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One great advantage of attending a Christian college is the chance to be involved in a wide spectrum of ministry opportunities.
Some college students become active and vital members of a local church body, serving through the avenues that church offers. Some students will also become involved through the college; activity that impacts the lives of those in the community around them and ministers to the physical and spiritual needs people are facing. Some students will put their faith into action after school is out, exploring the scope of global ministry during summer missions trips or helping out as part of the staff at a Christian camp.
Maranatha Baptist Bible College students are presented multiple opportunities to serve in a variety of ministries in a variety of churches. The ministries benefit from the students’ energy and enthusiasm, and the students benefit from the chance to experience service in the “real” world outside of the controlled campus environment. Maranatha is theologically committed to the primacy of the local church.
Local Church Ministry
Students at Maranatha are required to become part of a church and encouraged to lend a hand where needed. This often works to the benefit of both the church and the student.
There is no campus “church” at Maranatha. Students instead work with partnering churches in Wisconsin and northern Illinois, helping assist the ministries of more than 75 local churches in the fall of 2009. There are 149 churches that have signed a partnering agreement with Maranatha, 53 within a 50-mile radius.
The types of ministries in which those students are utilized can vary widely with the size, location, and demographic of the congregation.
Students teach Sunday school and junior church. Churches that bring in children on buses will often find willing helpers. Some assist with rest home ministries. “Techies” help out with the church’s sound and video systems, or its website.
There is enthusiasm for multicultural outreach programs. For example, some Maranatha students attending churches near a large state university helped arrange activities to become acquainted with Muslim students there. Dr. Manuel Morales encourages members of his classes to participate in Spanish language services and also help teach English as a Second Language classes.
Future preachers will be asked to deliver a sermon in front of the full congregation, an invaluable experience for those working toward full-time vocational ministry.
Because nearly a quarter of Maranatha’s students participate in fine arts activities, many naturally choose music as part of their ministry. They become involved in the church choir or orchestra, play instruments during congregational singing, or provide special music.
Tie with Leadership
Many students work at their “extension churches” as leaders in teen groups, youth groups, and Awana clubs. Many also work on an individual basis with troubled kids, sharpening mentoring and leadership skills by offering spiritual direction.
All these avenues of ministry tie directly into the college’s primary mission—to train leaders for ministry in a local church.
“Every time they walk through the front door of their extension church, they are leaders,” Dean of Students Doug Richards said.
And, once they walk through those doors, they most often stay. College research studies indicate 92 percent of Maranatha alumni are still members of fundamental Baptist churches and 70 percent are involved in active ministries at those churches.
Dorm Society Outreach Programs
Students at Maranatha can minister in a wide variety of activities through their dormitory societies.
The five men’s and five women’s dorms are paired for ministry activities that include street witnessing, nursing homes, juvenile corrections facilities, crisis pregnancy centers, homeless shelters, a Bible study with students from a state university, and community service projects in Watertown. Most dorm societies also organize a specific service project for Christmas.
In November of 2009, Maranatha’s dorms competed against each other to collect food items as part of the “Cans Across the Conference” activity sponsored by the 13 Northern Athletics Conference member schools. Maranatha students, staff, and faculty members donated or purchased 1,446 food items that were delivered to the Watertown Food Pantry.
Life Is Ministry; Ministry Is Global
Global Encounters has proven an outstanding vehicle for expanding students’ view of global ministry. In 2009, 94 students and 11 faculty and staff members took part in missions trips to Peru, South Africa, Argentina, Central Asia, and the Far East. Nine trips are scheduled for the summer of 2010, adding new fields in Ireland, Zambia, and the Ukraine.
“This was the most students we’ve ever had participate, and we expect even more next year,” Bible Department Chair Brian Trainer said. “There are some very unique opportunities available for ministry and spiritual growth. Those opportunities attracted different types of students. But most of these kids were there to minister to a particular group of people God had laid on their heart. That’s a great thing.”
Trainer said more than 250 students have participated in Global Encounters since 2006.
There is also a missions prayer group, Delta Force, that meets each Monday to lift up specific needs of missionaries.
Summertime Service
Maranatha can put a student in contact with those involved in dozens of different ministries. Recruiters from summer ministries are on campus nearly every day.
Many Christian camps come to find counselors and workers. Some churches offer summer internships. Other recruiters come to find personnel for church planting, chaplaincy programs, teaching English in foreign countries, vacation Bible school teams, and medical and dental mission teams.
If you’re looking for ministry to be part of your college experience, Maranatha is the place to connect with those who can help you best utilize the abilities God has given you