Lausanne World Pulse – Perspectives Articles – Catalyzing Student Mission Movements

By Sampson Dorkunor
June / July 2011

The Holy Spirit is cultivating a profound thrust toward the global harvest around the world. The opposition is stronger and the population greater than ever; yet, the resources to finish the job are more abundant than at any time in history.

The most important resource is committed followers of Jesus Christ who are obedient and surrendered to the will of God. The Holy Spirit is seeking those whose hearts are abandoned in their devotion to Christ. He desires to use us, his Church, to accomplish his purpose of bringing in the global harvest (2 Timothy 2:21). From where will these new message-bearers come? Although God is intently searching his entire Church, the Holy Spirit is focusing particular attention on the emerging generation of believers.

According to statistics, most people who become message-bearers make such a decision during their college or university years. Scripture and history prove the desire of God to partner with each successive generation, motivating them to develop a fervent love relationship with him and align themselves fully with his purposes on earth (Daniel 1:8-17).

We know there are still vast populations globally where a powerful, culturally relevant witness of the gospel is still non-existent. These are clearly identified by research:

  • There are over two billion people in nearly six thousand unreached people groups (for near-exhaustive lists, see www.joshuaproject.net). These groups may have churches and some Christians, yet the indigenous local church is not large enough to reach the current generation and future generations on their own.
  • There are over one billion people in unevangelized people groups (for near-exhaustive lists, see the World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed.). In many of these groups there is some cross-cultural mission work going on, yet most of the people in the group are unlikely to hear the gospel in their lifetime.
  • There are over 231 million people in 632 unengaged people groups (www.finishingthetask.com/). These groups have no workers and no churches—and no one targeting them with focused prayer and plans to send workers.

Student Volunteer Movements
Student Volunteer Movement 2 (SVM2) is an informal, international network made up of unifying National Student Mission Movements (NSMMs). It is a grassroots, cross-cultural, mission mobilization initiative among today’s emerging generation of believers toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission in our lifetime.

Over the last several years of listening, learning, and studying historical and contemporary networking models, it has been found that one of the best vehicles to accomplish a widespread, saturation-style, cross-cultural, mission mobilization effort is through the means of catalyzing and unifying NSMMs.

These are national networks made up of partner ministries representing four categories: Bible schools/Christian colleges, campus ministry organizations, denominations/church networks, and mission-sending agencies. NSMMs are indigenous, authentic, and culturally relevant.

Sampson Dorkunor is the Africa regional facilitator with the SVM2 Network and lives in Accra, Ghana.