Advertise on podcast: REACH - A College Ministry Podcast of Acts 2 Network

What do you do when an outreach strategy gets little response — give up, or make a thoughtful adjustment? Kevin and Jessie Ding, who lead the Acts2 Network ministry at one of the newest church plants, join the REACH podcast to share how they improve their outreach rather than abandon it: lowering the barrier into Course 101 with a 15-minute Zoom conversation, using a dot-voting grid to learn where students stand spiritually, and a mission road trip pitched to Christian University students eager for evangelism training. They also open up about how they generate ideas as a team, how they teach this mindset to their church plant interns, and what keeps perseverance from becoming stubbornness. P.Manny unpacks the SPOT framework (See it firsthand; Pinpoint what works; Optimize for One; Tweak and test). If you've ever been tempted to quit on a ministry strategy too early, this conversation will help you persevere — and improve.

How do you help college students move from attending church to taking ownership of the mission? In Episode 50 of the REACH Podcast, Will and Andrea Sam shares how they developed student leaders in Michigan and how they’re applying those lessons at UT Austin. From identifying potential leaders and clarifying expectations to providing discipleship, navigating accountability, and entrusting students with small groups and outreach, this conversation offers practical guidance for building a culture of student ownership. Whether your campus ministry is just getting started or feels understaffed, Will and Andrea encourage you to start small, invest deeply, and pass the baton to students who can reach their peers.

College campuses may be experiencing both spiritual openness and growing resistance—but the opportunity to reach students is real, and the window may not stay open forever. In this episode, we explore why raising student leaders is essential to multiplying gospel impact on campus. You’ll learn the RAISE framework: Reinforce an invitational culture, Accompany students in ministry, Intercede for theirfriends and campus, Share the Gospel as a normal part of discipleship, and Empower students with meaningful leadership opportunities. Discover practical ways tomove from doing ministry for students to equipping them to lead, reach their peers, and help transform their campus.

What makes an event spiritually transformative rather than merely memorable? In this episode of the REACH Podcast, Mark Matlock—Senior Fellow at Barna and Executive Director of Urbana—explores the power of high-impact events to help students encounter God, clarify their calling, and take a faithful next step in His global mission. Drawing on Urbana’s rich legacy and his decades of ministry leadership, Mark shares why immersive gatherings can serve as crucial bridges between local churches, campus ministries, and a deeper commitment to Jesus; how intentional “crucible moments” form resilient disciples; and why today’s spiritually curious generation needs meaningful challenge.

In this episode of the REACH Podcast, P.Manny explores why a deep, working knowledge of Scripture is essential for college ministry today. As students navigate competing worldviews, distraction, loneliness, and a culture shaped by constant consumption, ministers must be anchored in God’s Word and equipped to lead others with wisdom and conviction. P.Manny introduces the ANCHOR framework—a practical guide to understanding the Bible’s arc, names, cities, historical context, central themes, and rituals—and offer encouragement to become people of the Book who can help the next generation stand firm in Christ.

In this episode of the REACH Podcast, Pastor Manny challenges outdated college ministry methods and makes the case for a simpler, more sustainable strategy for reaching today’s students. Using the CALM framework—Clarity, Autonomy, Limited touch points, and Minimum viable effort the episode explores how ministries can create real spiritual momentum without burnout, over complication, or dependence on outdated event models.

In this episode of the REACH podcast, Manny sits down with Trace Hamiter, founder and Executive Director of the Oaks Collaborative, to unpack the vision, strategy, and fruit of a unique ministry that meets students before they ever step onto campus. Since 2012, Oaks has hosted 3‑day, 2‑night pre‑freshman retreats on more than 20 college campuses—from Auburn to Rutgers and soon UCLA—connecting incoming students with trained upperclassmen, local churches, and campus ministries to counter the stark reality that nearly 70% of regular churchgoing high schoolers drift from their faith in college. Trace shares his origin story, the biblical “oaks of righteousness” vision from Isaiah 61:3, andwhy anguished, desperate prayer is the starting point for mission, then walks through how peer‑led retreats, church partnerships, and intentional discipleship are helping students build a Christ‑centered reference group in the critical first 72 hours of college life.

In this episode of the REACH podcast, the focus is on why taking a fresh look at your campus matters. It’s easy to get used to familiar spaces, ministry rhythms, and assumptions, but stepping back onto campus with fresh eyes can reveal new opportunities, changing student patterns, and overlooked places for connection. Using stories, examples, and the F.I.R.S.T. framework — Fan out, Inspect, Reimagine, Snap, and Talk — this episode encourages college ministers to rediscover their campus and approach the new season with renewed vision and energy.

