Timothée Joset on Growing in Christ through IFES Ministry

Timothée Joset reflects on the journey of his faith and shares the inspiration behind his recently published book, “The Priesthood of All Students.”

I was born and raised in French-speaking Switzerland to a family of teachers. University was very much "on the radar" for me, as was student ministry because my parents had met in a local IFES group.  

So naturally, from day one of my senior high school, I joined the student group there. It was in this context that I first developed as a student leader, discovering the joy of digging deep into Bible passages, studying them with others in the groups, who had very different academic and church backgrounds. At first, it felt a bit unsettling. Then we all realized how enriching it was. How our views of God became broader. How our love and interest in the Bible grew. This continued throughout my university years, first as a participant, then as a group leader, and as an international student in Germany for an exchange year – and no wonder I also met my wife in the local IFES group! 

The General Secretary of GBEU Switzerland (one of the founding members of IFES) suggested I study its ministry for my master's thesis in history. So I did it at my secular university, and it was well received. But I wanted to know more. To understand better why "we" do what we do in IFES. It was risky then as it is today to “let” students read the Bible amongst themselves without a pastor telling them how to read or what to believe. But it is in this context that a lot of ownership took root.

They read Scriptures individually and in the community, in a place where people are free to ask deep – and sometimes really difficult – questions, in an atmosphere of openness and discovery. Participating in such a fellowship of more-or-less like-minded people of the same age and concerned with many similar issues is life-shaping. It also supplements well the pastoral care that churches provide because it is fine-tuned to students’ needs.

Such participation also plants the seeds of missionary engagement, both individual and communal, as these new discoveries and joys need to be shared with others. Around coffee. Reading the Bible with them. Organizing conferences and discussions on campus. Bringing a Christian perspective into one’s studies – after knowing, with stars shining in their eyes, that Christ is interested in all of what I’m studying! – and developing a growing love for the university in all its dimensions. Helping others pass exams out of Christ’s love for them – which sometimes means sacrificing time to help them understand their textbooks. Serving those the university forgets. Sometimes just saying “hello” to a janitor, thereby showing them that they are a human being worthy of attention.

During my theological studies in Canada, I realized that many people in the theological world and church circles are not aware of the extraordinary expressions of God’s mission in so many campuses of the world. In various social, geographical, political, economic, and theological contexts, students faithfully and often courageously meet to strengthen one another and be equipped by God to engage in his mission. I also realized that my exposure to IFES had granted me the privilege of these “foretastes of heaven” that are the international conferences, during which the vision described in Revelation 7 of a “multitude of people of all tongues” worshiping the Lord becomes true, even if only for a few days. It enlarged my perspectives many times and challenged my theological and missiological thinking anew each time. 

So this is the backstage story of this book, adapted from my doctoral thesis. I wanted to understand the in’s and out’s of what IFES groups are doing. What are the theological and missiological foundations that have allowed the development of many church and mission leaders, as well as faithful servants in the university, in the marketplace and many other spheres of society? Are there some principles which could inspire churches? Might it even be that such a so-called “parachurch organization” could be a prophetic voice to the church to remind her of her missionary calling? That the very idea of a “missional church” might owe its existence to what “parachurch organizations” have been doing all along? 

The journey of writing the book involved long hours digging into old archival documents – great fun for someone originally trained as a historian! I tried to figure out relationships, arguments, vision papers, etc. but also made time for listening to many stakeholders, navigating dates and locations, as well as theological pet horses or red flags. 

It was a fascinating experience to see mission history in the making, faithful improvisation in difficult contexts, joys and pains and very slow postal correspondence. If you want to see God at work in the fascinating world of universities around the world: have a cup of coffee or tea – or even a bowl of rice, as food and drinks are essentials of student ministry – and let God energize you with stories of deep thinking and witnessing.