Winning the Battle to Belong: The Key Ingredient to Reaching College Students

by Brian Smith Sr

The Battle to Belong is the internal crisis that students experience when they leave family and friends, arrive on campus for the first time and are desperate for connection. If we lose touch with the battle freshmen experience, we’ll lose the ability to reach them effectively. Winning this battle precedes and paves the way to winning the Battle to Believe in Jesus.

171 pages, Paperback

Published May 25, 2023

Reviews

[Cole Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s so refreshing to read about a church that is so committed to impacting and raising up college students; that invests in relationships with the campus; that cancels a Sunday service so the whole church can engage in a huge survival weekend for freshmen. This book truly reenergized me. It gave me permission to have fun amongst all the strategy I constantly think about. I learned and I’ve walked away with some tools in my belt. Very glad I read it!

[Hope Grinnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every campus minister should read this short book. Such a helpful and challenging perspective

[Mary Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the basic concept of this book is good. I was reminded not to neglect the importance of befriending college freshmen and helping them find a place to belong in your campus ministry. Sharing the gospel is always the goal but I think it’s easy to neglect other ways of caring for people along the way. There was also a good section on the pursuit of excellence in Christian ministry.

That being said, I don’t agree with much of the biblical basis he gives for the book’s topic. I also think he gets into dangerous ground by getting overly pragmatic in the way he talks about ministry and by emphasizing evangelism to the neglect of things like member care within a church. It also became really clear by the end that he holds a transformationalist view (if we can change the college campus we’ll change the culture and the world) which I personally disagree with. But I don’t think that discredits some of the good things he had to say.

[Joe Nealis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you do college ministry, read this book. I plan on coming back to it in the future, especially during kickoff season.

[Mason Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started going to Hope Church Movement because a friend from club basketball who was also a campus minister invited me and even gave me rides since I didn’t have a car. Pastor Brian Smith Sr. explained the gospel so clearly that I realized I had called myself a Christian my whole life but didn’t really understand it. I gave my life to Jesus and got baptized there.
Being part of Hope Church Movement changed me. I made great friends, got committed to church, went on mission trips, and learned how to share my faith. I even saw people I met on campus decide to follow Jesus. What I learned in four years at Hope taught me more about real authentic Christianity than my whole biblical studies degree in college.

Reading Pastor B’s book felt like reading all his sermons put together. Everything in it was exactly what I lived and learned at Hope Church Movement. It’s simple, powerful, and full of truth. This book is a must-read!

[Brenna Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will encourage you that the battle over the next generation is not lost, and give you hope for the future. The main premise is that often times college students need to belong before they believe, and we can create space for that as ministries If you're someone who prays for the college students of America or if you're in campus ministry, you want to get this book. It's a fun & inspiring read, complete with testimonies from real students & practical strategy to reach the lost.

[Adam Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember people’s names

[Olivia Sun]

Very practical and strategic but also biblical way to reach college students. I disagreed with some of his points about emphasizing college ministry above other ministry but I understand his logic.