Helping College Students Discover Their Calling

Dr. Dee McDonald
President of Bethel University

One of the greatest privileges in campus ministry is helping college students discover that God has a purpose for their lives bigger than comfort, success, or self-promotion. Many students arrive on campus asking questions about majors, careers, relationships, and identity, but underneath those questions is a deeper one:

“What am I here for?” Not just at Bethel University in Mishawaka, Indiana, but on this Earth…Why am I here? What is my purpose?

As pastors and ministry leaders, we have an opportunity to point them toward the mission Jesus has already given every believer.

In Matthew 28, Jesus did not reserve His mission for pastors, missionaries, or church staff. He calls all His followers to make disciples. The challenge is that many students spend their college years preparing for a career while never clarifying their calling.

Calling begins with understanding this truth: it’s not about us.

College culture constantly pushes students to build their lives around personal achievement, recognition, and fulfillment. Students are told to “follow your dreams,” “build your platform,” and “create your own identity.” But Jesus calls His followers to something higher than self-centered living. He calls them to Himself. When students encounter Jesus deeply, they begin to see that their education, gifts, relationships, and future careers are not primarily about personal success—they are opportunities to glorify God and serve others.

This shift changes everything.

Instead of asking, “What job will make me happiest?” students begin asking, “How can my life advance the Kingdom of God?”

Instead of seeing mission as something reserved for overseas missionaries, they begin seeing classrooms, dorms, workplaces, and friendships as mission fields.

Pastors play a critical role in helping students make this connection. We must continually remind them that calling is not merely about vocation; it is about obedience. A student may become a teacher, engineer, nurse, entrepreneur, or missionary, but the mission remains the same: Love Like Jesus. Live Like Missionaries. Sound familiar?

That clarity brings freedom.

Students no longer need to panic over finding the “perfect” life plan. They can trust that God leads faithful people who surrender themselves to Him daily. The question becomes less about “What should I do with my life?” and more about “How can I faithfully follow Jesus wherever He sends me?”

Many students are longing for that kind of purpose. They are exhausted by the pressure to create meaning for themselves. What they need is a vision of a life centered on Christ. As ministry leaders, may we challenge students to stop building small kingdoms around themselves and instead give their lives fully to the Kingdom of God.

Recently, our senior basketball player, Andrew Hedrick, summed this up perfectly, citing Colossians 3:23, saying, “This verse reminds me that all the gifts I’ve been given are from God, and I should use them to honor Him in every aspect of my life.” Andrew is just one student but speaks for hundreds of current Bethel students and thousands of alumni who are beneficiaries of that holistic, comprehensive approach to education as they minister to the least, lost, and left out in all our communities. With Christ at the Helm, Bethel students launch into their communities to Love Like Jesus, and Live Like Missionaries.

Ultimately, when students realize it’s not about them—it becomes possible for them to discover what they were truly created for.

At Bethel University, we help students discover their unique callings through exploration and experience, commissioning them for lives of service to the Kingdom and communities where they land. Bethel’s educational model is designed with a core curriculum in the arts and sciences, all taught from a Biblical perspective, building a solid theological framework, then moving on to major coursework. Students are compelled to grow spiritually, think critically, develop lifelong friendships and serve the world.

As a ministry leader, your partnership is invaluable as we seek to be on mission together for God’s kingdom.

Dr. Dee McDonald is the president of Bethel University (Mishawaka, IN), with a pastor’s heart and a teacher’s spirit, and serves on the Ministry Leadership Council of the Missionary Church. Dee has worked in Christian higher education for 20 years and has built healthy, successful teams and systems through his authentic approach, empowering people to fully embrace their God-given potential.