In 2 Corinthians 3:5, the apostle Paul writes: "Not that we are competent in ourselves...but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of the new covenant."

Casey Coston is a veteran Church of Christ campus minister of more than 20 years. As he started his third decade in ministry, he took stock of his own "incompetence" and turned it into a book: Made Competent: A Story About Life in Ministry.

In this episode, Casey touches on some of the biggest ministry challenges and shortcomings he's faced so far, including:

• Balancing the commission to "make disciples" (a slow process that happens with a few intimate relationships at a time) and the pressure to attract bigger and bigger crowds to ministry "events"
• Balancing the love the church needs and the love his own family needs (and how church and family often compete for his energy, focus and time)
• Handling disagreements and discord with church elders and members

Casey also uses his unique point of view working with emerging generations of believers and seekers to imagine:

• How evangelism is changing and must change to connect with emerging generations
• How legacy congregations and new congregations might adapt to changes in the culture (without changing the essence of the church and the gospel it practices and preaches)
• The kinds of ministers who will meet the next moment

Links for this episode:

Made Competent: A Story About Life in Ministry by Casey Coston

Campus for Christ national Church of Christ campus ministry network

Episode 72 featuring Chris Buxton and Casey Coston on campus ministry

Discipling: The Multiplying Ministry by Milton Jones

Attend the 52nd Annual Caribbean Lectureship in Barbados this July 13 - 16, 2025. Learn more and register at caribbeanlectureship.com.

Learn more about Freed-Hardeman University graduate degrees in New Testament or Old Testament at fhu.edu/chronicle.