In this episode of the Reach Podcast, Manny sits down with Paul Worcester, national collegiate director for the North American Mission Board and founder of Christian Challenge and the Campus Multiplication Network, for a wide-ranging conversation about college ministry, evangelism, discipleship, prayer, and multiplication. Paul shares how God used trials, small beginnings, and everyday faithfulness to shape his ministry at Chico State and beyond, offering practical encouragement for leaders who want to build a culture of evangelism and raise up students who make disciples. Paul's Resources: https://linktr.ee/paulworcester      •    Thrive Bible Study     •    Three Habits Ebook     •    For The Harvest Podcast     •    Jim Elliot conference message https://www.campusmultiplicationnetwork.com/podcast/s1e11     •    “Master List”

In this REACH episode, we sit down with friends from our first-ever Bible Leadership Institute (BLI) cohort to unpack what a year of bi-vocational leadership training at the Acts 2 Training Center is like. In addition to classes and workshops, they share how God used serving behind the scenes at the Acts 2 Training Center (ATC) helped to stretch their servanthood muscles in surprising ways. Along the way, they talk about finding rest in daily Scripture, gleaning wisdom from seasoned pastors and Barnabas leaders, and gaining a “front-row seat” to what God is doing across youth, college, church plants, and global missions in our network. Whether you are in ministry, bivocational work, or just curious how leaders are formed over decades, this conversation offers an honest, hope-filled window into how ordinary faithfulness over time shapes kingdom leaders.

In this episode of the REACH podcast, we sit down with CPIs (Church Plant Interns) who chose to give their first year after graduation not to career or grad school, but to helping plant new churches in college towns. We trace the storyof our CPI program from its beginnings in 2014 at UC Santa Barbara through the “Great Scattering” to the recent teams at UIUC, MSU, and IU, where they witnessed salvations, baptisms, and countless behind‑the‑scenes stories of God at work. Along the way, we talk about calling, life on a church plant team, learning under pastors, and how a CPI year can clarify life purpose and set a long‑term trajectory for missions and ministry. Whether you’re in our network or just curious from the outside, this conversation offers an honest, faith‑building glimpse into what it’s really like to spend that precarious first post‑grad year on high‑stakes gospel mission as a CPI.

In this episode of the REACH podcast, Manny unpacks the purpose of ERTs, or evangelism road trips, as a practical way to step onto college campuses, engage students, and share the Gospel. He reflects on how going in person helps reawaken a heart for campus ministry, reveals the spiritual need across universities, and reminds listeners that there is still much “land” to be reached. Manny also introduces the G-SHOES framework, a simple set of steps for running an effective ERT, and shares stories that show how one campus conversation can become the beginning of someone’s journey toward faith.

Robin and Laura Waller of Lift Church share how a desperate first-year prayer for a church at McMaster University became a multiplying movement of “simple churches” now spread across nine campuses in Southern Ontario, with eyes on McGill and French Canada. They unpack how their house-based simple churches function as the core unit of discipleship and mission, why every real member is embedded in one, and how this structure lets them raise up student leaders who can plant new works in just a few years. Robin and Laura also get candid about co-leading as a married couple, raising kids as co-laborers in a student neighborhood, limiting screens to cultivate deep connection, and the bittersweet cost of continually sending their best to pioneer new campuses in one of the most secular regions of the world.

In this second episode on Sunday house church, Pastor Manny and Sunny sit down with Andrew and Violet Siegand from Kairos 1 at the University of Maryland. They walk us through what actually happens on a Sunday night in their home—from circles of students on the floor playing games and sharing a home-cooked meal to an Acts 2–style time in Scripture and discussion led and shaped by student leaders. We explore how this non-traditional model trades polished programs and production stress for an organic, family-like environment where students linger, serve, and grow as co-builders of the community through shared space, and life-on-life discipleship.

In this episode of the REACH podcast, we explore how Alex and Kristen Song at the University of Maryland are reimagining the traditional Sunday service for a new generation of college students. Drawing from the history of seeker-sensitive mega churches and the organic Jesus Movement, we trace how the church’s attractional service model flourished in past decades but no longer fits an age marked by mistrust of institutions and a hunger for relational, interactive discipleship. Alex and Kristen unpack what happens in the room on Sundays, why a familial environment with shared meals, kids in the mix, and extended life-on-life discipleship resonates so deeply with mostly freshman students, and how this has led to clear salvation and Lordship decisions as they raise up future student leaders.