Basics: What is a STINT?

STINT stands for Short-Term International Team.

The vision of Campus Crusade for Christ International is to reach out to the 60 million college students worldwide. That's a pretty lofty goal, I think. Luckily, it's not a one-person job.


What does a STINT team do, exactly?

STINT teams sign on and commit to living full-time in a culture for one year (with the possibility of extending their term to two years). This allows us to build relationships with the locals and really establish a spiritual community. We partner with national ministries to build cultural bridges. Living transparent lives on and around college campuses, we believe, is the key to authentic communities of faith and spiritual development. Doubts, fears, and questions abound in the collegiate sphere. While no one claims to have all the answers, we believe that sharing our lives, our experiences, and the hope and grace that comes from discovering God is a vital part in shaping the next generation of world leaders. Conversations, debates, discussions--our charge is to engage the culture and inspire people to consider the irresistible love of Jesus and become transformed through knowing him in word and also in action.


What's the purpose in doing a STINT?

Campus Crusade for Christ International has a multi-tiered approach to missions on a global scale. Starting from the belief that no one will ever be as effective to reach a national (in my case, a Swede) as another national (again, a Swede), we have a mindset of working ourselves out of jobs!

Step One: Very, very short five-to-seven week trips ("Summer Projects") that happen both stateside in the U.S. and abroad. Undergraduates are led by full-time staff members; these are often pioneering missions for longer work. These are short blasts of collecting information, sharing personal experiences, and developing one's own ability to communicate the message of Christ.

Step Two: STINT teams continue the relationships begun with Summer Projects. Because we're available for much longer, we are able to really invest in the existing faith community and in deepening campus involvement.

Step Three: International Campus Staff commit to giving 3-5 years to the vision of a particular country and raising leaders from within that country to oversee the activities there.

Step Four: We hand over the reigns of ministry to National Staff.

Step Five: The country will partner with ministries in other countries to send their own students to reach others on college campuses worldwide.


So, in short, when you are partnering with a STINTer (like me, for example), you're actually involved in a HUGE mission in a very important way. You'll be partnering to change an entire country, one small step at a time. That's pretty exciting, don't you think? Especially for churches or families or people with mortgages or people with full-time jobs or people with other callings, giving support to a step in the process is world-changing in a tangible way. Sweet.