to go. These profiles are not taken from any particular chapter of the Bible but are simply descriptions of some of the scriptural characteristics that ought to be present at each stage of a Christian&rsquo;s growth. Sprinkle them with grace, understanding that who and what we are is just as important (or more!) as what we do in the Christian life and ministry.&rdquo; Note: The Discipleship Ladder is something you can draw out after you review the profiles on the Discipleship Road Map. The Ladder is to be used as a recruiting tool to let someone identify where they feel they are at spiritually, expose areas of need, and allow them to invite you into their life to help take them further on their spiritual journey.

The Discipleship Road Map and Discipleship Ladder

Every career under the sun has common tasks that come with the territory. So professionals do well to master those tasks and continue to learn how to do their jobs as effectively as possible. Many of us desire to teach students to do the same. We do this in partnership with the Holy Spirit in order to bring about change in the hearts and lives of college students. For this reason, I was determined to create a tool that would serve as a template that could be used to help prepare a Bible message no matter what the text or topic. Here you&rsquo;ll find a helpful outline to follow, things to look for in the text, questions to consider for gaining traction, and lots of tips and suggestions to incorporate creativity and life application. Whether you&rsquo;re the one about to teach or you&rsquo;re training an intern or student leader to teach, just print this document each time a lesson needs to be prepared.

Message Preparation Tool

Evangelism &ndash; one of the core components of the Christian faith, yet also one of the most neglected. This tool asks simple yet penetrating questions with guided bible passages to look to for answers. The four questions covered are: How is God&rsquo;s Word and gospel described? What should be our attitude about sharing the gospel with others? Why should we preach the gospel? What may keep us from preaching the gospel? For the following tool in "The Basics" series, click <a href="/students/resources/the-bridge">here</a>.

Why Share the Gospel?

To see the previous tool in "The Basics" series, click <a href="/students/resources/why-share-the-gospel">here</a>. Do you have a simple and easily transferable way for you to introduce and share the gospel with someone? For decades now, believers have been using Romans 6:23 as the basis to draw out the &ldquo;Bridge Illustration&rdquo;. It can be learned in ten minutes&mdash;and it can be shared in ten minutes! Paul says in Romans 1:16 that this gospel message &ldquo;is the power of God.&rdquo; So, study it, practice it, present it to those around you, and watch the Lord change hearts for eternity! For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/four-spiritual-laws">here</a>.

One Verse Bridge Diagram

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/the-bridge">here</a>. What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you? You may be surprised that none of those things will work. But God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him. These principles will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now, through Jesus Christ. &nbsp; For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/preparing-personal-testimony">here</a>.

Four Spiritual Laws

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/four-spiritual-laws">here</a>. Your testimony is one of your most valuable tools when sharing the Gospel. It is the story of how you came into a personal relation with Christ and no one can refute it. This simple tool explores why we should use our personal testimony in evangelism and then it gives you a step by step guide to developing your personal testimony. If you take the time to use this tool and develop a 3-5 minute testimony, it will become one of your most effective evangelism methods. &nbsp; For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/how-to-share-the-well">here</a>.

Preparing Your Personal Testimony

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/preparing-personal-testimony">here</a>. Back in the 1990&rsquo;s, The Navigators came up with a creative tool to try to help college students become more spiritually thirsty. The tool would have a student read a couple of verses that contrasted physical water and spiritual water, and through a series of questions and graphics, show them the emptiness of looking to anything but Jesus for satisfaction in life. While The Bridge or Four Laws are more &ldquo;reaping&rdquo; tools, bringing a student to a salvation decision, The Well is more of a &ldquo;sowing&rdquo; presentation and discussion, hopefully making them interested in discovering more. We have modified a lot of the tool's original content, but the essential concepts are still there. So try it. See how the Lord uses it. Your love, your prayers, your questions, your sharing of the powerful Word of God can change lives&mdash;for eternity! For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/gospel-john-study">here</a>.

