Last weekend, I had the privilege to speak to some of the most influential people in the world--university educators. These are the men and women who pour their lives into the most influential people in the world--students.As we consider the multiplication of disciples, leaders, and churches in our world today, I want to bring to your attention the University Educators for Global Engagement. If you are involved in Baptist higher education, then you definitely need to connect with them. And if you are not, you may want to talk with them about how to begin a similar network for your Church or denomination. 
According to their web site, they exist, "to provide a forum for collaboration among Christian universities seeking to educate and equip their students, faculty, and staff to intentionally engage the world for Christ." This interdisciplinary group, comprised from schools across the United States, meets annually to address the challenges to missions today and how they can best serve the Kingdom with their roles on their campuses.I was asked to speak about global migrations and the Great Commission possibilities. I promised the group that I would post the presentation of my plenary session here at the blog. Most of this session was taken from my forthcoming book Strangers Next Door: Immigration, Migration, and Mission, and some of the sources of the data are not included in these slides. However, even if you were not present last week or not involved in higher education, I hope that this resource may be of some assistance to you as well.Strangers Next Door, Plenary Session 1This group has only been in existence for a few years, but they are serving a wonderful purpose. According to their web site, their objectives include:
- To supplement the integration of faith and learning through global engagement
- To encourage passion for engaging the lost world
- To encourage and support our universities in their commitment to fulfill the Great Commission locally, nationally, and globally
- To foster relationships of missional educators within the university community and to network among like-minded institutions
- To provide a platform for curricular and co-curricular collaboration
- To benefit from the sharing of ideas and resources
I commend these brothers and sisters on their labors. The amount of potential they have in impacting the world by raising up generations of missionaries to serve through marketable degrees and skills is amazingly high. The opportunities they have to reach, equip, partner, and send teams of students to the marketplaces of the world are numerous.This is a group you need to know about, possibly join, or learn from so that you may begin a similar group. University educators. . . mighty servants for gospel advancement!