Student Campus Pastors Promote Spiritual Growth

Students attend morning chapels, praise God at Shine, and participate in chapel credit opportunities campus-wide. But who are the people “backstage” that invent chapel ideas and credit opportunities? It is the Spiritual Formation department, and more specifically, Student Campus Pastors.

The 2011-2012 school year is quickly approaching and Spiritual Formation recently announced the selection of student campus pastors for next year. To become a Student Campus Pastor, applicants submit an application and undergo an interview process. Four current student campus pastors are returning to the position and eight are completely new.

Head Campus Pastor Vince Beresford says the central responsibilities of student campus pastors include the following: organizing chapels, praying with students (for example, at Shine services), and connecting with fellow students “life-on-life.”

Beresford does not want student campus pastors to seem disconnected from the student body.

“I want to make sure that we are never presenting this position or these students as the spiritual elite,” Beresford said. “We want to make sure the [student campus pastor position] is a helpful, connecting piece that helps bridge the gaps, not create them.”

Beresford stated that not only does he believe in this goal, but the student campus pastors do as well.

Junior Kristina Ripperdan, returning student campus pastor, affirms that true leadership does not develop from one’s title.

“Leadership doesn’t simply come from a position or a title, but is a personal response to the Lord’s calling in one’s life, to have the boldness to say ‘yes’ when no one’s looking,” Ripperdan said.

Freshman Jonathan Dumas, first-time student campus pastor, is looking forward to serving others through his position.

“Helping others find a stronger path to Christ, having a foundation in God—that’s what I’m really looking forward to,” Dumas said.

Sophomore Abraham Musto, first-time student campus pastor, says that his calling plays into the reason he decided to apply for the position.

“My calling is to be a youth pastor, so I have an internship over the summer and I figured the next step is to actually become a pastor; to start doing what God’s wanting me to do,” Musto said.

Any Vanguard student is eligible to apply for student campus pastor positions and should see the Spiritual Formation office if interested.

The complete list of student campus pastors also includes freshmen David Beavis, sophomores Natalie Carroll, Olivia Clark, and Jonathon Murillo,  juniors LaRanda Jones, Denny Reed, Brian Simonsim, and Alli Williams, and senior Lauren Doell.