Our Distinctives

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CONNECTION TO THE LOCAL CHURCH

Campus Outreach believes in a relationship with the church. Unlike most campus ministries, Campus Outreach is not a para-church organization. Though we are not connected to one particular denomination, each regional ministry is under the authority and leadership of a regional church body, which provides a crucial source of accountability, leadership and resources. Staff members and students involved with Campus Outreach in other cities and towns become involved in local churches. Campus Outreach Minneapolis is under the authority and a ministry of The North Church in Mounds View, Minnesota. To learn more about COM's church visit The North Church's website. 

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COMMITMENT TO EVANGELISM

Campus Outreach has a strong commitment to sharing the Gospel with unbelieving students on each campus. We believe that this is commanded and modeled all throughout scripture. We look at texts like Romans 10:13-15 and 2 Timothy 4:2 as scriptural basis for sharing our faith with non-christian students on the campus.

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COMMITMENT TO DISCIPLESHIP

We believe the best spiritual training takes place in the context of relationships. Rather than relying on a program or Bible-study curriculum, we emphasize the importance of life-on-life relationships - one individual sharing his or her life with another. We are not necessarily only a fellowship group, though fellowship is an important part of our values. We focus primarily on Discipling new and young believers and training them to do the same with their fellow college students. We have a high value for ministry training.

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GROWTH STRATEGY

Campus Outreach has found that the most effective way to grow big is by staying small. Campus Outreach is actually made up of 20 independent "franchises" throughout the world. Once a franchise grows large enough, it launches new staff members to a new campus in another location. From there, Campus Outreach seeks out a regional church to "adopt" Campus Outreach as its college ministry. Once a church agrees, and after a period of testing and transition, the new host church assumes all authority and oversight for that franchise. So in essence, Campus Outreach is a collection of the 20 college ministries of individual churches which share a common vision and strategy but with no central headquarters or central authority.

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REFORMED THEOLOGY

We believe that the Bible points us to a Sovereign God who is in control of all things in heaven and on earth. We, as humans, are created in His image, but are helpless to please Him or turn to Him. Apart from Christ, we are all dead spiritually and can do nothing to earn our righteousness or become justified in His sight. But God, being rich in mercy, made us alive through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He chose his elect before the foundation of the world, and in love, He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ. After God changes our heart, there is nothing we can do to lose our salvation because it is a gift of God's grace and He is always faithful to complete the work he begins. (Psalm 113, Romans 3:11, Ephesians 2:1-10, Ephesians 1:4-7, Ezekiel 36:26, Philippians 1:6)