'Hero Generation' Dispatched to Spread Jesus' Name

By Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter Friday, July 06, 2007

Over 16,000 college students have been prepped into a "powerful spiritual army" and are being sent back to their campuses for a global evangelical movement.

Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC)'s largest global student missions conference in Busan, South Korea, concluded Thursday as CCC designated the diverse bunch of college students as "a hero generation," as Dorrie Block of CCC in Canada put it, with the potential to reach the entire world for Jesus Christ.

"There's no doubt our coming together will [enact] ... campus movements everywhere," Michael Jabraj, CCC director of affairs for South Asia, told the thousands of students who came from 127 countries. "What better way to leave than to know what a wonderful Savior we serve."

The conclusion of the weeklong CM2007 (Campus Mission) at the BEXCO Convention Center in Busan marked the dispatch of a new wave of Christian students committed to reaching all 8,000 of the world's most influential college campuses.

Currently, CCC identified Christian movements only on 2,000 of those top-tier campuses. And the goal this year is to see 365 new movements launched.

There are "6,000 major campuses where we know of no movement of God," said CCC president Dr. Steve Douglass. "That means that tens of millions of students cannot possibly ... hear about Jesus from someone they know and trust which means they will continue to live a life of pain and anguish without God."

Students committing themselves to CCC's global initiative and the fulfillment of the Great Commission will be equipped through the Global Learning Center - a web-based interactive training that helps students start campus movements anywhere in the world.

"Nothing will prevent this army from growing thousands tonight to millions tomorrow to billions," said Jabraj.

With thousands expected to participate in the new thrust, Douglass reminded them that they are preceded by decades of CCC movements that have impacted colleges around the world.

"You are joining a long and rich heritage of students who have gone before you, who in the power of the Holy Spirit have done great conquests for God and they're beckoning you to join them in that quest," he told the CM2007 crowd on Wednesday.

Douglass is hopeful of the massive group of students, but indicated he wants to see genuine commitment and not one based on a whim.

"When you leave here, you're going to leave all the excitement ... and if your commitment was based on nothing but that, it will slowly go away," he said. "When you leave here, it would be very good for you to have an answer to this question: Why have I decided to connect with Christ's command?"

And the goal of the mission isn't just about building movements, Jabraj stated.

"We build movements not by pursuing movements," he said. "We build movements by pursuing the glory of God.

"This is about Christ magnified."

CM2007, held June 30-July 5, was CCC's largest global student missions event that also served as an on-going project to reach every student on each of the 8,000 top-tier college campuses. The $4 million conference was hosted by Korea Campus Crusade for Christ - the first CCC established outside the United States. Campus Crusade for Christ International, which is in 190 countries, is one of the largest Christian organizations in the world.