The Collegiate Church Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Kyle Chase, longtime campus missionary and pastor at New Life Church in Ann Arbor, to talk about faith, uncertainty, deconstruction, and the kind of discipleship college students need right now. Drawing from nearly two decades of ministry at the University of Michigan, Kyle explores why students are asking deeper questions, why certainty is often the wrong goa...

In this episode, we sit down with Nick Stumbo, Executive Director of Pure Desire Ministries, for a candid and hope-filled conversation about sexual brokenness, shame, healing, and discipleship on the college campus. Nick shares his own story of struggling with pornography as a pastor, the pain it brought into his marriage, and the freedom he and his wife began to experience through counseling, hon...

What does it look like to walk alongside a student wrestling with sexuality, identity, or shame, not with a list of rules, but with the love of Jesus? In this episode, we sit down with Laurie Krieg, Director of Parent Programs and Discipleship at the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender, speaker, and co-author of the forthcoming Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Confused World (2026). Laurie open...

Brenna Blaine is a contemporary theologian, bestselling author, and teacher whose life story is anything but a straight line. From a painful childhood marked by abuse and her parents' marital struggles, through years of wrestling with same-sex attraction, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, to a dramatic encounter with God on a YWAM base in Maui, Brenna's journey into faith and ministry is...

JP Poulter has spent nearly two decades at the intersection of technology, communication, and faith, from shaping global digital strategy at the LEGO Group to founding one of Europe's pioneering voice technology agencies. Now, as a fractional Head of AI and Innovation and founder of consultancy Three Point, JP is one of the clearest voices helping churches, ministries, and organizations navig...

Recorded live at the Collegiate Conference in Champaign, Illinois, this conversation features two IlliniLife leaders with very different work lives and the same deep commitment to the local church and campus mission field. Nick Majeski came to the University of Illinois to become an engineer, then sensed God’s call toward vocational ministry, but not immediately. After graduation, he spent five ye...

What does it look like when the local church takes responsibility for reaching the university campus? In this episode, Jay sits down with Miriam Swanson, evangelist, speaker, and National Director of Fusion USA. Miriam shares her journey from a student at the University of York to championing the role of the church in discipling college students across continents. With stories ranging from choosin...

In this episode, Kristal Poff, pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship at Virginia Tech and co-director of the Adirondack Leadership Training Program, shares her 17-year journey in campus ministry—a story marked by God’s faithfulness through deep loss, unexpected callings, and a lifelong passion for evangelism. Kristal reflects on how formative relationships, personal grief, and a community that e...

Ryan Kozey has worn a lot of hats: campus missionary, professor, consultant, strategy lead, and church development director. In this conversation, he traces a journey that started as a Bowling Green State student in the late nineties and led to two decades of investing in college ministries and local churches across the United States. Ryan explains why the campus remains a strategic mission field,...

Ronnie Goble and Alfonso Mack have been following Jesus together since their college football days at Bowling Green State University. Now, they serve side by side at Rooted Church—a young, dynamic church plant in Metro Detroit focused on reaching the Woodward corridor with the gospel. In this episode, they share stories from their early days on campus, how a meal at Buffalo Wild Wings sparked a fr...

York Moore is a revivalist, innovator, abolitionist, and evangelist who’s spent nearly 30 years preaching the gospel on college campuses. In this episode, York shares his powerful story of encountering Jesus after a season of deep existential searching, and how that encounter propelled him into a lifelong mission of bold proclamation and justice-driven ministry. From launching national anti-traffi...

Joanna Danielson didn’t set out to become a missionary. She was an environmental engineer—analytical, ambitious, and thriving in her consulting career. But a spring break trip and a string of Spirit-led conversations began to change everything. Slowly, God redirected her steps from boardrooms to dorm rooms. In this episode, Joanna shares her journey from "absolutely not" to absolutely su...