How to Share "The Well"

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/how-to-share-the-well">here</a>. If we were going to ask someone to write a biography on your life, your closest friend might give the best account. Well, it appears the apostle John was Jesus&rsquo; closest friend&mdash;at least John thought he was! The 21 chapters of John are some of the greatest Scriptures to take students through, especially those just exploring Christ. Peruse this &ldquo;John Study&rdquo;. Recruit a group of students who know each other and will be excited and committed to come each week. Don&rsquo;t make it a teaching time or set yourself up as the &ldquo;answer man&rdquo;. You are simply facilitating discussion. Have them take turns reading aloud each chapter, then ask these questions, one at a time. Let them take rabbit trails and ask questions. Feel free to say, &ldquo;Hmm, that&rsquo;s a great question. Not sure I have a good answer. What does someone else think?&rdquo; Transform them from passive listeners to engaged discoverers! I&rsquo;ve seen hundreds of students either come to Christ or consider Him deeply as a result of the various &ldquo;John Studies&rdquo; I&rsquo;ve started over the years. May God be with you! For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/security-of-the-believer">here</a>.

The Gospel of John Study

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/the-basics-discipleship-tools" rel="follow">here</a>. Before you can actually grow in a relationship with another person you must first meet them. When a student puts their faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the relationship begins. But for many who make that decision, doubt creeps in. Questions arise like: Am I really saved? Was my faith genuine? I just sinned again, was my decision real? Satan has a field day whispering doubts into our minds and hearts. If you believed and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Bible says you are born again, saved, a new creature, forgiven, a forever child of God. From the Lord&rsquo;s perspective you have &ldquo;eternal security&rdquo; and if we will believe His promises we can have an &ldquo;assurance of our salvation.&rdquo; But if we question His word or allow our feelings or doubts to control us, we will struggle to grow in a relationship with someone we aren&rsquo;t even sure we know! Study these verses, answer these questions. Get real with God and yourself. Take Him at His word&mdash;now and forever! &nbsp; For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/forgiveness-of-sin">here</a>.

Security of the Believer

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/security-of-the-believer" rel="follow">here</a>.
What happens when I sin after I become a Christian? Does God still love me? Am I still a Christian? What's up? I thought Christians didn't sin. What should I do? These questions and ones like them rage throughout the mind of the believer when they sin. We know from the <a href="http://campusministry.org/tools/security-of-the-believer">previous tool</a> in this series that the believer is secure in their salvation. So, what happens when I sin? Take some time to walk through this tool, study the verses, and answer the questions to discover what God has to say about our sin. For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/quiet-time">here</a>.

Forgiveness of Sin

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/forgiveness-of-sin">here</a>. The world revolves around relationships. Sometimes we get confused and lose sight of the relational aspects and focus on the millions of things to be done. We have become a culture of the To-Do list. What a tragedy! Unfortunately our relationship with God is subject to the same pressures. We focus on what God wants us to do, rather than what He wants us to be. This tool is about the one habit that can make the difference in you living a fulfilling Christian life, where you are increasingly becoming more like God and growing in your relationship with Him. It has been said that we become like that which we worship. In our daily time with God we worship Him and become like Him. Relationships are built around time with another person. Learn to spend time with God and you will never be the same. Let's explore. For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/vision-for-growth" rel="follow">here</a>.

Quiet Time

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/quiet-time">here</a>. God has written you a love letter, and it is called The Bible&mdash;the greatest best seller of all time! He reveals His mind, His heart, and His purposes in it. He tells us how and why we were created; who Christ is and why He died and rose; the joys and challenges of following Jesus; what the future will be for each of us, this planet, and all of creation. Oh, one last small item&mdash;the Bible provides wisdom and solutions to virtually every problem, question, or issue ever known to man! So, dive in. Enjoy! Get to know the Bible and the God of the Bible. Let it change your life&mdash;forever! For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/prayer-and-worship">here</a>.

The Word

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/memorizing-gods-word" rel="follow">here</a>. What can be more important than spending daily time with the God of the Universe, the Savior of our souls, the Lord of our lives? Answer: Nothing! Find out how to set aside some intimate time with Jesus each day to build and strengthen the personal relationship you have with Him. Be willing to say no to some lesser things in your life in order to say yes to meeting with Him face to face, and heart to heart. Make it a daily habit for the rest of your life. You will never regret it! For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/fellowship-baptism-church" rel="follow">here</a>.

