COLONIE, N.Y. (WordNews.org) Sept. 11, 2012 — Jeremy Story speaks rapidly about his vision to change the culture of America, one campus at a time.
There’s a sense of urgency in his voice.
And yet, he’s been doing this full-time for nearly half his life. At 37, he has 18 years under his belt leading Campus Renewal Ministries, a ministry he started that is aimed at connecting ministries on a given campus to one another and equipping them to better reach their campuses.
Now, he’s seeking to raise $400,000 to start another ministry, the Campus Transformation Network. Its purpose is to connect any person or organization involved in campus ministry to another nationally.
“My whole goal is it will be hundreds and hundreds of people across our nation,” Story said. He has plans for a national conference next year that will feature key leaders in campus ministries from across the country.
Story is also planning to launch an online publication to coincide with Campus Transformation Network that will allow readers to learn about what is taking place on campuses and develop skills on effective methods for evangelism.
“Our primary goal is to shift culture,” Story said in a WordNews.org interview before meeting with pastors and campus ministers in the Albany, New York, suburb of Colonie last month. “Shift the culture of our country and shift the culture of society in general. We believe college campuses are the primary leverage point to see that happen. … If you shift the campus, you’ll shift the world.”
Story is meeting with about 70 campus ministries next month to lay the groundwork for the Campus Transformation Network.
“My hope is it will amplify the overall leadership given to college campuses so we’d have better leaders and also we’d improve the spiritual climate of these leaders so they’d be able to be more engaged and transformed in the spiritual realm.”
The goal is to increase the number of leaders and improve the quality of the leadership serving colleges.
“Prayer and fasting will be a big deal in this network,” he added.
Story has traveled to more than 40 states and worked with hundreds of campuses in an effort to promote college ministry unity. Campus Renewal Ministries has a small staff of fewer than 20 people, but it has hubs in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arizona and New York City, where it is based.
It is now partnering with Connect Pointe in Albany to help united ministries on several campuses, including the University at Albany, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Union College.
“Our goal isn’t to staff these campuses,” Story explained. “We’re different than some other churches and movements.”
Campus Renewal Ministries works to connect ministries such as Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), InterVarsity and other ministries that may be serving a campus. And not just for a single event but for multiple ministry outreaches.
“Our goal is to support and bless the existing efforts on campus,” Story said. “Tangibly, if we’re reaching 3 percent of the campus now, collectively, as the body of Christ, how can we in the coming years get to 6 percent and 9 percent and 12 percent?”
Story said he saw those kinds of results at its flagship campus at the University of Texas. When Campus Renewal Ministries began working there, about 50 students accepted Christ as savior in a semester. Today, it’s closer to 400 students making that decision a semester.
“I think that is possible when you begin to get all the players at the same table and you tell them, ‘We’ve got to shift the spiritual climate. We’ve got to pray and really seek the Lord together.’”
At the University of Texas, all the ministry leaders on campus meet weekly to pray.
Story quotes Ephesians 4:3 as the roadmap for success on campuses: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
“When we unite together it is the spiritual force that there is no match for,” he said. “Our evangelism is directly linked to our unity.”
Story believes it is important to not focus on head count but percentages. What percentage of the campus has accepted Christ?
“Many might say, ‘We had 100 people come to Christ.’ But we’re not talking about numbers of people coming to Christ. We’re talking about a percentage of the market. Did you lose ground or gain ground? If your goal is simply to add people, then you’re successful. But if your goal is to transform a specific area, than you need to look at the percentage of that area.”
Story said he is seeing a change among ministry leaders on campuses.
“When we first started, most often the question was, ‘Why should we work together? We’re doing fine by ourselves,’” Story said.
Today, that’s not the question.
“People are not asking why should we work together. It’s assumed that we should, which is a major shift in the last 20 years. Now its ‘How do we work together?’ and ‘How do we do it in a way that produces greater results?’”

To learn more about Campus Renewal Ministries and how to give call (512) 331-5991 or visit campusrenewal.org.