Welcome to the Collegiate Church Podcast, where we explore the real stories, challenges, and hope of gospel-centered ministry in a rapidly changing world. In this special kickoff to our new series on evangelism, we’re joined by Jim Murphy—pastor, church planter, and evangelistic leader with a passion for equipping everyday believers to live on mission. From coming to Christ during his college year...

In this episode, we sit down with Hunter Chenevey, a full-time missionary with H2O Church at Kent State University. Hunter shares his journey from criminal justice major to campus missionary, his honest struggles and growth through support raising, and the lessons he's learning about work-life balance in ministry. We also delve into the critical role of stewardship and generosity in disciples...

In this episode, Jess Schmidt—Campus Discipleship Director at H2O Church BG and Conference Director for the Collegiate Church Network—walks us through The Well , a six-week discipleship experience that has transformed hundreds of students’ lives. Learn what makes The Well so powerful, how it’s structured, why it works, and how it can be adapted for college campuses and local churches. Packed with...

In this episode, we sit down with Anna Jo, a full-time missionary at New Life Church in Ann Arbor, serving on campus at the University of Michigan. Anna shares her journey from pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering to answering the call to campus ministry. She opens up about the challenges of support raising, the joys of church planting, and the transformative power of Christian community. F...

What if your presence on campus could change someone’s eternity? In this episode, Grant and Cassie Rolfer return to share their passion for evangelism and how being consistently present on campus creates unexpected opportunities to share the gospel. They unpack the difference between relational and contact evangelism , discuss the fears that hold many people back, and offer practical tools like th...

Grant and Cassie Rolfer’s story is a powerful testimony of how God works through relationships, shared lives, and intentional ministry on the college campus. Serving as full-time missionaries with H2O Cincinnati at the University of Cincinnati, the Rolfers have dedicated their lives to sharing the gospel and walking alongside students in some of the most formative years of their lives. In this fir...

In the second part of this engaging conversation, Kyle and Christina Kroger, full-time missionaries with Taproot Church at the University of Texas at San Antonio, share their continued journey of church planting while raising a young family. They offer heartfelt reflections on the challenges and blessings of integrating family life with ministry, from navigating childcare and housing to showing th...

This episode is part of our seasonal Advent series, featuring special reflections from worship leaders across the network. Each week is designed to draw you closer to the wonder of God during this Christmas season and inspire you to worship Jesus more deeply. In the final week of Advent, Jared Lentz from H2O Church at Kent State University reflects on the theme of love, focusing on the unfailing l...

This episode is part of our seasonal Advent series, featuring special reflections from worship leaders across the network. Each week is designed to draw you closer to the wonder of God during this Christmas season and inspire you to worship Jesus more deeply. In Week 3 of Advent, Stephen and Hilary Campbell share their reflections on joy, a timely topic, as they navigate the bittersweet closure of...

This episode is part of our seasonal Advent series, featuring special reflections from worship leaders across the network. Each week is designed to draw you closer to the wonder of God during this Christmas season and inspire you to worship Jesus more deeply. In Week 2 of Advent, Troy Wallace from H2O Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, reflects on the profound peace that Jesus brings, even in the mids...

Thank you for joining us for this conversation with Kyle and Christina Kroeger. Their journey into ministry, the power of prayer, and their story of planting Taproot Church are full of challenges, victories, and God moments. In this first part of our two-part series, we explore how their college experiences shaped their calling, the transformative impact of home groups, and the importance of build...

In this special episode of the Collegiate Church Podcast, we kick off a four-week seasonal Advent series featuring special reflections from worship leaders across the network. Each week is designed to draw you closer to the wonder of God during this Christmas season and inspire you to worship Jesus more deeply. In this week’s reflection, Cassi Rohlfer from the University of Cincinnati explores the...

In this episode, Gaia Stanley, National Leadership Training (LT) Director for the Collegiate Church Network and a full-time missionary with New Life Church in Ann Arbor, shares her journey from skepticism to faith and her 19-year ministry experience. Gaia opens up about how God drew her to Himself, the life-changing impact of LT summer programs, and the importance of proclaiming the gospel with au...