“By neglecting fasting and prayer you are blocking a dynamic means by which the Holy Spirit brings change.”
Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ
Prayer can have a tremendous impact on a college campus. This is a truth that Bill Bright fully understood. The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ grasped the urgency of prayer for our college campuses. Millions of college students walk on campus every day. Let me rephrase that… MILLIONS OF SOULS WHO ARE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE ARE WALKING ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS EVERY DAY SEEKING THE ANSWERS TO LIFE’S DEEP QUESTIONS. With this in mind, the local church and campus ministry should work to together to cover the local campus with prayer, asking God to soften the hearts of students. I love another relevant quote attributed to Bill Bright: “Show me a church or a Christian organization that emphasizes prayer, and I’ll show you a ministry where people are excited about Jesus Christ and are witnessing for Him.”
The academic calendar is a great way to strategically approach prayer for the local campus. Below are several key times to pray for the local campus:
- August – This is an important time to pray for a) College students from your church and b) College students at your local campus. A special emphasis of prayer for college students could take place during the first or second Sunday in August. Have the students leaving for college to attend the service. Recognize them during the service, as you did for their high school graduation, and pray over them. This could be an added connection to them before they leave. If you are praying for the local campus, set aside a specific Sunday in August after students return to campus. Likewise, recognize them during the service and pray over them.
- October – A college student’s classwork gets really craze in October with midterms. Consider reaching out to students who may request prayer during a difficult time of the semester. Also, October is a great time to have a prayer-walking event. Check out the website Everycampus.com to sign up to pray for a campus or two as well as get ideas on prayer-walking.
- December – FINALS usually hit in December. Allow this to be a time for concentrated prayer for your college students. Contact them on how to pray for them. Set aside time during the worship service to pray for college students from your church.
- January – Like August, this is an important time to pray for a) College students from your church and b) College students at your local campus. A special emphasis of prayer for college students could take place during the first or second Sunday in January. Have the students leaving for college to attend the service. Recognize them during the service and pray over them. If you are praying for the local campus, set aside a specific Sunday in January after students return to campus. Likewise, recognize them during the service and pray over them.
- February – Join the nationwide Prayer emphasis for college campuses in February by going to collegiatedayofprayer.org. You can sign up to pray for a campus or campuses on a specific day in a given year. For example, the date for 2020 is February 27. Rally your church or campus ministry to pray for college students that day.
- April/May – During this time of the semester, students are preparing for FINALS. Like December, allow this to be a time for concentrated prayer for your college students. Contact them on how to pray for them. Set aside time during the worship service to pray for college students from your church.
There are many other times to pray for college students. Allow this list to be a place to start if your church or campus ministry has not taken a step towards focused prayer for your college students or local campus.
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