Talking with James Bradford.

When I found out that he was speaking at Braeside Camp this summer, just a half hour down the road from my house, I just had to grab Jim Bradford for lunch and pick his brain. Presently the General Secretary for the Assemblies of God, he was the founding pastor of a campus church in Minnesota  he started while he was doing his PhD in aeronautic engineering ( yes, he is in fact a rocket scientist ). He understands and supports campus ministry like few others. In fact, when I had first heard that he had taken on the senior pastorate of Broadway Church in Vancouver nearly ten years ago, I said to Seth Greenham who was the bearer of the good news " There is a God"!!   From the perspective of BCCM his involvement was wonderful news.

Well, he went Stateside again, and pastored in Springfield, MO and was then called by God through the AG conference to be their General Secretary, a position of great influence and Kingdom impact. Having  heard him at Braeside a number of years ago , I was happy to see him again - especially knowing that campus ministry would again be an integral part of my life.

I won't have the space to unpack what we talked about, but he was more than supportive of our efforts to impact the campus. I asked him if he would consider giving me something quotable - that would summarize in a few sentences what his convictions were regarding campus ministry. He was happy to comply. What you will read below is what he sent me. It's  good stuff...

“If I could focus ministry on 2 or 3 square kilometers in my city

by which I would most likely touch the whole world,

it would be the university campus.

I am excited about the expansion of outreach

to the university campuses of Canada.

There the shapers of culture, business, science,

government and the arts

are being trained and internationals students

from around the world gather to study.

As a pastor I always made room in my life

to be involved in outreach to students.

It takes specific missional focus, but reaching secular university students

is key to the transformation of a nation.

I highly endorse the initiatives of Mission Canada and the PAOC to reach the 21st century university.”