About nexus

what is nexus?

Nexus: The Christian Union Conference on Faith and Action gathers together undergraduates from select universities for a weekend of inspiring speakers, thought-provoking discussions, in-depth seminars, and powerful worship.

The word Nexus means both “the central and most important point or focus” and “a connection.”

The Nexus Conference fulfills this definition in two distinct ways.

First, Nexus will point you to what (or who) is truly most important, namely, Jesus Christ. Nexus will inspire you to live a life rooted in Christ and lived out for His glory. Faith leading to, and expressed in, action. Second, by providing opportunities for student-to-student connections and fellowship opportunities, Nexus develops a network (or nexus) of wholehearted, Christian leaders poised to impact the world.

Students from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Stanford and Yale are invited to attend.

history

Founded in 2005 by Christian Union under the name, "The Ivy League Congress on Faith and Action," Nexus has hosted such world-renowned speakers and Christian leaders as Rich Stearns, Os Guinness, James K. A. Smith, Carol Kaminski, Baroness Caroline Cox, Michael Lindsay, Sally Lloyd Jones, Charles Gilmer, Darrell Bock, Ryan Anderson and more.

The early conferences occurred every third year. This allowed students involved in a Christian Union ministry to have an opportunity to attend at some point in their college careers. From 2016 to 2019, Nexus was held annually, but after careful evaluation, input from a variety of leaders, and in light of ministry objectives, the role and frequency of Nexus is being re-imagined.

No decision has been made about the date of the next Nexus Conference, but it will not be held in 2020.

PAST CONFERENCE

February 22-24 marked the dates of Christian Union's 2019 Nexus Conference. Several hundred Christian Union students gathered in New Brunswick, NJ to explore what it means to be “Courageous in the ways of the Lord.” Nexus 2019 looked at courage in each area of life, with a special emphasis on faith and vocation. Students had the opportunity to learn from — and connect with — industry professionals in their fields of study. Learn more below.

Plenary Sessions

Participants enjoyed vibrant worship and prayer, and learned from knowledgeable speakers in the four plenary sessions that anchored the conference.

Matt Bennett challenged the audience about evangelism and revival with wisdom shared from the Scriptures. Dr. Jimmy Lin encouraged the students to be bold as they operate as Christians in their vocations. Eric Metaxas inspired Nexus to speak up for truth found in God’s word. Baroness Cox urged the audience to stand for others and justice as they interact in the world.

Breakouts

Nexus Breakout sessions helped students expand their knowledge with the guidance of Christian leaders who encouraged them to consider issues in light of God’s Word. Students had the ability to ask questions and dig deeper in these interactive sessions, engaging in topics such as leadership, evangelism, revival, sexuality, and the supernatural with subject-matter experts and leading Christian thinkers.