OSU Fall Kick Off 2025: The Power of Collaboration to Make Jesus Known

You’d think it was game day, but it was a Monday. Crowds of students streamed across campus, buzzing with energy and anticipation. But instead of rushing into the stadium for kickoff, they gathered for something far greater—the OSU Fall Kick Off, where Ohio State football players stepped up not to talk about touchdowns, but to tell their peers how Jesus has changed their lives.

The atmosphere was electric. An estimated 1,300 students filled the campus lawn, and by the end of the night around 100 students responded to Jesus and were baptized, publicly declaring new life in Him.

From my vantage point, what made this night so remarkable wasn’t just the numbers, it was the spirit of collaboration behind it. I looked around the pre-gathering rally to see dozens of ministry and church leaders across Columbus come together, laying down their individual agendas to pursue something bigger: the vision of a united witness for Christ on the OSU campus.

It would have been easy for any one group to stake its claim or center its brand, but instead leaders chose humility, collaboration, and alignment. The Fall Kick Off became a living example of what happens when the Body of Christ refuses to compete and instead unites around the greater vision of making Jesus known.

The presence of Ohio State football players as the primary voices was itself a sign of this unity. They weren’t there to promote their own platforms, ministries, or reputations. Their testimonies of both struggle and greater identity in Christ carried weight precisely because they stood as neutral leaders, not representing one single congregation, one ministry, or one brand, but lifting up the name of Jesus above all.

Students walked away with the stories of athletes whose lives had been transformed by Christ and with a clear invitation to follow Him themselves.

While the OSU Fall Kick Off wasn’t a direct For Columbus project, it bore the marks of the culture For Columbus exists to foster. Our role was to support, bring alignment, and help streamline follow-up, ensuring that every student who responded to the gospel found a pathway into discipleship and community.

It’s another reminder of the voice we desire every Christian in our city to embody, that collaboration multiplies impact. When the whole Church unites, the city and in this case, the campus sees the gospel with clarity and power.

To some, Monday night at Ohio State was just another event that came and went. But I see it as a glimpse of what’s possible when the Church embodies the prayer of Jesus: “that they may all be one… so that the world may believe” (John 17:21). This kind of renewal can’t stop at campus, but I’m praying it will ripple outward into the wider city.

We celebrate God’s continued work to unite the Church of Columbus to be for the city of Columbus, or in this case THE Ohio State University!