Prayer and Worship

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/presenting-the-gospel" rel="follow">here</a>. The Holy Spirit is a mystery. The third person of the Godhead doesn&rsquo;t seem to get as much attention from us as the Father or the Son. But as believers, He is at work in and through our lives every moment of every day. Discover in this study who He is, how we can be filled and controlled by His power, and how He can change us to be more like Jesus every day. For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/becoming-world-christian" rel="follow">here</a>.

Living the Spirit Filled Life

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/vision-for-growth" rel="follow">here</a>. What are the basics of the Christian life? Don&rsquo;t let anyone push you off the road onto an exit ramp that will have you focusing on the &ldquo;exotics&rdquo; rather than the &ldquo;essentials&rdquo; of following Christ. Keep it simple, keep it doable, keep it biblical! Just keep diving deeper and deeper into the Lordship of Jesus Christ, your daily time in prayer and the Word, your love for other believers, and outreach to the lost. If you can get strong and consistent in these &ldquo;basics&rdquo; you are surely on your way to becoming a sold-out disciple of Jesus Christ. This Wheel Illustration is a great tool to evaluate your own spiritual growth, but also as a guide as you start to disciple other new believers. In fact, you might consider pulling it out every week to discern what aspect of &ldquo;The Wheel&rdquo; you personally need to grow in, as well as helping you put together a practical and biblical growth plan for the upcoming sessions you are having with your young disciples! This tool references the <a href="http://campusministry.org/docs/tools/LordshipCirclesSmall.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lordship Circles,</a> the <a href="http://campusministry.org/docs/tools/ACTSGrid.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ACTS prayer method</a>, the <a href="http://campusministry.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-Hand.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hand illustration</a>, and the <a href="/students/resources/the-bridge">Bridge Diagram</a>, so you may want to check out those tools as well. For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/the-lordship-of-christ" rel="follow">here</a>.

The Wheel Diagram

The Greatest Day In Christianity Was The Humiliation Of Its God. How ironic. Can the hero of Christianity die and it be deemed a great day? Yet every Easter, Christians celebrate the death of Christ and call it Good Friday. Then on Easter Sunday they worship His victory over death by celebrating His resurrected life. These two days mark the two themes of Christianity: Crucifixion on Good Friday (death) and Resurrection on Easter Sunday (life). Easter is a celebration of both Friday&rsquo;s death and Sunday&rsquo;s life. It takes both Jesus&rsquo; death and life to free us from sins penalty and power. And all those who trust in Jesus are yoked with Him in this death and life. This is a week long study that will walk you through the head and heart of Jesus and will prepare you to celebrate our Savior through His last seven sayings.

Seven Easter Meditations

carissime fideliter facis quicquid operaris in fratres et hoc in peregrinos qui testimonium reddiderunt caritati tuae in conspectu ecclesiae quos bene facies deducens digne Deo
pro nomine enim profecti sunt nihil accipientes a gentibus nos ergo debemus suscipere huiusmodi ut cooperatores simus veritatis scripsissem forsitan ecclesiae sed is qui amat primatum gerere in eis Diotrepes non recipit nos
propter hoc si venero commoneam eius opera quae facit verbis malignis garriens in nos et quasi non ei ista sufficiant nec ipse suscipit fratres et eos qui cupiunt prohibet et de ecclesia eicit carissime noli imitari malum sed quod bonum est qui benefacit ex Deo est qui malefacit non vidit Deum

Christi Deum

Prototype Resource

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/the-wheel-diagram">here</a>. All of us have a choice. Every single day. Do I take control of my life today or do I turn over the control to Jesus? For me it can be a moment by moment decision as to whether I will put &ldquo;self&rdquo; on the throne of my heart or put Christ there. Will I build up my kingdom today or will I seek to build up His Kingdom? My glory or His? Here is a biblical study to help you wrestle through who should be running your life. I will give you a hint. Jesus does a much better job than you or I ever could. Today is the day to humble yourself before the Lord of Lords and allow Him to be who He really is in your life. For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/memorizing-gods-word" rel="follow">here</a>.

