More About Us
The nitty-gritty of who we are, what we believe, and what we do
The CA story (Who We Are)
First, our name comes from II Corinthians 5:20:
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
We are called to serve as Christ’s ambassadors, sharing the news that everyone is invited to be reconciled, in a strong, healthy relationship, with God our Creator. We spread this news on college campuses, reaching students with Christ’s love.
Campus Ambassadors Christian Community, affectionately called “CA”, started in 1965 at Northern Arizona University, and is currently on more than 30 campuses in the United States and Mexico.
More about CA National
Campus Ambassadors is the campus-focused branch of a larger ministry called Missions Door. Missions Door also has ministries reaching internationally, urban development, church planting, American Latinos, and other specialized areas.
More about Missions Door
The Core of What We Believe
We believe:
- That there is only one true God, one being in three persons: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This relationship is the perfect example of community.
- That God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present.
- That God is love, just and merciful, and continually lavishes us with gifts such as peace, hope, joy, patience and much, much more.
- That God created us all with purpose and significance.
- That the Bible is the true Word of God, trustworthy and reliable, written by God using Holy Spirit-directed authors.
- That God longs for us all to be in a right, close relationship with Him.
- That when God created us, we had a right, close relationship with God in the Garden of Eden.
- That when we sinned, evil entered the world, and our perfect relationship with God was broken.
- As sinners, we are unable to repair this relationship.
- That God created a way to bring us back into a close relationship with Him through His son, Jesus Christ.
- That Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, fully God and fully human, who left the glory of heaven to live as a man on earth.
- That Jesus taught us how to have a relationship with God, and made it possible by taking on the sins of every man, woman, and child for all of time onto himself, and was crucified on a cross, Himself innocent of every sin.
- That Jesus did not stay dead, but was made alive again on the third day.
- That he appeared to many people, before returning to heaven to be with God the Father.
- That everyone is able to have this perfect relationship with God again by believing that we are sinners, that Jesus is God’s son and has paid for our sins, and committing our lives to Him, making Jesus our Lord and Savior.
- That God continues to work in the world through His Holy Spirit, inviting us all to personal relationship with Him.
- That by following Christ’s example, and by following the Bible, our relationship with God continues to grow.
- That God commands all who have made Him their Savior and Lord to live in a way that reflects that decision.
We strive to be obedient, not primarily out of fear for God’s anger, but by choice, and recognition that God’s commands are given in His love for our good, and because of our love for Him, we desire to obey Him.
What we do
Our goal is short and simple: “To help everyone, no matter where they are, to grow closer to Christ.”
We do this in a variety of ways. Campus Ambassadors has four objectives that define what we do, called our Distinctives:
- Lordship Evangelism : To introduce students to Jesus Christ and calling them to personally commit themselves to Him as Lord and Savior.
- Church Relationship : To help students understand and appreciate the importance of active involvement in the local church, as God’s primary instrument for growth and service.
- Biblical Righteousness : To challenge students to grow as obedient disciples of Christ, whose personal, social and public lives reflect God’s righteousness, justice and compassion in our world.
- Leadership Development : To equip students to serve and influence others through Christ-like leadership in the church, the marketplace and society at large.
We accomplish these Distinctives through our five value-methods:
- Campus-Centered : We meet where students live and study
- Student-Led : Students are trained and equipped to be leaders among their peers
- Church-Related : We work in partnership with local churches
- Ministry-Driven : We intentionally avoid a “one size fits all” structure
- Diversity-Focused : We celebrate our unique ethnic and cultural perspectives
In short, we use whatever God-honoring methods of gentleness and respect we can to help others understand Christ’s incredible, transformative love for them.
