College Ministry with Pastor Daniel: October 2026

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Now let's get started.

Hello, Celebration Family.

My name is Daniel Stidd, and I'm so blessed to serve here at Celebration Baptist Church as the College and Young Little Pastor.

And I wanted to take a few minutes today just to share with you a little bit about what God has been doing in our college ministry over the last eight months.

And when I think about these last eight months, one word that really comes to my mind is momentum.

Not really because of anything that we've figured out, because we definitely haven't figured everything out, but because of what we've watched God do.

And he's taken something that started incredibly small, and he really began turning it into something with real potential and impact, not just for this generation of young adults, but for generations to come, not just at our church, but throughout the entire city of Tallahassee.

And honestly, the story is pretty simple.

It started with about six or eight people in a small apartment.

There wasn't much production, there wasn't lights or a leadership team, there wasn't super complicated strategy.

We were simply getting together, opening the Bible, and talking about Jesus.

And we were trying to figure out what it looked like to actually follow him as college students and young adults.

And then something started happening.

People kept coming.

I remember one night in particular, we had all the seats in Nola's apartment filled up, and people had to sit on laps or scrunch really tight into the couch.

I remember sitting at the fireplace and looking across at the couch.

There was like 10 college students on a couch that was only supposed to fit about five.

And so, really, God showed up in big ways as we just followed that simple model.

So since then, we've moved into the rehearsal room here at Celebration.

It got way too big for Nola's apartment, and suddenly, instead of six to eight people, we were seeing 25, sometimes 30 people showing up on a Thursday night.

And that was exciting because it really showed us that there was a genuine hunger among young adults to have a place where they could belong, ask questions, worship, study scripture, and grow together.

But growth also created new questions.

How do we actually disciple 30 people?

Because growth is exciting, but growth creates a responsibility.

We didn't just want a bigger crowd, we wanted a bigger disciple.

And that idea has really driven what we're calling the next phase of our ministry.

This semester, in the fall of 2026, we've moved into the loft.

And Thursday nights have become much more intentional.

We worship together, we open God's Word, and we actually have moved more towards a sermon style.

And then we break out into small groups just like we did before, but we have people ask questions and pray and process what they're learning together.

There's a rhythm to the night.

Gather, worship, learn, discuss, grow.

But one of the biggest changes this semester isn't actually the room, it's the people taking ownership of the ministry.

We've started elevating a small group of students to become our leadership team, and we're giving them real responsibilities, not just putting out the snacks, but taking ownership in the ministry.

Some are taking ownership of the social media and the communication side of our ministry.

Some are helping to lead events and outreach.

We're actually developing intentional men's and women's discipleship efforts because I know one thing, I can't do more.

So we have to start giving ministry away to young people.

And that's important because we don't want college ministry that depends on just one pastor doing everything.

We want a ministry where students become the leaders.

Leaders become disciple makers, and disciple makers help other people follow Jesus.

And that's where we're headed next.

Because if the first eight months have really been about establishing a healthy gathering, the next season needs to be about developing people.

And one of the biggest pieces that will help us do that is our evangelism and outreach efforts.

We want to become more intentional about reaching students who aren't here yet.

We have a great core of people, and they've brought an amazing group outside of that core, but we want to continue in Jesus' model of going into the nations.

And so there are thousands of college students and young adults here in Tallahassee who may never walk through the doors unless somebody goes to them first, builds a relationship with them, and invites them into community.

So we're really excited about developing a regular rhythm of evangelism, campus outreach, service opportunities, and more than anything, a relational evangelism, something that's more organic, something that starts in a friendship, but goes beyond into gospel conversations.

But here's the thing: we can't do that without people.

And that's where I want to ask something of our church.

We need mature Christian adults who are willing to invest in young men and women.

Not necessarily people with a ton of ministry experience, not necessarily people who can teach the Bible or study every week.

We need people who love Jesus, love people, and are just simply faithful.

