KIRKSVILLE – The Missouri Missions Offering is essential in funding several ministries, including that of the collegiate interns and apprentices who make up much of the staff at Baptist Student Unions across the state.
These interns and apprentices are imperative to the mission of the Collegiate Ministries Group, which is to “saturate every college campus in Missouri with the gospel and equip every student to make disciples wherever they go,” according to Britney Hamm, the MBC Collegiate Strategic Communications Advocate. She says, “Having interns and apprentices working alongside our current Campus Missionaries helps us to have a pipeline of leaders ready to serve unreached campuses. It’s also strategic in training future Campus Missionaries, eventually placing them on unreached campuses, and thereby expanding the Kingdom work.”
Hamm continues, describing the impact of the intern and apprentice program at BSUs in Missouri: “During the 2023-24 academic year, we had 8 apprentices and 2 interns serving on 10 different campuses… [Each month] our interns and apprentices led… 400+ spiritual conversations… [and] 50+ gospel appointments.” In a two-month time span, the collegiate ministry saw “21 salvations and 10 baptisms.”
Truman State BSU is an example of the positive Kingdom work being done by these students in the unique environment of a college campus.
Greg Xander, the Truman State BSU Campus Missionary, says that “college is a whole different world.” He goes on to identify the goal of the BSU, which isn’t to replace the church but rather to enable missions on campus. “We’re actually missionaries from our churches,” he says. Their ministry reaches students at Truman State, students from other college campuses, and even young adults in the area who aren’t attending any college.
But missions would be greatly hindered without the help of interns and apprentices. These are students who are dedicated to the BSU ministry, more so than other volunteer students. While an intern typically serves in a leadership position for a year at the BSU, they are likely to return to a non-ministry related field. An apprentice, on the other hand, is more seriously considering ministry as an occupation, and they commit to two years of leadership and service at the BSU. According to Xander, both interns and apprentices must “take a leap of faith” and fundraise for part of their compensation, just like many missionaries. However, with the help of MMO offerings, some of their income is supplemented, providing a financial foundation from which to build. This enables them to join the BSU staff and focus on sharing Jesus with students and young adults in their area.
Xander explains that having interns and apprentices greatly expands the impact a BSU can have on their campus. “One person is able to hold [about 20 relationships], and so we always want to have more than just me. We want to actually go far and go deep. We want to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.”
In addition, becoming an intern or an apprentice enables students to explore missions work. After two years of apprenticeship, an opportunity is presented for the apprentice to launch a BSU ministry at another campus, or they may choose to go into some other ministry.
Ongoing roles of each apprentice/intern are discipleship, relationship building, mentoring, witnessing, and serving others. Apprentices are encouraged to spend a lot of time in conversation and messaging and setting up meetings, patiently sharing the gospel. Many times, God brings a young person to salvation after many months or even years of relationship building and gospel conversations.
Apprentices also learn how to handle all the administration aspects of ministry, including planning meetings and events, speaking at functions, planning ahead, and even writing reports. The training is meant to give apprentices the skillset to prepare them for ministry, allow them to make mistakes in a safe and supportive environment, and gain in-depth ministry experience.
God has especially blessed Truman BSU with the ability to reach and serve the international student population. They are the first BSU to have an international student as an apprentice. Every year, they hold a welcome dinner in coordination with the university for international students. Apprentices have been blessed with the opportunity to befriend and have ongoing gospel conversations with these students, some resulting in salvation and/or baptism.
In the fall semester of 2024, Truman BSU saw 3 salvations, 6 baptisms, and 40+ gospel conversations. They enter 2025 with two apprentices, and Xander is looking forward to the opportunities God is establishing for apprentices to be tools of the gospel as they spread the good news of Jesus Christ at Truman State University.