This December 27 to 30 I’ll be in Indianapolis with thousands of college students for our second national Cross Conference. There are lots of good options for students during Christmas break. We don’t want to take away from the good things other evangelical organization are doing to disciple college students for Christ. But with 5 million Christian students in this country, it’s not like there are too many opportunities for students to gather for worship and teaching.
So why should you think about coming to Cross? Or think about encouraging the students in your home, in your church, and in your campus group to register?
Let me give you five reasons.
1. The conference is robustly, deliberately, joyfully, and seriously theological. We love spiritual experiences, but the goal of Cross is not simply an experience. Neither is the aim to give students a series of generically uplifting sermons. We’ve tried to make sure that everything—from the songs to the speakers to the booths to the books—are focused on the authority of the Scriptures, the uniqueness of Christ, and the centrality of the cross. We are praying for an atmosphere of passionate sacrifice, careful thinking, and mission-minded precision.
2. Some students are ready to go. By “go,” I don’t mean go to a conference, but go to the uttermost parts of the earth with the good news of Christ’s atoning death. These students may not need much convincing, but they still need a lot of connecting. They need next steps. They need to talk with sending agencies. They need resources. They need a push out the door, and they need to know how to find the open doors. A missions conference like Cross is designed to make these connections.
3. Every Christian student should think about going. I’m a pastor in the United States. I live 85 miles from where I grew up. I minister among lost people, but not among unreached peoples. I haven’t “gone.” But that doesn’t mean I never considered going (or have stopped considering). Most of the students who attend Cross will probably not end up spending their lives overseas as missionaries. There’s no shame in that. What would be a shame is if Christians in America never think and pray about the possibility of laboring among those who have least access to the gospel. Make yourself uncomfortable. Put yourself in the way of a challenge that could change your life.
4. Virtual attendance is a gift, not a substitute. I’ve been to hundreds of conferences. I’ve listened to hundreds of conference messages online. I’m thankful for the latter, but it’s not nearly the same as the former. You can’t sing songs with thousands of students from your bedroom. You can’t feel the energy in the room. You can’t sense what the Spirit is doing in the moment. You can’t meet new friends. You can’t bond in the car with old friends. You can’t stay up in your hotel room talking about what you’ve learned. By all means, listen to online messages. Follow the Twitter feed. Get the book. But none of it will be the same as being there.
5. We all have a part to play in the Great Commission. I attended a student missions conference when I was in college. I’m glad I did. Not only was I blessed by the Bible studies and by many of the speakers, I also picked up good books, I made contacts with seminaries, I got a copy of Operation World, and I learned that the church was much bigger than I could have known. We need students to go, but we also need to students to stay. Not stay because they are indifferent to the plight of the nations, but stay because they will return to their churches as World Christians, ready to give, pray, and be a champion for the global glory of Jesus Christ. The Great Commission is for every church and every Christian, which means a missions conference might be for you.
