Connecting People of All Callings for Christ

AllCallings.com helps like-minded people join with others to reach their community

Photo by Ted Wilcox

Of the nearly 10,000 college students involved in Campus Crusade who are graduating this year, only about 10% will go on to do fulltime ministry.

By Hayley Newsom

04/06/2009

One of the worst things a Campus Crusade for Christ staff member can hear is "life as a student involved in Campus Crusade were the best years of my life."

With the vision to win lost students to Christ, build them in their faith and send them out as Christ-centered laborers, a Campus Crusade staff member would hope the best years would always be ahead.

Yet of the nearly 10,000 college students involved in Campus Crusade who are graduating this year, only about 10% will go on to do full-time ministry.

What About the Other 90%?

God calls -- yes, calls the other 90% of students into the workplace, the home or even the classroom.

But what if 100% of them, after graduation -- whether they went into fulltime ministry or not -- still believed that God was calling them to build His kingdom where they were?

The U.S. Campus Ministry created a new web-based social networking tool, AllCallings.com, to not only validate but also equip people who believe God has a purpose for them in their unique workplaces.

A Case Study in Jacksonville, Florida

Ray Strickland is one of the 90%. He and his wife, Melissa, were both involved with Campus Crusade as students at University of North Florida.

Ray says, "We graduated, and if you didn't become a staff member with Campus Crusade, that was it. There was really nothing else to connect with."

Ray and Melissa work full time; Ray in a successful financial business, Melissa as a teacher.

Having volunteered with the ministry on campus, Ray hopes to move more towards doing ministry where God has him -- the financial services world of Jacksonville.

Through Campus Crusade connections, Ray heard about AllCallings.com. There, he created a new "community," and he's invited like-minded friends and colleagues to join his team.

"My vision for Jacksonville is that when students come to work here after being involved in Campus Crusade, they'll have a place to plug in."

Created for All Callings

While Ray has a vision to use AllCallings.com in the financial services sector of Jacksonville, the Web site is transferable to any community and any arena.

"AllCallings.com can just as easily help the college student who goes back to a small town, even if it's reaching other horse farmers or people in agriculture," says Ray.

"If you're graduating right now, you need to be registering with AllCallings.com in a couple different places to plug in."

Called into Community

Jenny Spracklin, on the Web site team, emphasizes, "The sense of community is important so we know we're not alone in ministry."

While the body of Christ functions through the local church, someone like Ray can join with fellow believers from other denominations for the common purpose of reaching the specific arena they're in -- in Ray's case, the financial professionals.

John Grimberg, director for Campus Ministry in the Twin Cities, says, "The community aspect is the biggest thing. Instead of lone-rangering it, we want to move toward teams."

Why AllCallings.com?

"Other social networks like Facebook don't really meet the same need," says Ray. "Others are full of distractions while AllCallings.com is more specific and keeps you mindful about what you're doing."

Sarah Evers, lead strategist with the Web site, says, "Unlike Facebook, we want people to join one team or even start their own ministry. We want to be a conduit where people come together to go to the world."

Whether people are just graduating now or have been out of school for years, and whether they have Campus Crusade background or not, AllCallings.com is the place to connect with others who want to reach their communities for Christ.