Legacy Funds Ignite Student Leadership in Northern Minnesota

Northern Minnesota has always been a challenging place for campus ministry. As a rural region with economic hardships, raising funding for campus staff has never been easy. Seasons of great spiritual fruitfulness have often been followed by staff transitions, leaving many campuses unstaffed and unplanted. Yet through it all, God has remained faithful—even sustaining one chapter since 1939 and continuing to stir the hearts of students to reach their peers.

When several staff recently transitioned to new roles, InterVarsity’s leaders in the Region knew that the future of ministry in Northern Minnesota depended on investing in the next generation of student leaders and future campus ministers. But their question was, “how do we equip these students today to step into that calling?”

That’s where InterVarsity’s Legacy Fund made all the difference. With support from this fund, several students received scholarships to attend Ambition, InterVarsity’s national planting conference—an event designed to inspire and equip students to launch new ministries. Without this support, only two or three students might have attended. Instead, 15 students from across Northern Minnesota were able to go, dream together, and seek God’s call for their campuses.

One student arrived at Ambition simply hoping for clarity about her next steps. By the end of the week, she reflected, “I see myself as a leader in many areas of my life—I hold roles and positions in different spaces. But I’m starting to sense that God is calling me to be a leader as a Christian.” Inspired and empowered, she recently launched a new small group in her dorm, creating a space for her peers to encounter Jesus. Meanwhile, several other students are now discerning a call to serve on staff after graduation—ensuring that the work of campus ministry continues for years to come.

—Jacob Fisher, North Area Ministry Director, Northern MN / Northwest WI