The Lordship of Christ

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/fellowship-baptism-church" rel="follow">here</a>. Paul wrote, &ldquo;For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation&hellip;&rdquo; in Romans 1:16. He wasn&rsquo;t just saying &ldquo;live out&rdquo; the gospel. No, in context he was saying we are to communicate the actual message, a verbal declaration, to others. I don&rsquo;t fully understand it, but when you and I step out in faith and explain the gospel to someone the &ldquo;power of God&rdquo; shows up. The gospel = the power of God, according to this passage. Don&rsquo;t be ashamed. Don&rsquo;t be passive. Spend the rest of your life taking the initiative to share the gospel, asking people if they would be willing to believe and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you are faithful to do that, you will leave behind a wake of impact and influence beyond your imagination! For the next tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/living-spirit-filled-life" rel="follow">here</a>.

Witnessing: Sharing the Good News

I&rsquo;m sure you, like most every ministry, would like to grow your staff to maximize your impact for Christ. But who do you add to your team, and how do you do it? You want to make sure you have the right people on the bus! Here&rsquo;s a simple illustration of the process to go through to evaluate whether a particular person belongs on your staff or not. Seek to objectively confirm that each candidate truly shares your Vision, has good relational Chemistry with you and your team, and there is a viable Role they can thrive in. But don&rsquo;t go through this &ldquo;VCR&rdquo; staff evaluation process hastily. Take the time to make sure it is a good match for you and them. Before you officially "get married&rdquo; to this person (or even &ldquo;propose&rdquo;) you need to first go through the appropriate stages of acquaintance, friendship, and courtship. You&rsquo;ll be glad you took it slowly!

Staff Recruiting Goals and Process

Exactly how many days until the new freshmen arrive on your campus? And to the dollar, how much do you have left to raise in monthly support to get you to full budget and to those freshmen? Keep those two numbers in your heart and on your lips every single day this summer. Do not let anything stop you! Here are my top 10 steps to get you fully funded this summer! And check out my webinar <a href="http://campusministry.org/article/fully-funded-summer">Fully Funded This Summer</a>.

10 Steps to Get Fully Funded This Summer

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/presenting-the-gospel">here</a>. Why has God saved us? So that we could have fellowship with Him? Yes. So that we would glorify Him here on earth? Of course. So that we would be a witness and ambassador for Him? Definitely. But He has us here on this planet for a very brief period of time for another purpose too. The first part of Romans 8:29 touches on it: &ldquo;For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son&hellip;&rdquo; Here it teaches that He chose and saved us so we would become like Jesus. This is what sanctification is all about, day by day gradually becoming less and less like the world, and more and more like the Savior. God is preparing us to spend eternity with Him, but know for sure that He will change us, right here and right now, if we will only let Him.

Christlikeness

The great disciplemaker and author, LeRoy Eims, was once asked what the key to the Christian life was. He immediately replied, &ldquo;Live for Christ today! And today will turn into tomorrow, and that will turn into a week, into a month, into a year, and you will look back 20 years later to realize you have truly lived for Christ...a day at a time.&rdquo; God has created us for a purpose. He has also given us a limited amount of time on this earth to fulfill that purpose. We want to be good stewards of this precious gift of life and time. We all live according to a schedule. The difference between people is that some plan their schedule, and others don&rsquo;t plan their schedule. If you don&rsquo;t plan your time, someone else will. God has charged you to make the most of your time. However, to use your time wisely, you must first know what is important to you (priorities) and the way to live your life according to your priorities (objectives and goals). <a href="https://campusministry.org/article/the-basics-simple-and-reproducible-tools-for-discipleship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Other tools available in The Basics series</a>

Goal Setting and Time Management

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/prayer-and-worship" rel="follow">here</a>.
Bonding together with other believers is one of the most important things you can do to keep growing in your faith and witness. To isolate yourself is like taking a burning log out of the roaring fire and tossing it out on its own. Before long the flame will disappear, it will start to smolder and smoke, and will finally become totally extinguished. Committing yourself to other Christians who are walking with God will help keep you walking with God for the long haul. Find a good church that preaches the Word of God and plug in to learn, serve and grow. If you haven&rsquo;t been baptized, do it. Jesus was baptized and tells us to do so as well. It doesn&rsquo;t save you, but is a powerful outward sign to the whole world of an inward commitment you have made to Christ. Look up these passages and see how the Lord wants to work in your life.
For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/presenting-the-gospel" rel="follow">here</a>.

