Our Calling
Onward is a campus ministry that emphasizes the importance of relationships in our lives - with God, with those we look up to, with those in our closest circles, and with those we influence. Our team has enjoyed decades of experience mentoring and building relationships with students. And while we have seen a lot of changes come and go, we are more and more convinced of the essential truths that remain steadfast - namely our great need for the Gospel and our deep satisfaction in the Gospel.
Every fall, we encounter many different types of young adults facing a critical intersection in life. JC Ryle says it best, “What young men will be, in all probability depends on what they are now, and they seem to forget this.” College tends to be the shaping moment in a young person’s trajectory. This is why the gospel message is so important on the college campus.
Our amazing privilege is to meet students at this juncture with the hope of the Gospel and the sincerity of meaningful relationships.
Our Great Hope
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
How We Approach Ministry
Purpose
We are passionate about college ministry because of how it impacted our own stories, and because college is an unparalleled inflection point as young people determine a direction for themselves. We choose to focus on relational depth in order to multiply breadth of impact, helping students understand how to apply the Gospel to their lives and lead others in their spheres of influence.
Presence
We value the simplicity of being with people. The large percentage of our time is spent across a table from students. Face-to-face. Hearing life stories. Mentoring from our experiences and the wisdom of Scripture. Relying on God and asking for his help to shape us. There is no substitute for in-person, personal relationships.
Persistence
We aim for our relationships and influence with students to last. When people ask how things are going, our response is something like, “Ask us in twenty years. If the students we disciple are still walking with God and leading others to do the same, we would say we are having an effective ministry.” We take a long term approach to our work, measuring success in decades, not decisions.
Tokyo Partnership
The heartbeat of our ministry at Onward knowing Christ deeply and making Him known. This goal, however, does not stop for us with college students at Auburn. We have a desire to see every tribe, tongue, and nation profess faith in Jesus Christ unto salvation. As a result, by the grace of God, we have initiated a partnership in Tokyo, Japan, serving a local church and reaching Japanese college students. Click here to learn more about this project.