The first weeks of a college semester can open doors for ministry as students look for community, purpose and direction. Across Arkansas, Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) are stepping into those opportunities by building relationships, sharing the gospel and helping students take their next steps in following Christ. 

From worship services and outreach events to conversations with students and connections with local churches, early reports show BCM ministries finding a variety of ways to engage students as the new semester begins. 

A strong start for campus ministry 

In Conway, the semester began with a strong response to the gospel. One of BCM’s first worship services drew 340 students, with five professing faith in Christ. By the following morning, BCM leaders were working to connect those students with local churches for baptism. 

At the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, BCM used Welcome Week events to introduce students to Christian community and local churches. A lawn party, service for freshmen, pickleball tournament and progressive dinner drew about 1,150 students throughout the week. 

At Arkansas State University, 180 attended services the first week. Ten students indicated decisions for Christ, while 15 international students were connected with local church families. BCM leaders also reported making contact with about 40% of the university’s 2,000 freshmen. 

Tyler Hoffpauir, campus minister for Arkansas State BCM, said the response has revealed a noticeable spiritual hunger among students. 

“So far this semester we’ve seen an incredible response from students,” Hoffpauir said. “There is a hunger for God that is so evident in every student we have encountered.” 

From attendance to discipleship 

Hoffpauir said students are demonstrating a willingness to move beyond attending events and toward obedience and discipleship. 

“It’s not just students showing up at events. It’s students showing up and ready to take steps of obedience in their pursuit of Jesus. There’s a depth to it,” he said. 

Hoffpauir said their prayer is that students will embrace the Great Commission and become disciple-makers both on campus and around the world. 

At Henderson, BCM began the semester by bringing campus ministries together for a first-ever united worship service. The gathering drew 85 students and included a presentation of the gospel. BCM’s first service of the semester drew another 65 students, nearly a 50% increase from last year’s first service, with three students indicating they had given their lives to Christ. 

A joint campus ministries cookout drew nearly 300 students, while daily outreach and promotional tables allowed BCM leaders to meet students and hear their stories. About 30 Bibles were distributed to students who expressed interest. 

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) also saw a strong start, reaching an all-time attendance record. Participation represented about 5% of the campus population and 25% of students living on campus. 

CJ Womack, campus minister at UAM, said Welcome Week activities have created opportunities to develop meaningful relationships. 

“We have met a plethora of new faces through Welcome Week events and activities,” Womack said. “There has been more than just getting as many phone numbers as possible, there are meaningful connections being made.” 

Womack said he has been particularly encouraged by the spiritual growth of older student leaders, who have become more active in evangelism and discipleship. 

“I am most encouraged by the spiritual maturity of our older leaders who have really developed into bold evangelists and joyful disciple makers,” he said. “It has become the expectation to make disciples who make disciples. We are praying that disciples of Christ will be multiplied across campus and that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into the harvest.”  

Relationships create gospel opportunities 

At Arkansas Tech University, BCM has held seven events since the start of the semester and connected with more than 20% of the first-year class. About 180 students attended the first worship service, with several indicating a desire to give their lives to Christ and others coming forward to pray. 

“After our first night of worship we have several students that indicated they wanted to give their life to Christ,” said Adam McCampbell, campus minister at Arkansas Tech. 

“Here at Tech over the last few years, we don’t see that happening as much in the service as we see it happening in their lives following the service. God is moving and students are excited about that. I know God is working in their lives, and we will see life change this year.” 

McCampbell said BCM’s vision is to help students live out the gospel through community and discipleship. That vision can extend beyond campus. For example, participation in Beach Reach, a spring break missions effort, grew from 12 Arkansas Tech students two years ago to 57 this past year. 

“God had greatly blessed us with amazing student leaders that have a heart for students, a heart to serve, and a heart for God,” he said. “We have great students, great churches, and an even greater God.”  

Other campuses have reported similar opportunities. At the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, 182 unique students attended two worship services, with four responding to the gospel. In Little Rock, 148 students attended BCM, with seven responding to the gospel. Southern Arkansas University welcomed 140 students to its gathering, while the first BCM lunch gathering at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff drew 50 students. 

Meeting students in a season of transition 

Warren Gasaway, Arkansas Baptists Generations Team leader, said the early reports point to a growing openness to spiritual conversations among college students across the state. 

“We’re seeing students show up, engage in community, respond to the gospel, and take an interest in spiritual things,” Gasaway said. “We’ve seen record attendance on some campuses, students coming to faith, and freshmen getting connected to BCM within their first few days on campus.” 

Gasaway said the beginning of a semester provides a strategic opportunity because many students are navigating significant changes in their lives. 

“For many students, everything is new – new campus, new friends, new responsibilities and, for some, a new independence they’ve never experienced before,” he said. “They’re asking questions about who they are, where they belong, and what their lives are going to look like.” 

That transition creates opportunities for BCM leaders and local churches to introduce students to Christian community and the gospel. 

“College students are looking for people they can know and places where they belong,” Gasaway said. “Sometimes the doorway to a gospel conversation is a pickleball court, a meal, or simply learning their perspective. These events create natural opportunities forrelationships.” 

Praying beyond the first weeks 

While attendance provides one measure of BCM’s reach, campus ministers say the goal is not simply the size of a gathering. The greater goal is to meet students, share the gospel, develop disciples and connect students with local churches. 

Gasaway said the hope is that early connections will develop into lasting commitments to Christ, His church and His mission. 

“Our prayer is that students who walk onto college campuses this fall will encounter the love and truth of Jesus, become disciples, and find a local church where they can grow and serve,” Gasaway said. “Some of these students will become the next disciple makers and church leaders. We desire for them to live on mission wherever God places them.” 

As the semester continues, BCM leaders across Arkansas are praying that relationships formed during Welcome Week and the opening weeks of school will lead to ongoing discipleship, deeper faith and a growing commitment to the mission of Christ.  

“Our prayer is that God will use BCM to shape an entire generation of students,” Gasway said. 

Photos featured are from welcome week events held by the BCMs of University of Arkansas at Monticello, Arkansas Tech University, and University of Arkansas at Little Rock.