Fellowship, Baptism, and the Church

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/quiet-time" rel="follow">here</a>.
Jesus did not come to earth to take sides, He came to take over. He is Lord and Master and gives us the incredible opportunity to know and follow Him with our whole heart. He ascended into heaven and left His Holy Spirit to indwell us in order to be His representatives here on earth&mdash;His ambassadors. To be the voice and eyes and hands of Jesus to a lost and dying world is the greatest privilege we have. He gave us a simple plan in the Scriptures to spread His name and His fame to the ends of the earth. We are to first become a sold-out follower of His. He calls that being a &ldquo;disciple.&rdquo; Then we have the essential ingredients to start leading others to Christ and helping them become disciples who can repeat the process themselves. Many Christians have not taken this Great Commission Challenge seriously, but the ones who do, have great impact upon the world, leave behind an eternal legacy in this life, and most of all, are very pleasing to the Lord.&nbsp;
For the following tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/the-wheel-diagram" rel="follow">here</a>.

Vision for Growth

Before starting any school year and before every semester, campus ministry staff should develop team and personal plans and goals after a thorough debriefing from the previous semester. This tool will help you think through the areas you and your team need to focus on.

Semester Planning Worksheet

To see the previous tool in &ldquo;The Basics&rdquo; series, click <a href="/students/resources/living-spirit-filled-life" rel="follow">here</a>.
For some reason, the population growth of our world over the last 50+ years is on an explosive trajectory like never before in history. Why? What is God up to? If you ever had the desire to impact lots of people for Christ, you were born at just the right time! One definition of wisdom is &ldquo;looking at life and the world from God&rsquo;s perspective.&rdquo; How do we do that? How can get out of our limited understanding and small thinking to really understand what is on the mind and heart of God? In this lesson you will seek to become a &ldquo;World Christian&rdquo; by studying key passages in God&rsquo;s word, looking at God&rsquo;s world and the current status of world evangelization, and finally discovering what aspect of God&rsquo;s work He wants you to embrace. Finding your most strategic role in fulfilling the Great Commission not only allows you to invest your life in something that lasts forever, it gives you a great reason to wake up each morning!&nbsp; <a href="https://www.viastudents.org/students/resources/the-basics-discipleship-tools" target="_blank" rel="follow noopener">Click Here to get all 12 lessons in one packet.</a>

Becoming a World Christian

&ldquo;I wish my fraternity brothers could see how much fun these guys at my church are.&rdquo; &ldquo;My sorority sisters would love this Bible study on relationships.&rdquo; &ldquo;I really think my roommate would be surprised to learn what the Bible says about God&rsquo;s love for him.&rdquo; Invite them! Invite them to go to church with you, to your campus ministry meetings, to your small group Bible studies, to fun ministry events, conferences, to watch a movie or eat a pizza with you. Fear of rejection or causing offense can keep us from inviting others to experience opportunities that could change their lives. Love the people around you enough to invite them!

