Campus Outreach
Campus Outreach is a network of interdenominational Christian organizations, focusing on evangelizing and discipling college students worldwide under the mission statement "Glorifying God by Building Laborers on the Campus for the Lost World."
Campus Outreach is distinguished from similar organizations such as Campus Crusade for Christ in both philosophy (read below) and focus, that the ministry focuses on small to mid-sized campuses where another ministry does not have a presence. However, the ministry has expanded in recent years to such large universities as the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, The University of Georgia, The University of Kentucky, The University of Minnesota and Georgia Tech, and University of Houston, among others. Also, the ministry takes very seriously the charge from Matthew 9:35-38 to raise up laborers, and not simply believers, by discipling new believers to share their faith with others, as stressed by Dawson Trotman and others.
History
Major events in the history of Campus Outreach are:[1]
1978
- Campus Outreach Birmingham founded under Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
1981
- First campus ministry outside Birmingham begins
- First Collegiate Christmas Conference
1982
- First Summer Training Project
1983
- First Summer Cross Cultural Training Project
1985
- Formation of Campus Outreach Board
1989
- Campus Outreach Augusta franchised to First Presbyterian Church, Augusta, GA
1990
- Campus Outreach Thailand formed under Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
1992
- Campus Outreach Montgomery formed under Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
1993
- Campus Outreach Miami formed under Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
1995
- Campus Outreach Charlotte franchised to Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC
- Campus Outreach Memphis franchised to 2nd Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN
1996
- Campus Outreach Brazil formed under Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
1998
- Campus Outreach Greenville franchised to Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC
- Campus Outreach Gulf Coast franchised to Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church, Fairhope, AL
- Campus Outreach Central Asia formed under Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
1999
- Campus Outreach Atlanta franchised to Perimeter Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA
- Campus Outreach Australia formed under Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
2000
- Campus Outreach Florida formed under Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL
2001
- Combined Franchises Global Christmas Conference in Atlanta, GA
- Campus Outreach Charleston franchised to East Cooper Baptist Church, Charleston, SC
2002
- Campus Outreach Indianapolis formed under CO Memphis and 2nd Presbyterian Church and then franchised to Christ Community Church in 2006.
- Campus Outreach Louisiana formed under CO Gulf Coast and Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church
- Campus Outreach Johannesburg formed under CO Charlotte and Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC
2003
- Campus Outreach Lexington formed under CO Birmingham and Briarwood Presbyterian Church
- Campus Outreach Minneapolis formed under Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minniapolis, MN
2007
-Campus Outreach Raleigh launched at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, later partnered with The Summit Church
2008
- Campus Outreach Lynchburg formed under Rivermont Presbyterian Church, Lynchburg, VA.
- Campus Outreach Peoria formed under Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, IL.
2009
-Campus Outreach Raleigh expands to Campbell University
-Campus Outreach DC formed under Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
2011
-Campus Outreach Raleigh expands to Duke University
2012
-Campus Outreach Raleigh expands to East Carolina University
-Campus Outreach Memphis expands to Middle Tennessee State University
Mission Statement
The Campus Outreach Mission Statement is "Glorifying God by Building Laborers on the Campus for the Lost World." It is based upon the "Great Commission" outlined in Matthew 28:19-20, as well as Jesus' lament about the lack of working "laborers" in Matthew 9:35-38.
Campus Outreach Basic Doctrine
God is one Being existing in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is the Sovereign, the Creator and the Sustainer of all things. God is the source and end of all truth.
The Scriptures are the written Word of God, inerrant in their original writings, the infallible authority by which He directs and governs all activities. Both the Old and New Testaments reveal God's covenant of grace and are therefore applicable to believers today.
Jesus Christ is the eternal begotten Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and of the Virgin Mary, truly God and truly Man. Through Christ's perfect life, death, resurrection and ascension, He accomplished a decisive victory over sin for His people and established His Kingdom among men. The Lord will return personally and visibly in glory and triumph to the earth for the consummation of this age and His Kingdom and to bring to pass the final judgment.
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead, eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son, coming into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to people. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life, continually indwells the believer from the moment of spiritual birth. To believers He brings fullness of life, empowers them for godly living and equips them for service and witness to Christ.
Man was created in the image of God as a rational, moral and spiritual being. Man sinned in Adam and fell with him in his first transgression. Man's fall affected him spiritually, intellectually and physically leaving him in a state of complete depravity. He is restored as a gift only by the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit and the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. God is the initiator and completer of this work and is sovereign throughout both salvation and sanctification. Man's response to God's offer of salvation is repentance from sin and faith in the atoning work of Christ.
The Church is composed of all people, living and dead, who have been joined to Christ through placing their faith in Him alone. The visible church, in teaching the Scriptures, administering the Sacraments and exercising discipline to its members, is God's ordained vehicle for leading His body, the people of God, in worship of the Godhead and in fulfilling Christ's mission to make disciples of all nations. God instructs His people to assemble together regularly for worship, edification and encouragement.[2]
Franchise
Campus Outreach is not a single cohesive organization: Rather, it is a network of organizations that are franchised to local churches in the target area. The organization then effectively becomes the college ministry of that church, with the staff answering both to the Campus Outreach board and the leadership of that church. Campus Outreach is a Non-profit organization in which all the staff members are supported on a monthly contribution from independent financial backers.
| Franchise | Launch Date | Sending Franchise |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 1978 | Briarwood Pres. |
| Augusta | 1989 | CO Birmingham |
| Khon Kaen, Thailand | 1990 | CO Birmingham |
| Memphis | 1995 | CO Birmingham |
| Charlotte | 1995 | CO Augusta |
| Belo Horizonte, Brazil | 1996 | CO Birmingham |
| Brisbane, Australia | 1998 | CO Birmingham |
| Greenville | 1998 | CO Augusta |
| Atlanta | 1999 | CO Augusta |
| Daytona, Florida | 2000 | CO Birmingham |
| Charleston | 2001 | CO Augusta |
| Johannesburg, South Africa | 2002 | CO Charlotte |
| Indianapolis | 2002 | CO Memphis |
| Lexington | 2003 | CO Birmingham |
| Minneapolis | 2003 | CO Greenville |
| Lynchburg | 2006 | CO Charlotte |
| Raleigh | 2007 | CO Augusta |
| Central Illinois | 2007 | CO Memphis |
| Dunedin, New Zealand | 2008 | CO Augusta |
| Washington D.C. | 2009 | CO Charlotte |
| Dallas / Fort Worth | 2012 | CO Memphis |
| Houston | 2012 | CO Birmingham |
| San Diego | 2012 | CO Greenville |
| St. Louis | 2012 | CO Indianapolis |
| Columbus | 2012 | CO Indianapolis |
| Chiang Mai, Thailand | 2013 | CO Khon Kaen |
The Australian franchise of Campus Outreach, at the University of Queensland, was renamed University Impact or rather Uni Impact in 1999, a year after its initial launch.[3]
See also
- Reformed University Fellowship
- Campus Crusade for Christ
- InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
- The Navigators