If I could go back and grab myself by the shoulders at 25 years old, fresh into campus ministry at Chico State in California, there are a few things I would want to drive deep into my heart. Not strategies. Not shortcuts. But perspectives.
Over time, I’ve become convinced that we honor God through certain ways of seeing the world, ministry, and leadership. These are the kinds of perspectives I wish someone had pressed into me early—truths that shape how you live before they ever shape what you do. These perspectives can mean the difference between busy ministry and fruitful ministry.
1. Intimacy Before Activity
The first perspective is intimacy with God over activity for Him.
This isn’t groundbreaking, but it is foundational. We all know it intellectually. The harder question is whether our lives actually reflect it. If someone followed you around for an average week and watched how you spend your time, where your energy goes, and what crowds out everything else, would they conclude that intimacy with God is your highest priority?
This is not about squeezing in a 15-minute quiet time. It’s about living a life of devotion to Jesus. Not devotions, but devotion. Not a box to check, but a relationship to pursue.
So, here’s the honest question: Are you obsessed with Jesus? Does your soul long for Him? Do you crave being alone with God? Scripture describes this kind of longing vividly. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Ps. 42:1, NIV). That kind of hunger doesn’t come from obligation; it comes from love.
Extended time with God is an acquired taste. At first, it can feel awkward or boring. Most of us feel resistance when we try to slow down and be unhurried with God. That resistance is real. It’s our flesh and the enemy pushing back. But here’s what I’ve never experienced: I’ve never walked away from an hour or more with God thinking it was a waste of time.
One simple challenge I often give leaders is to spend an hour a day alone with God. Relationships thrive on margin, and our relationship with God is no exception. That hour is not the least productive part of your day; it is the most productive. Everything else flows from it.
- Movements Led by Students, Not Smothered by Staff
The second perspective is student-led movements rather than staff-smothered ministries.
Whenever I see a ministry with layers of staff doing most of the evangelism, discipleship, and decision-making, I get nervous. Not because staff are unnecessary, but because well-meaning leaders can unintentionally suffocate a movement by doing for students what students should be doing themselves.
This problem isn’t limited to large teams. It can happen even if you’re the only staff member. If you’re printing handouts, setting up tech, leading worship, preaching, making announcements, and carrying every detail, something is off.
Jethro once told Moses, “What you’re doing is not good” (Ex. 18:17, CSB). Moses wasn’t doing sinful work. He was doing too much of the right work alone. Delegation wasn’t a leadership failure; it was wisdom.
The best person to reach a student with the gospel is another student. And often, the most effective evangelist is a brand-new believer. New believers are full of passion, deeply connected to non-Christian friends, and unaware that sharing their faith is supposed to feel awkward.
One new believer can unlock an entire network of relationships. That’s how movements spread.
Our role as leaders is not to do all the ministry. It is to model the lifestyle we want to reproduce and equip students to live it out themselves. We must model evangelism and discipleship personally, pioneer new areas of ministry, equip leaders, and provide structure and support. But we must never become so much of a leader that we stop being a laborer.
Discipleship is largely imitation. People may listen to what you teach, but they will live what you model. That leads to an important and sobering question: if every student in your ministry lived the way you do personally, would you see a movement?
Jesus structured His ministry like a funnel. He ministered broadly, but He invested deeply in a few. We must do the same—proclaiming the gospel widely while developing leaders deeply.
- Risk Over Routine
The final perspective is risk over routine.
If you serve on a college campus, you are standing on one of the most strategic mission fields in the world. We are not managing programs; we are engaging in a rescue mission. We are called to plant the flag of Jesus at the heart of our campuses or die trying. That may sound intense, but it reflects the weight of what is at stake. Eternity is urgent.
When my wife and I sensed God calling us to move across the country to start a ministry in Chico, California, there were no guarantees. Just a “perhaps.” Jonathan said, “Perhaps the Lord will help us” (1 Sam. 14:6, CSB). That word was freeing. Failure was an option, but obedience was required.
God acted. Not because we were special, but because He is faithful. Over time, we saw thousands of gospel conversations and hundreds of professions of faith. God brought the earthquake. Risk is right when God is calling. God is honored when we trust Him enough to take steps of faith.
So what risk is God calling you to take? A new ministry? A new campus? A deeper commitment to prayer? A bold step of obedience you’ve been avoiding?
God honors these perspectives. And it all begins where it must—by knowing Him, loving Him, and walking with Him before we ever try to work for Him.
Adapted from the Collegiate Coaching Network. Learn more about our Collegiate Coaching Network and sign up for the next cohort.
Published January 15, 2026
