There’s a story about a doctor who found a cure for a horrible, life-threatening disease. There was only one problem: the hospital where he worked was terrible at keeping track of which patients had received the treatment. A second dose was potentially fatal. The doctor found himself in a quandary: how could he save his dying patients with a flawed tracking system?
Those working in campus ministry often feel like that doctor. They have the cure (Jesus) for the worst disease known to mankind, but sometimes the tracking of their efforts is less effective than they would like. And, if a person is contacted too many times, he can be resistant to the gospel.
At the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) movement works hard each year to reach the freshman class with the gospel. Every year, freshmen take spiritual interest surveys on paper cards. The staff members collect hundreds of cards and distribute them to the student leaders so they can answer questions the students have about Jesus and invite them to Cru. Invariably, cards end up wedged at the bottom of backpacks, lying on the floor behind dressers, or hidden in trunks of cars. The people who filled out those cards remain unknown, their questions unanswered. No one follows up with them.
Enter MissionHub, an online follow-up system (developed by Campus Crusade in partnership with Keynote) designed to connect leaders with students who are interested in growing spiritually. This past year, the Cru movement at Steven’s Point used MissionHub.
With MissionHub they can see how many times and in what way a student is contacted. It frees them to focus on getting to know students that haven’t yet had their questions answered. It also prevents the awkward “Yes, I know all about Cru; Susie Q talked to me three times about it!” conversations.
Because of its integration with Facebook and SMS texting, Shannon Ward, a student leader in the Cru movement at Stevens Point, says MissionHub is “social media-ish,” so it’s “almost more natural than doing [follow-up] the old way.” Staff and student leaders are encouraged by seeing the spiritual growth of students through the program.
Like the doctor with the cure, we have a mission: to make Jesus known. Creative tools like MissionHub can help us reach others more effectively; we’re excited about the resulting life change God will bring.
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