As a non-profit organization we focus on helping church-based college-age ministry leaders. We want to connect you with the resources specifically designed for your ministry. We offer resources (free as well as for purchase) and link you to other practical resources others have to offer. We also provide regional trainings in various cities around the country and do a lot of consulting for churches seeking to start or further develop their ministry to college-age people.
Here's a little more about the people on our team...
Founder: Chuck Bomar
Web: Collegeleader.org
Blog: Collegeministrythoughts.com
Pastor of Colossae Church in Portland, Oregon and founder of CollegeLeader, Chuck spends a tremendous amount of time speaking and consulting with churches and denominations, seeking to help leaders, in every context, care for and include college-aged people in everything they do. He is author of Worlds Apart: Understanding the Mindset and Values of 18-25 Year Olds (Zondervan, 2011), College Ministry From Scratch (Zondervan, 2010), College Ministry 101: A guide to working with 18-25 year olds (Zondervan, 2009), 99 Thought’s for College-age People (Group, 2009), and co-author of The Slow Fade (David C. Cook, 2010). He and his wife, Barbara, have been married for eleven years and have three daughters, Karis, Hope, and Sayla.
Some of his published articles:
Graduating Church, Journal of Student Ministries
Missing Both Ends, YouthWorker Journal
A Whole New Life: leaving the comforts of home, College View
Let The Search Begin: Back to Square One, College View
Junior Highers Have More Fun: Similarities with College-Age People, SYM
Re-Thinking (True) Discipleship, Simply Youth Ministry
Top Topics for College-Age People to Hear
Top Topics: Part II
Rules of Engagement, Journal of Student Ministries
Ian Nelson
Web: Ajesuschurch.org
Ian Nelson currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where he serves as the college pastor for Solid Rock Church. Before that, he was college pastor at a Calvary Chapel church in Corvallis, Oregon. Ian is familiar with college ministry across multiple contexts, having pastored large college-age groups in both the small university town and large commuter city environments. He and his wife, Sarah, have a strong passion to see college-age people get connected to and remain integrally involved with the life of the church. Ian also has strong ties with many ministries around the world, resulting from years spent leading overseas mission trips and playing in a traveling rock band. Ian enjoys writing, basketball, music, coffee, and animals. But his favorite thing to do is eat.
Eric Ferrell
Web: College-age.damascusministries.com
Church Website: Faithtroy.org
Eric serves as the College & Young Adult Minister at Faith Lutheran Church in Troy, Michigan. He started serving in student ministries in 1995 volunteering in high school and college-age ministries for the next six years. After he met his wife, Donna, in 2001, they started attending FLC and became heavily involved in serving through student ministries together. In 2004, he came on staff at FLC as the full-time College & Young Adult Minister. Eric and Donna have three children, Ethan, Maidyn, and Micah. He loves doing anything outdoors with his family and friends: camping, backpacking, and kayaking, just to name a few. Eric has a passion for working with college-age individuals. Primarily wanting to know them personally himself, connect them with older believers to also know them personally, and to see them fold into the life and body of the local church where he serves.
Reza Zadeh
Web/Blog: Rezazadehblog.com
Reza has served and pastured young adults for over 10 years. In 2003, he began serving as the Young Adults Pastor at Timberline Church in Fort Collins, Colorado, ministering primarily to the students of Colorado State University. He was born in Abadan, Iran and raised in a Muslim family as he was brought up in Southern California. As Reza was attending Colorado State University as a student-athlete, missionaries with Campus Crusade shared the gospel with him and he became a follower of Christ. He is a graduate Dallas Theological seminary and loves studying scripture, drinking Americanos, staying active, blogging, writing, and trying to keep up with his kids. In 2011, Reza planted a local church in Windsor, Colorado (Timberline Windsor). If you are looking for him, you can go to the nearest Chipotle or mountainside to see him snowboarding, skiing, trail running or mountain biking. Reza lives in Northern Colorado with his wife, Allyson and two children, Owen and Olivia.
Matt Metzger
Web: Blackhawkcam.org
Church Website: Blackhawkchurch.org
Spending the majority of his life in South Florida, Matt now serves as the College Pastor at Blackhawk Church in Madison, WI. He’s been there since August of 2000 ministering primarily to students attending the University of Wisconsin. He was brought there to start the ministry and over the years has created a very unique and close partnership with major para-church ministries on campus. Matt has a passion to look at how the church and para-church ministries can effectively work together to more effectively reach a campus community for Christ. Matt has a close working relationship with Passion Ministries in Atlanta and has been a breakout session speaker for them. Matt also speaks on a regular basis at many campus ministries in Madison. Matt and his wife Rachel have two daughters, Hannah and Leah. Matt loves any type of board sport (surfing, wakeboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding) and is still on some type of board often. He still plays doubles beach volleyball as much as the weather in Wisconsin will allow and his favorite musician in the world is Jack Johnson.
Brad Baker
Web: Saddlebackfamily.com/blogs/crave/index.html
Brad Baker moved to California in July of 2005 to work with the college-age young adults at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. After 7 years of college ministry experience, his passion continues to grow to see this generation experience God and make him famous through their lives. His wife, Carrie, and three kids, Olivia, Jackson, and Lucy, play an integral part in helping him shape the hearts and minds of young people. He began taking short-term mission trips in 1992 and now finds great joy in helping his students partner with churches around the world each summer. His favorite free time activities include wrestle-mania with his 3-year-old son, Colorado Avalanche hockey, baptizing new believers, Thai food, strategy games, huge waves, foreign cultures, reading anything by NT Wright, and dinner with his small group.
Bob Hetzler
Blog: Cebobsblog.blogspot.com
Bob lives in Southern California and with over 20 years experience serving youth is a full-time consultant to churches and other Christian organizations, focusing on college-age people. Having served as a resident director on a college campus, Bob brings a different perspective to church-based college ministry – he sees ministry through the eyes of working with students on campus. Bob has a very close relationship with CE National, writing a blog for them, doing seminars on Millennials, and advising churches who want to start a college-age ministry. Bob loves to read, was a history teacher (in another lifetime!), he loves anything with meat in it, and is loyal to southern California teams – especially the Dodgers and USC football.
Abbie Smith
Web/Blog: Conversantlife.com/blogs/abbie+smith/
Abbie was born in the large state of Rhode Island and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where she attended Catholic High School and eventually went on to play tennis at Emory University. Through the influence of friends, she was introduced to a relationship with God during her freshman year. Long story short (though it was pretty short), Abbie haphazardly ended up compiling a book to this end, which released soon after her graduation in 2003. She's gone on to write a follow-up study guide and an updated edition of her first book. With personal involvements in ministry, local church and missionary roles across the world, Abbie brings a wide array of interests to the table. She's worked on various fronts with Passion Conferences and is currently completing a Masters in Spiritual Formation in Los Angeles. Abbie's schedule entails "life as a student," as well as writing and speaking as she's able. Her ideal day entails being with friends, or sipping a (soy) latte in the mountains, at the ocean, or in the corner of a local coffee shop.
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