College students and young adults are in a formative season. The convictions they develop now will shape their entire lives. Pastors and ministry leaders are uniquely positioned to help them see what Jesus has already made clear: The call to make disciples of all nations is for them.

“That’s okay,” said Luis. “I can move myself.”

Luis was an elderly man who lost his legs to diabetes. He shifted his weight between two plastic stools to walk, as we slowly made our way toward his home.

A local pastor and I were in a mountain village in Latin America, visiting neighbors and talking about Jesus. Sitting with Luis and his wife, Maria, we learned their material, social and spiritual needs and asked if we could share a message from the Bible.

Moments like these filled my two years as a missionary. I was blessed to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the “ends of the earth.” At times it was surreal: a fair-skinned foreigner, fresh out of college, sitting with families in their hurts and sharing hope in their language. If the moment wasn’t so impactful, I could almost laugh. “How did I get here?” I wondered.

Of course, I didn’t just end up there. My participation in missionary work resulted from a journey of obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading — one that began with someone else.

One day in college, my campus ministry director gathered his core team of student leaders in his home and spread out a world map. We often talked about the nations, but this was the first time I saw the need. We prayed for as many countries as we could, asking God to send the gospel where our hands rested.

I never imagined going to the nations. My mission field was my campus. I built relationships, shared Jesus and even studied Scripture with peers. It was groundbreaking for my faith to be used by God to help others draw close to Him. So close. 

But one by one, my friends declined the invitation to follow Jesus. I grew frustrated. “What else do I need to do?” I asked God. “They have so many chances to hear, but they aren’t believing.”

That’s when the Spirit brought the world map back to mind: “So why can’t you go where people have no opportunity to hear about Me?”

Romans 10:14 asks, “How are they to believe in Him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Then verse 15: “How are they to preach unless they are sent?”

My journey began because my campus minister was faithful to preach the gospel to students, to disciple us and to prepare us to be sent. That world map helped me see that the Great Commission wasn’t just for “super-Christians” or those with decades of ministry experience. If it is Jesus’ mission, it must be the mission of every disciple.

College students and young adults are in a formative season. The convictions they develop now will shape their entire lives. Pastors and ministry leaders are uniquely positioned to help them see what Jesus has already made clear: The call to make disciples of all nations is for them.

Back in the mountains, as the pastor and I finished meeting with Luis and Maria, we asked if they wanted to receive Jesus’ gift of salvation. Maria had suffered a stroke and couldn’t speak, but she could respond. Wrapped in a blanket, her watery eyes met ours. She nodded: “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

How many people in the world are like Maria —waiting, as Romans 10:14 implies, to call on the Lord as soon as someone shares the good news? And how many students would go to the nations if only someone encouraged them?

After all, “How are they to preach unless they are sent?”

If you’re a pastor or ministry leader, ask God to help you identify students who could take the gospel where it’s never been heard. Go2 challenges graduates and young professionals to commit two years to serving the kingdom of God in a strategic, disciple-making context. This can be on an international missions team, in a vocational capacity or by serving a church plant while working a marketplace job. 

Learn more about how you can disciple and send your students at go2years.org. 

Invite students to the upcoming Call Conference, happening Jan. 30-Feb. 1. This weekend will challenge students and young adults to examine what they’re living for, consider the eternal cost and reward, and discover the joy and purpose found only in fully following Christ.

By Calvin Frank*, Winston-Salem

EDITOR’S NOTE — Calvin Frank is a member of an N.C. Baptist church in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he serves as a missions mobilizer. His name has been changed for security purposes.