Ministry exposure

Opportunities to serve others

Every fall and spring, the Center for Ministry Training (CMT) leads groups of Liberty University students on ministry exposure trips across the U.S. These trips help students understand their roles as disciples of Christ and give them an opportunity to put their faith into practice.

Each exposure trip usually lasts around five to seven days. The group will spend the week serving with a local church or non-profit ministry in ways specific to the location’s needs.

“We do things that relate to the local church, and also mercy ministry with anti-sex trafficking or homeless ministry,” Ministry Trip Coordinator Justin Wester said.

Because each trip is designed to give students hands-on experience, the teams are typically small, consisting of around 10 to 13 students. Each applicant is interviewed beforehand and prayerfully considered by the CMT leadership team. Ultimately, the CMT chooses a group of students who have a mutual willingness to serve and learn.

“It all starts with the mission of the CMT,” Wester said. “(We) create ministry opportunities and cultivate ministry-consciousness.”

Wester said the leadership team plans these trips to give students the opportunity to connect and serve with other like-minded believers around the country. He also added that the CMT’s goal is for these experiences to bring about a distinct shift in students’ mindsets.

“It seems like there’s a perception where ministry is reserved for a specific type of occasion or a specific type of person, like a religious-type degree or a ministry personnel in an institutional church,” Wester said. “Our idea is that regardless of your vocation, if you are a disciple of Christ, you are in ministry.”

For almost five years, the CMT has used these exposure trips as a platform to spread their mission for ministry. Over the past few years, the program has grown and now offers up to seven ministry exposure trips each year.

“While I was a student at Liberty, I went on a couple of the first exposure trips, and they really opened my eyes,” Wester said. “It was interesting to see the culture shifts, even within the (U.S.), and how ministry practices change depending on who you are trying to reach. … It isn’t all the same.”

This spring break, the CMT offers a variety of ministry experiences. In fact, they give students the option to choose from five different flight or drive exposure trips.

The first flight trip will be to Salt Lake City and will focus on equipping the team with apologetics. It will also give them the unique opportunity to share their faith with the local Mormon community. The CMT will also lead a flight trip to Las Vegas, where they will be partnering with Grace City Church to do homeless ministry.

“We are also going to be heading a flight trip to Miami,” Wester said. “The focus there is going to be a cross-cultural outreach to the Latino community with James Dobson and his wife. … It is going to be a very unique experience for students.”

Additionally, Wester said they will lead two driving trips to Atlanta and Baltimore, where they will work at local safe houses with victims of sex trafficking.

“Regardless of the trip students choose, it will be a chance for them to put their classroom knowledge to work and get hands-on experience,” Wester said. “We really want to show students that they can get involved no matter who they are or what they want to do career-wise.”

RUTT is a feature reporter.