Why become a BSM volunteer?

Are you interested in impacting your community with the message of Jesus? Do you desire innovative and relevant outlets for ministry? Are you aware of an absence of college students engaged in your ministry? Would you be interested in partnering with an established ministry already seeking to plant a ministry on your local college campus? If you answered YES to any of these questions, please keep reading.

You are likely aware of several local campuses near you on a daily basis. However, you may not be aware that there is likely no Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) on that campus. Did you also know that among twentysomethings who were spiritually active during their teen years, only 20% maintain a level of spiritual activity consistent with their high school experiences? In the effort to help stop this trend, would you and/or your church consider partnering with Houston Area BSM (HABSM) to plant a BSM on your local campus?

Below you will find a few of the most common questions we hear regarding HABSM.

"With whom is Houston Area Baptist Student Ministry (HABSM) affiliated?" HABSM is part of the larger Texas Baptist Student Ministry family, which is affiliated with the Center for Collegiate Ministry of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. HABSM is also part of the ongoing ministry of the Union Baptist, San Jacinto, and the Galveston Associations.

"What is HABSM?" HABSM seeks to minister to the more than a quarter of a million students in the greater Houston area. On the diverse campuses across the greater Houston area, Texas Baptists support both established and volunteer-based BSM's.  While God is at work through each of these vital ministries, there are still students in your corner of the greater Houston area who have no option of BSM on their campus. Because of the ongoing need to reach students for Christ, HABSM seeks to enlist, encourage, and equip individuals, as well as local churches, to partner with us as we plant BSM's on local campuses. In doing so, it is our prayer that even more students will encounter our living God through a relationship with Jesus Christ, and discover what it means to live missionally, regardless of their vocational goals.

"What sets BSM apart from other campus-based ministry?" You can summarize Texas BSM in a few words: "from the harvest, for the harvest". We labor to see students cultivate a relationship with Christ. We invest in their lives with the hope that they will invest in others and share the faith they have found. Our ministry priorities include missions, evangelism, discipleship, church life, and leadership development. BSM desires to be a bridge between students and the local church. We want to help them grow during their college years and continue to be involved in a local church. We have over 140 staff members (employed and volunteer) who serve approximately 110 campuses. 

"How does HABSM go about planting a ministry?" First, we target local campuses that have no BSM. We begin the conversation with that campus's student activities office regarding the requirements to become an active student organization. Second, we enlist churches within a five-mile radius of a targeted campus to partner with us to plant a BSM on that campus. Third, we enlist a volunteer BSM director for that campus. Fourth, we encourage and equip the volunteer director and local churches as they seek to minister on their local campus.

"How can I pray for our local campus?" Ask your church members, men's group, women's group, senior citizens' group, choir, even your youth to begin to pray for the campus and its students in general. Pray that the student life/campus association would be helpful and open to a BSM beginning on their campus. Pray for an employee who would act as a person of peace as we begin this relationship. Pray for a core group of students as well as a faculty sponsor to emerge - both of which are usually required in order to become an established group on campus. Pray for volunteer(s) in ministry. Sign up to receive regular HABSM e-prayer updates by going to the following link:  http://habsm.org/prayer-update.html

 "How might I partner with HABSM to plant ministry on my local campus?"

• Identify students to form the BSM core: Typically we need to establish a core group of students (usually about five) as well as a faculty sponsor in order to become an established group on campus. Are there members of your church who attend or work at your local campus? Do you have church members or friends who have children, grandchildren, or other relatives attending your local campus?
• Volunteer: Consider how you or members of your ministry could use God-given talents to minister to students. Do you love to cook? Why not host a regular (weekly, monthly, etc.) meal on campus? Do you have a knack for teaching the Bible in a way that makes Scripture come alive? Consider hosting a weekly Bible study. Are you a people person? Why not go to campus with a current student and play board games with students in the common area? Once you get to know students, invite them to the regular BSM Bible study. The options are endless; the sky is the limit; and the students are waiting.
• Enlist other volunteers: Do you know someone uniquely gifted to connect with college students? Are you a pastor who meets regularly with other pastors in your area with the shared goal of reaching your corner of Houston with the love of Christ? Consider enlisting them to help you plant this vital ministry.

 If you have further questions about volunteering please do not hesitate to contact our Volunteer Coordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it directly.

The students are waiting!