Students

Starting NCF Ministry on Campus

student group

Starting NCF ministry on your campus is an adventure and an opportunity to see God transform your life and the lives of those around you!

We believe that God has placed you at your school for more than just your nursing education. He wants you to be a part of the work he is doing in your school to draw people to himself and to bring them into a vibrant relationship with him.

As you take steps of faith to start new NCF ministry, God is going before you. The NCF community of students and nurses around the country will be cheering you on and lifting you up in prayer.

NCF ministry on campus can start in different ways:

  • It can be a ministry of an InterVarsity campus fellowship with the unique mission of reaching nursing students and faculty. Nursing students might meet together for a small group Bible study, a GIG (Group Investigating God), or a regular prayer gathering. 

  • It can be an independent NCF chapter in a school of nursing with the mission of being a community that extends God’s invitation to students and faculty.

We are excited to see how God will lead you and suggest that you begin with prayer! 

Step 1: Pray

Ask God to lead you to others who want to want be a parting of starting a vibrant community that follows Jesus in your school of nursing. NCF ministry exists on campus to answer the question, “What does it look like to follow Jesus in nursing?” Who else around you is asking this question? Ask God to connect you with students and faculty who are following Jesus and desiring to be a witness on campus.

Step 2: Contact the NCF office

We want to join you in prayer and equip you as you take these steps of faith! We will let you know if there is InterVarsity ministry on your campus and if others from your school have expressed interest in starting NCF.  Email us to let us know of your interest.

Step 3: Connect with other Missional Students and Faculty

You want to connect with others who want to be a part of this mission on campus! Missional students and faculty are people who are intentionally following Jesus and recognize his authority in their lives. They have the ability to influence others and are interested in being a part of God’s mission on campus. They are looking for more than just a Christian club or support group. They want to become mission-partners with you. Talk with Christian students, faculty, InterVarsity staff and local pastors and ask if they know of others on campus who could be your next mission partners. 

STEP 4: Develop Prayer Partnerships

When you have found at least one other missional student or faculty member, begin to meet regularly to pray for:

  • A vision for reaching the school of nursing
  • Student leaders and faculty to join you in the mission
  • An NCF community to grow and be an influence on your campus

STEP 5: Think Strategically about Your Campus and Dream Big

Ask these questions to help determine what NCF ministry could look like on your campus.

  • Where are the nursing students and faculty: where do they live, eat, study, and go to classes or clinicals?

  • What are the needs of nursing students on your campus? What kinds of questions are they asking about spirituality in nursing, holistic care, healthcare ethics, and God? How might an NCF ministry give students and faculty a place to discuss these questions? How can Bible studies focusing on faith and nursing and address these needs?

  • How many years will most students be on campus? This factor will influence the ministry’s leadership and structure as you grow.

Dream big! What might an NCF ministry on your campus look like in one, three, or five years? How could it influence the whole school of nursing (curriculum, culture, relationships in the school, etc.).

STEP 6: Host an Informal Gathering

Gather together more Christian nursing students and faculty you know who you hope will be missional and share your vision for NCF ministry on campus. Communicate that you are seeking to form a community that desires to love God, engages people with the gospel, and discovers what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus in nursing. Prepare people ahead of time for the purpose of the meeting.

  • Share your ideas and dreams for NCF ministry at your school (Step 5).
  • Spend time studying a Biblical passage that focuses on God’s mission. Luke 10:1-7 is a great place to start.
  • Pray and discuss together what God can do on your campus. How is God “sending you out” together to advance His mission in your school of nursing? What gifts has He uniquely given you for this mission?
  • Look at what is realistic for the people you have. Know that it is ok to start small, even while you dream big.
  • Invite everyone to join you for a weekly prayer meeting to seek God’s guidance. If possible, meet together for a meal or coffee before or after the prayer meeting to build community.
  • Develop a list of contacts and form a Facebook group or a group email list.
  • Plan to gather together again in a week and pray about who else you can invite. Commit to praying daily for your school of nursing and for God to open your eyes to see where he is present and at work.

STEP 7: Go for a Prayer Walk

Now you are going to pair action with your prayers! Pray Luke 10:2 - that God would send more students and faculty to join your mission. Pray Colossians 4:3 - that there would be open doors for God’s message to be proclaimed, Luke 10:6 - that God would provide people of peace to connect with, and 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - that people’s eyes would be open to Jesus. Pray for God to guide you as you pray and walk.

  • Go out in groups of 2-3 and pray around the places on campus where there are nursing students.

  • If you come across students, introduce yourselves, tell them you are praying for students in the college of nursing and that you are starting Nurses Christian Fellowship ministry. Ask if you can pray for them right there and what they would like prayer for. Keep your prayers brief and know that God will guide you!

  • Gather back together at the conclusion of your walk and thank God for what He did! Share how God challenged you, how you saw people respond, what may have been hard for you, and how God led your prayers. Pray again for those you met during your walk.

  • Commit to praying daily for your school of nursing and for particular people and places where you would like to see God do transforming work.

STEP 8: Preparing for Mission

You are well on your way to forming a core of students and faculty who are part of God’s mission on campus! As you gather again in another week, share how God has continued to answer your prayers. Remind one another of your vision for what God can do in your lives and in your school of nursing. This is why you are gathering together! Pray for each other and for your school. Encourage one another and be reminded that you are part of God’s mission together!

Study God’s Word together either using the “What’s Vital” studies or using the inductive method to study a story of Jesus’ interactions with others from the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  NCF also has questions for applying the Bible to nursing, which can be used to contextualize your Bible study discussion. 

  • Make space for everyone to contribute during the Bible study

  • During application, discuss how the passage applies to your lives as nursing students and how God is inviting you to respond.

  • Plan for your action step next week! What did you learn in the passage today that you can “live out” together? This could be something simple like meeting up with 2 friends from clinical for coffee next week and inviting them to Bible study the following week, asking a spiritual assessment question of at least one of your patients and listening to everything they want to share, etc. If you cannot do the action steps all together plan for when you can meet to debrief, thank God, and hear the stories of how God is moving!

  • Continue with this pattern: Bible study one week and “action step” activity the following week. Keep inviting people and praying that they would join you in this mission! 

STEP 9: Follow up and Share

Personally contact and thank the people who came to the first meeting. Ask if they have any questions. Meet one or two of them for lunch before the next gathering.

  • Keep in touch with people through a Facebook group or email list.
  • Share prayer requests and ways that you see God at work
  • Discuss what God is teaching you as a follower of Jesus in nursing.
  • Share in the responsibilities so that you can all further the mission. Who can communicate about the next gathering through Facebook, who will lead Bible study, who can bring food, etc.?

STEP 10: Follow up with NCF Staff

Keep the NCF office up to date on what is happening in your NCF chapter! We love hearing from you!

If you are interested in pursuing official campus recognition and NCF affiliation, contact the NCF office for the constitution and affiliation template documents. We will help guide you through this process. Check out “Why Affiliate” for more information.

We would like to know about your new NCF ministry so that we can send you resource materials, pray for you, and help connect you to other NCF ministries in your area. If you’ve started a new ministry on campus, please contact NCF.

Stay connected: Join the NCF Community on Facebook and sign up for Campus Vitals, our monthly student e-newsletter.