When Tom Clark's daughter went to college last fall, Tom wanted her to get involved in a Christian group on campus. Unfortunately, there weren't any. The school she attended, Chemekata Community College in Salem, Ore., had 5,000 full-time students but no Christian groups. Tom and his wife, Denise, began feeling that God might want them to start something.

Meanwhile, across town the people at Dayspring Fellowship were also thinking about Chemekata. Church members considered the college part of their mission field but didn't know what to do.

About that time Lee Davis of Campus Crusade stopped by. He was visiting churches in the area, looking for a leader to start a ministry at Chemekata. After meeting Tom Clark and the people at Dayspring, Lee helped them begin ministries to the students.

Not too long ago it would have been unlikely that Lee would have visited Salem. Campus Crusade resources were stretched thin on the 200-plus campuses with active ministries, and few staff members had time to minister at community colleges, small private colleges or branches of the main state universities. But today the Campus Ministry is fishing in new waters; it's taking Christ to places once considered out of reach.

This trend began in 1992, when the leadership brainstormed how to reach every college student in America. They researched the student population and identified 3,600 schools of higher education, comprising more than 14 million students.

Unfortunately, Christian groups like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Navigators, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Baptist Student Union and Campus Crusade put together were only touching about 1,000 of those campuses.

"There was so much more we could do to reach every student in America," says Chris Willard, a leader in the Campus Ministry. "Add it all up, and we weren't even trying to reach 70 percent of the college students in America. We all thought we were doing better."

But how does one "do better?" You can't just tell hard-working staff members, "Make more bricks with less straw--go reach 2,000 more campuses."

Then a thought struck them. Within five miles of every school in the country, God has placed the resources to reach that school. Somebody cares about that school, someone whose kids go to that school, perhaps, or who studies or teaches there.

"We decided to develop a whole new division," says staff member Dan Hardaway, "called 'Catalytic Ministry,' with the responsibility to launch and resource campus ministry in 2,000 venues."

"Catalytic's mission is to take the gospel to campuses where there is no Campus Crusade ministry or perhaps no ministry at all," says Chris Willard. "As Paul says in Romans 15:20, it's our ambition to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named."

Chemekata Community College, in Salem, Ore., was one such school. With the help of Catalytic staff member Lee Davis, a three-way partnership formed between Campus Crusade, Dayspring Fellowship and Salem Free Methodist, which Tom Clark attends. Tom, an auto-body repairman by day, cares about Chemekata because his daughter goes there, as do members of the college-age Sunday school class he teaches. Lee helped Tom and his wife begin a Friday-night outreach to students.

Over at Dayspring, Pastor Karl LaCalli reserves time each Wednesday to help lead the fledgling group. "I'm excited because this challenges me to get on campus," he says.

"The higher up you go, the lonelier it gets. Dick has credibility in this group," says Navy Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer. "We're open because we know it will stop right here. It's been a tremendous oasis for me."

People like the Clarks and Pastor Karl are the key to seeing changed lives on every campus in America. "If you can find the leader God has placed there," says Chris Willard, "and he [or she] shares our vision of turning lost students into Christ-centered laborers, we can provide him with everything needed--coaching, training, Christmas conferences, summer projects, evangelistic tools."

That leader might, like Karl LaCalli, be a pastor. Or a layman, like Tom Clark. Or even a Campus Crusade alumnus, like Minnesota farmer Andy Aanerud. Andy and his wife, Heather, met at a Campus Crusade summer project. After graduation Andy bought his grandpa's wheat farm near the University of Minnesota at Morris, and soon began a Campus Crusade group at Morris. Andy and Heather each lead small groups on campus, and the women's ministry at their church helps out by paying for baby-sitting when the couple goes on campus.

Once a month or so veteran staff member Julie Stanakis phones from the Campus Ministry's Orlando, Fla., office with advice on how to run the ministry. "Julie has been such a lifeline for us," says Heather, "because we feel like we're out here all alone."

The leader may also be a professor or a student. Staci Shields, for example, attends Agnes Scott College, an all-women's school of 720 students. "I was excited about Campus Crusade's vision for Atlanta," says Staci, "and I wanted to start a group here. I was amazed they would target all schools, not just prestigious ones."

Now Staci helps lead the Metro Atlanta ministry, which brings together 200 students from 14 schools.

Ministries launched or resourced by the Catalytic branch need not carry the name of Campus Crusade. "We say to churches, 'How can we help you reach students?'" says Chris Willard. A church or independent Christian group on a campus can look at strategies and tools developed by Campus Crusade and choose the ones that best fit their situation.

Results have been spectacular, to say the least. During the last four years, Catalytic staff members have launched or resourced ministries on 450 campuses. "Sometimes two plus two equals 10," say Chris. "We bring what we have, [the local partner] brings what they have, and pretty soon the whole is greater than the sum of the parts."

In southeast Ohio, Lori Weber, a student at Cedarville College, visited Campus Crusade at Ohio State. With the help of staff member Matt Kuchers, Lori returned to Cedarville and began training fellow students in campus ministry. They took Clark State Community College as their mission field and began a Campus Crusade group there as well. A nearby church (Southgate Baptist) serves as a church home for the new believers.

Such scenes can be multiplied hundreds of times across the country. But this approach does have potential weaknesses. For one, it takes more time to build a strong campus movement. At a place like Ohio State, with 16 full-time staff members, someone like Matt could meet with a student leader several times a week. Down the road at Cedarville, it might be once or twice a month. And for Andy and Heather Aanerud, the contact is almost exclusively by phone.

There's also a danger that the local group will focus on fellowship rather than on building leaders who will go to the world. "If we are not seeing effective evangelism happen within a couple of years," says Matt Kuchers of Ohio, "We need to reconsider, and maybe say, 'Folks, we're not here just to have a fellowship, we're here to win, build and send.'"

Furthermore, having relatively young Christians representing Campus Crusade and the Lord Jesus Christ could be risky. That's where local churches come in. These enthusiastic young believers need a home where they can grow spiritually. A church family, too, can provide stability and continuity to a ministry.

"[Working with Campus Crusade] is a win-win situation," says Pastor Jeff Gill, of Delaware Grace Brethern Church near Columbus, Ohio. "I've been at this church 15 years, and Matt Kuchers is helping fulfill a dream I've had from Day 1, which is to have a ministry to the students at Ohio Wesleyan. For years it was almost like we hit a brick wall, and now God is using Matt to make significant inroads to the campus."

And God is using the Catalytic Ministry to make significant inroads to the 2,000 campuses with little or no evangelical witness. Lost students in totally new places are coming to Christ and reaching out to their friends.

As Chris Willard puts it, "We are happy and give glory to God even when it's only 10 students [involved in Campus Crusade] on a campus, because, listen, that's 10 students on a campus where previously there were none."

For information on which student organizations, if any, are active at a particular college, or for information on how to begin a campus ministry, please call Student LINC at 1-800-678-LINC (5462).