Why I Wrote GROWING A STUDENT MOVEMENT

How likely is it you would recommend your XA to a new college student?

We need to see XA in the eyes of incoming students, especially first-year students and transfer students. One person in speaking of comparisons, explained that “the competition is anyone the customer (in this case, the college student) compares you with.” New students are looking for relationships and a group to belong to. They are seeking the truth. Students want to know what life is all about. They desire to have a meaningful campus experience. 

What does XA offer students? What do leaders and XA students need to know and do to attract fellow students to XA?  

Here’s three questions you might consider when planning XA meetings:

Will my friend feel welcomed? The atmosphere, nomenclature, and style of meeting should invite and not intimidate college students. Students without a faith experience may not understand your Christian vocabulary or may not understand your worship style. Do some up front explaining when you speak and worship. Create an environment where it is safe to ask questions. 

Will my friend fit in. Understand the differences between three things–absolutes, cultural differences, and preferences. Appreciate diversity. Respect the spiritual journey of every person in the room. 

Will my friend get something out of this? Trust the Holy Spirit to lead people into the lifestyle changes they need to make. Can everything that happens in the gathering be explained through Scripture?  

Michael F. Gleason in When God Walked On Campus challenges students and campus leaders to “imagine that an outsider requested to spend several months at your college or university [campus ministry] to evaluate the school (ministry) based upon the criteria outlined below.” He proposed that the Christian students and fellowship group rate on a scale of 1–5 (one being poor, 5 being outstanding) in the following categories. To what extent have we as students and as a campus group.

• practiced disciplined, sustained prayer
• responded to conviction and earnest in confession
• studied, practiced and when applicable, shared the Scriptures
• represented a strong student involvement within the meetings and related ministries
• engaged in service through short-term and vocational missions/ ministry
• cultivated an inter-denominational focus

When we grow in these spiritual dimensions as students and as a campus ministry, we will be the people of God—a community that attracts students. Creating a welcoming, loving, and spiritual gathering is a powerful way to draw students to Jesus. As we look back over the school year, ask ourselves, have we reached new students, met the worship and fellowship needs, deliberately proclaimed the good news in a variety of venues, and discipled students, who have begun to disciple other students?  

Photos from Washington State U XA E-letter.

What does a real estate office, fraternity house, and a church have in common?

They are all Chi Alpha properties. These places next to campus provide a welcoming space for students. Chi Alpha complexes provide a place for Bible studies, worship gatherings, outreach, housing, social events, and a place to study. These settings provide a context for building community and training. 

The latest XA facilities procured are all in the state of Texas at the University of North Texas /Texas Woman’s University, Denton; Texas A&M University, College Station; and Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

Matt and Allison Liberio are the campus missionaries at the UNT and TWU.

As the attendance numbers regularly approached or exceeded triple digits, space was an issue. XA had met at local AG churches in the area, but these places were not near the campus. In 2019, a team of XA staff outlined a four–year plan and one goal was to have a ministry facility near the campus. Matt explained that almost immediately, XA received significant financial gifts toward purchasing the building—$3,000, then $5,000 and $8,000 after he spoke at a church on a Wednesday night. Students worked extra jobs and extra hours and raised $7,000. 

A church within four blocks of UNT wedged between five large student housing complexes came onto the market. The church was a 1,800-square-foot property and 930 square-foot parsonage, on a 1.3-acre lot at a cost of $285,000. A donor contributed $200,000, and by then, XA had raised $70,000, so Matt made an offer of $250,000, expecting a counter offer. The owners accepted the offer and XA now owns property not only near the campus but in the heart of the student housing.

Eli and Mandy Stewart, campus missionaries at Texas A&M U

They restarted XA in 2016 with 10 small group leaders, and after five years they have 175 small group leaders, and 35 in the Campus Missionary-in-Training program. TAMU is the second-largest public university in the U.S. with an enrollment of 69,523 in 2019-20. This number represents almost 60% of the population of College Station (a major city within a city) and AG did not have a church until the XA planting team started a new church, Mountain Valley Fellowship. 

TAMU XA prayed and believed God for a half-million dollars to purchase and refurbish a 25 bedroom, 12,000 square foot fraternity house. By August 2021, they had raised $460, 000. They put $400,000 down with $20,000 closing costs and applied $80,000 to renovate. The building is already being used to train graduates to start university ministries, plant churches, and go into the world as missionaries. What was a former fraternity house they are calling the TAMU XA Discipleship School. The value is $1.8 million. 

Nick and Paige Hester, serve as campus missionaries at Texas Tech University. 

In 2019, XA purchased an 8,100 square foot building with plans to renovate, bringing the value of the property to $400,000. They were poised to begin renovation when a local credit union needing to expand called to see if XA will sell their recently purchased property. XA sold the property for $400.000. So XA had to find another building. They found a former Lutheran Church turned Real Estate training offices, which was newly remodeled with five offices, a sanctuary, board room, kitchen, five-bathroom, $30,000 worth of furniture included, and another 1/3 space available for other use. The entire process was miraculous. They closed on the first building, August 19, and on the new one, August 20. Not only do they have a fully furnished and completed training center — move-in ready — they cleared more than $90,000 on the sale. 

Besides the obvious context for creating community that builds up Christian student believers and attracts students that have never experienced Christianity, and ongoing discipleship, these XA centers offer training programs for the AGs, the Pentecostal movement and the Christian world community at large. The XA staff leaders and team members imagine XA graduates gainfully employed in diverse fields in the marketplace, as lay leaders and tithing members in the Church, and as called to vocational ministry and missions work.

Related stories: AG NEWS “From Drug Lair to Holy Home,“ by Deann Alford, August 20, 2021, AG NEWS “Chi Alpha Denton Sees Prayers Answered in a Miraculous Way,” by Dan Van Veen, May 25, 2021, and AG NEWS “Campus and City Church Launch” by Deann Alford, October 24, 2016 , and AG NEWS, “Atheist Turned Missionary,” by Rachel Dawn Hayes, September 1, 2016.