Becoming an Inviter

&ldquo;Campus gods&rdquo; is a 7-lesson study suitable for small groups, one-on-ones or for personal study, inspired by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Campus-gods-Exposing-Present-Destroy-ebook/dp/B00GB1GMS6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guy Chmieleski&rsquo;s book</a> by the same title (used by permission). Each lesson addresses an idol that students are particularly prone to worshiping on campus. These include the gods of achievement, sex, substances and information. Lesson guides contain scripture readings as well as excerpts from commendable authors such as Kyle Idleman, Randy Alcorn, and Craig Groeschel. Helpful questions are also provided for group discussion or personal journaling and application. Ultimately, as students gain a new perspective on idolatry, the heart as a battleground, and the jealousy of God, they will grow in understanding and in passionate resolve to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

Campus Gods

<h2>12 Simple and Reproducible Tools for Discipleship</h2>
One of the main reasons Christians don&rsquo;t commit to disciple younger believers is they aren&rsquo;t exactly sure what to do or how to do it. We've compiled 12 discipleship lessons, 4 on the Foundations and 8 on Establishing them in the basics of the Christian faith and what it means to be a disciple.
Download it, print it, and bring it with you to your next one-to-one discipleship meeting. Read the article, <a href="https://www.vianations.org/students/resources/the-basics-discipleship-tools" rel="follow">The Basics: Simple and Reproducible Tools for Discipleship</a> for more information on the why and how to utilize these simple resources. The Basics are simple and reproducible tools you can use to build biblical knowledge, skills, character, and vision into someone&rsquo;s life. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2 to entrust the truth to faithful men &ldquo;who will be able to teach others also.&rdquo; Utilizing this principle of transferability and putting everything down on the &ldquo;bottom shelf&rdquo; for your disciple will set them up for success, thus preparing them to be &ldquo;able to teach others also&rdquo; exactly what you taught them. <a href="/students/resources/becoming-world-christian"></a>

Via Students PDF Download Form

The Basics Discipleship Tools

How a student chooses to invest their summer can be a huge accelerant in their walk with Jesus or it could be a spiritual train wreck, should they choose to waste it. As their discipler, you can give them a vision and help prepare them to make the most of their summer for Christ. Your input can shape their trajectory as a lifelong follower of Jesus AND prepare them for significant impact on campus when they return in the fall. We use this guide with everyone who is getting discipled in our ministry. It is especially helpful for those who won&rsquo;t have the structure of a summer discipleship project or mission trip. We have adapted The Word Hand and The Wheel illustrations from The Navigators to create a process for students to identify their growth areas for their time away from our ministry. This summer goals worksheet has proven to be an invaluable tool for our leaders in helping the students we are discipling make the most of their summer. The way we use it is to simply print a copy and give it to the student we are discipling to fill out sometime that week. We will then discuss their answers with them in the next week. The worksheet is a first step in an intentional plan to stay faithful with their basic spiritual disciplines through goal writing. It also encourages students to find an accountability partner to help them stay consistent with their goals. Feel free to print and use the guide below or to adapt it in a way that better fits your ministry. I just want to help you make a significant difference in the lives of your students over the summer!

Summer Goals Worksheet

Are you thinking about joining a fraternity or sorority? Maybe you are discipling someone interested in &ldquo;going Greek?&rdquo; If you have anxiety about yourself or someone you mentor getting swept away by the party culture of the Greek system, you&rsquo;re in the right place. This is a resource for believers who are interested in entering the Greek system and for college ministry leaders leading them. I hope to spark interest in you towards reaching the Greeks by becoming one of them, without compromising your convictions and devotion to Christ. It is my personal belief that the Greeks are one of the major unreached groups at the university and that student leaders of collegiate ministries should take advantage of the opportunity to be in chapter houses! Many of the Greek chapters around the country have no faithful followers of Christ in their midst. This is such a missed opportunity considering that becoming a brother or sister in a house provides a steady influx of people with whom to share the gospel. People are more inclined to be open with someone they trust and know. These men and women are capable of influencing people around the world for the rest of their lives. They inherently have a drive to make a difference and impact the world. Is there a better way of directing them to their true purpose in loving the Lord and making His name known by becoming an insider?

Going Greek Without Compromising Your Convictions

Greeks are arguably one of the most influential groups on campus and a strategic group to target for multiplication. The exclusive culture that many people see as an obstacle is actually somewhat of an advantage. There is already an established relationship and closeness with the members of your chapter. This is more of a reason to share the gospel and witness to your fellow members. The mission of making disciples and making God&rsquo;s name known remains the same; however, the evangelistic method you use may look different or be a different pace than what you may be used to.

