When Campus Revival Fuels Church Renewal

By Sharon Mager

LUTHERVILLE, Md. — It has long been a strategy, a goal, and a prayer of BCM/D collegiate leaders to see Christian students mentored, encouraged, and equipped to make disciples who lead in Maryland/Delaware churches and beyond. God is answering that prayer — and Valley Baptist Church is a powerful example.

Rachel Jones leads the GraceLife BCM group at Towson University alongside veteran Collegiate Minister Mike McQuitty. (Photo courtesy of BCM)

Struggling to survive, Valley has found new life by focusing on young adults and collegiate ministry. God has been blessing, and now, attendance has doubled, and the church is witnessing salvations, baptisms, and young leaders stepping into ministry roles.

One of those leaders is Rachel Jones. As a student, Jones was mentored through the Maryland/Delaware Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), where she grew in her faith while developing leadership and evangelism skills. Today, with more than eight years in collegiate ministry, she leads the GraceLife BCM group at Towson University alongside veteran Collegiate Minister Mike McQuitty, her longtime mentor and now her pastor. She is also serving as a leader at Valley Baptist Church.

Rachel’s Journey of Faith
Jones began a spiritual search at 14, after friends invited her to a sleepover with the expectation that she would attend church with the family the next morning. “I was like, we all have to make sacrifices,” she laughed. But that experience changed her life.

On that Sunday, First Baptist Church of Perryville’s former pastor, John Gauger, preached from Romans 3:10–11: “There’s no one who does good, not even one…”

College students fellowship during a Friday night gathering at Valley Church. (Photo by Morgan Lewis)

“This was really revolutionary to me because I had been raised in a home where morality was at the center point of everything. This was very counterintuitive,” Jones said. It was the spark that began her search for truth.

She explored Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and mindfulness. “Along the way, I came to believe this (Christianity) is true: I’m a sinner separated from a perfect God…but there is a way I could have that right relationship with Him through faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.”

Encouraged by Gauger, who became an early mentor and patiently answered her many questions, Jones joined his multiple mission trips to Africa. Convinced she was called to international missions, she enrolled at Towson University to earn a degree, which was then a requirement for service with the International Mission Board (IMB). At Towson, she discovered BCM and met McQuitty, who then mentored her and encouraged her in her enthusiasm for missions near and far.

After a BCM trip to Drexel University in Philadelphia, Jones realized God was redirecting her. She still wanted to be involved in missions but in a different way. “I started seeing the potential for sharing the gospel on campuses. I had no idea (then) that God was leading me into collegiate ministry,” she said.

College students pray during a retreat at Skycroft Conference Center. (Photo courtesy of BCM)

From Campus to Church Revitalization
In 2021, McQuitty, who is also an adjunct philosophy professor at Towson, became interim pastor at Valley, a congregation that had long supported collegiate ministry. Attendance had dwindled to about 30. Prayerfully ministering alongside church leaders, he led the congregation through a revitalization process, with a strong focus on young adults and outreach to Towson students.

Jones and her husband, Ryan, joined McQuitty and his wife, Vicki, in this effort. “Ryan and I felt called to connect college students to the church, teaching them what it means to be a church member and how to serve,” Rachel said. One of her many contributions has been a Friday night outreach that attracts nearly 100 students and young adults each week. They eat, play volleyball and other games, and gather for student-led Bible study, worship, and prayer that often extends late into the night.

New Life
Today, Valley averages 55–85 in Sunday worship. “We’re baptizing adults and college students and sharing the gospel, and people are excited,” Mike said. “God has just done a good work there. Through relationships with college students, young adults began attending, committing their lives to Christ, and are serving.”

He explained that the goal of BCM has always been to continue investing in, discipling, and mobilizing students for ministry, and he and others are seeing the spiritual fruit. In addition to Rachel, Mike pointed to Charlie Brown, pastor of East Baltimore Graffiti Church, who connected with students through GraceLife Bible studies more than 10 years ago and still sees the impact. Those students have become the backbone of Graffiti’s leadership and are now recruiting current students to serve. Other examples include Justin Manry, now pastor of Cockeysville Baptist Church; David Winter, associate pastor of Valley Baptist Church; and Adam Muhtaseb, who planted Redemption City Church in Baltimore.

Brandon Arnold preaches his first sermon at Valley Baptist Church. (Photo courtesy of BCM).

Students Leading the Way
Collegiate ministry in Maryland, Delaware, and across the country has been growing, with some referring to it as a “revival.” When asked about the renewed excitement in collegiate ministry, Mike said, “Each year, we see students saved, discipled, and leading, but there is a new fire. It just seems like God is moving in this generation. I don’t know if we’re at the point of the Jesus movement of the seventies, but we’re just thankful for what God’s doing and trying to ride the wave and be faithful with it.”

Walking into Valley now, Mike said he loves seeing students lead worship, play piano, and run the soundboard. For him, successful ministry always comes back to relationships. He encourages pastors who want college students to take on leadership roles in their churches to invest time in getting to know them and caring for them. “If you spend time with these young men and women, you’ll bear fruit.”

Two men Mike mentored years ago through weekly discipleship recently joined the church. “When they were looking for young ladies they were going to marry, they were like, ‘Hey, Mike, we want to be at your church and be with you during this time in our lives.’ I said, ‘Well, come on! Come serve and help revitalize a church!’”

Mike said it is the investment from years ago that is now bearing fruit in Valley’s revitalization — embracing long-term, authentic friendships, investing time in praying for and with them, and encouraging and mentoring these young adults.

Rachel and Mike were thrilled when Brandon Arnold, a junior at Towson University, recently shared that he feels called to pastoral ministry. He shared his first sermon at Valley Church in September.

A Worthy Investment
This is a worthy investment, Rachel said. “College students bring fresh energy to the congregation, inspiring older members and breathing new life into the church. If you want to avoid burnout in your church, get college students involved. They are the most excited people on the planet. Their enthusiasm is contagious.”

Rachel added, “Gen Z is significantly more open to the gospel than the millennials were, and we’re seeing that openness, especially among young men. It’s an exciting time to be in ministry.”

Visit our website to learn how your church can partner with BCM/D Collegiate Ministry.

Sharon Mager serves as BCM/D content and stories editor.