They're willing to say, you know what, I can walk with you.

Because discipleship doesn't happen primarily through programs, it happens through relationships.

A college student just needs someone who will grab coffee with them.

A young man needs somebody who will walk with him and what he's doing spiritually.

A young woman needs somebody who will help her think biblically about the relationship she's in, the work that she's doing, the identity that's forming, as well as her future.

They need somebody who can say, I've been where you're going, and I'd love to help you take your next step.

And that's why we're developing a very simple discipleship strategy in the next several months.

I've actually created a four-week discipleship course specifically designed for a mature Christian volunteer to walk through with a young person.

Yeah, you heard that right.

It's only four weeks long.

And the goal isn't to create something that's another complicated program.

It's actually giving you a simple tool that helps you sit down with a student, open the Bible together, and have meaningful conversations as you begin helping that person grow in Christian maturity.

And here's the important part.

You won't be expected to figure it out on your own.

I'm actually here to train you.

I'll walk you through the course and show you how to use it with a student and how to have that conversation and how to help them take those first steps towards spiritual maturity.

I've had the blessing of walking several young men through the program in the spring and summer, and I promise you I can help you do the same.

Then, as students grow and they're ready for more, we'll give them an additional opportunity.

Maybe they want to study a special book, or you know what, we can funnel them into a celebration university class or another intentional discipleship environment.

That's the beginning of what I'm calling a tiered discipleship approach.

The idea is simple.

You just start small, you build trust, you build consistency, and you build faithfulness.

And then as the Holy Spirit leads and as a person's maturity grows, we invite them into something deeper.

We don't want to create a culture where everyone is pressured into doing everything.

We want to create a culture where people continually ask, What's my next step?

Maybe your next step is simply showing up.

Maybe your next step is joining a small group.

Maybe it's going through a four-week discipleship course.

Maybe it's joining a book study or a celebration university class.

Maybe it's becoming a leader.

And eventually, maybe it's becoming the person who sits across from another college student and says, Let me help you grow.

And this is where I want to leave you with a challenge from the book of James.

In the book of James, chapter two, we're reminded that it's not enough to simply hear the word.

Our faith is demonstrated when we do the word.

And I think that's an incredibly important challenge for us as a church.

It's easy to hear a sermon on Sunday morning about the importance of the next generation.

It's easy to say, you know what, college students need Jesus.

It's easy to believe that young adults need mature Christians speaking into their lives, but at some point we have to move from hearing to doing.

So I'm calling the mature adults at celebration to become doers of the word.

Take what God has taught you over the years and invest it in someone who is coming behind you.

Sit with a college student, open the Bible, ask questions, give counsel, pray with them, walk with them, help them become the kind of Christian who doesn't simply hear God's word but lives it.

We need mature men who will disciple young men.

We need mature women who will disciple young women.

And you don't have to disciple 20 people.

You don't have to become a full-time ministry leader.

Just start with one.

One relationship, one student, one hour at a time.

Because if mature Christians begin investing faithfully in the next generation, those students can eventually turn around and do the same thing for someone else.

And that's ultimately the vision.

The goal isn't simply to fill the loft.

The goal isn't simply to have a successful college ministry.

The goal is to make disciples who make disciples.

We started with six to eight in a group at a small apartment here in town.

Now we're worshiping together in the loft, studying God's Word, breaking into small groups, developing student leaders, and preparing to reach even more students.

And I believe we're just getting started.

So, Celebration Family, thank you for praying for us, supporting us, and believing in what God is doing.

And if you're ready to take the next step and invest in the next generation, I'd love to talk with you.

Let's not be hearers of the word, let's be doers of the word.

And let's make disciples who make disciples.

Thanks for joining us on the Celebration Baptist Church podcast.

We hope today's conversation helps you take another step in your faith journey.

For more resources, upcoming events, and to join us live, visit iCelebration.org.

Until next time, keep connecting with God, connecting with others, and living on mission.