Evangelism in Your Chapter House

The opening paragraph of The Book of Acts makes it clear that it is a sequel. Part One was The Gospel of Luke, which gave an account of Jesus&rsquo; life, miraculous ministry, claims and teachings, the training of his disciples, and his death and resurrection. In Part Two, Luke writes about the continuation of what Jesus &ldquo;began to do and teach.&rdquo; Acts picks up where The Gospel of Luke left off. Each of the four Gospels concludes with the resurrection of Jesus, after which Jesus gave the disciples what has come to be known as &ldquo;The Great Commission,&rdquo; to take his message to the world. Hence &ldquo;Acts&rdquo; is the apostles &ldquo;acting out&rdquo; The Great Commission.

The Book of Acts Bible Study

In Luke chapter 6, Jesus shares an illustration to show His followers the difference between a life that focuses on following Jesus or one that does not. He preaches that those who follow Him will have an abundant life. But this can only happen when He is the Lord of everything. And I mean everything. Think specifically about the areas of your life you treasure the most. This might be your family, future, dating relationships, security, or even approval of others. Have these areas truly and wholly been surrendered to the Lordship of Christ?

12 Great Commission Decisions You Need to Make Worksheet

This tool was created to help with the uneasiness at approaching strangers when evangelizing.

Is Your Cold Turkey Too Cold?

The single most used and repeated resource in the ministry of Solomon Rexius,&nbsp;the Director of Salt Company at Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa, reaching college students at Iowa State University.

Repenter Quadrant

When I meet with a student, one of my goals is to find out how they are doing. I have found the acronym SPEAR (or PEARS, if you prefer fruit to weapons) is a helpful framework. This simple memory device makes sure I&rsquo;m checking in on most of the big areas of their lives.

SPEAR: Penetrating Questions

Ben Seiler shares his tips on building community that lasts. This is timely info because now, more than ever, college students are insecure and anxious about their social status. Click below to read more about how to establish authentic community!

25 Ideas to Build Community and Not Be Cheesy

College: A four-year (or more!) window of time where a student can become and accomplish all that God has for them. This book will help you do just that as you discover a vision for your life, the kind of personal and spiritual foundation you need to build, and practical ways to share your faith, disciple others, and impact the world for Jesus Christ. The challenge? If you will fully submit yourself to the Lord to be the fuel, God will ignite your life and spread the flame of the gospel across your campus and world. So beware, what you hold in your hands may forever change you. You in?
Our goal in this book is to focus on a few of the simple commands and modeling Jesus provided us. We hope that God uses the basics of evangelism, disciple-making, and mission mobilization shared in this book to transform your everyday life and change your heart to be more like His own.
So, if you want to walk with God more closely, have a vision for your life and ministry, develop a practical plan for you to lead others to Christ and make disciples, and to impact the world for the glory of God&hellip; you&rsquo;ve come to the right place! Read this on your own. Or take a small group through it. Encourage your whole college ministry to use it as their semester training tool or summer project book.

Ignite Your Campus for Jesus Christ

The Fuel and the Flame

Brown Like Coffee is a perfect hand off to explorers of faith, and young or growing Christians to help them think about and live deeply for Jesus Christ. Meant to be read a chapter a week, college students can kick back with author, Steve Shadrach, and enjoy 21 conversations over coffee about success and struggle, sex and dating, family and friends, discipleship and outreach, personal growth and purpose in life.

A spiritual energy shot for your college career

Brown Like Coffee

If you're a campus ministry staffer or student leader and yearn to see students come to Christ, discipled, and launched out as world changers, then read and heed a copy of "Heart of the Campus." Learn how to be an influencer at your college and raise up other influencers, to create a campus-wide movement that can transform the most secular of schools into a sending base to reach the world for Christ. Beware: You might be shook to your core as you honestly evaluate why and how you do campus ministry the way you do. So, as you consider this radical, but biblically based, new paradigm for vision-driven campus ministry...PREPARE FOR IMPACT! Bonus: Practical and penetrating discussion questions at the end to take your small group through that promises to rearrange their ministry-and life!