So: we’re Chi Alpha. We’re great, thanks for asking! We don’t have a major—although we are on university campuses all over the world. We’re a network of Christian ministries that look a little bit different on every campus—but here’s what you’re always sure to find: college-aged men and women who are at once wrestling to become who they are (through school or work or life experience), and to connect with God. You’ll probably find people who are in all kinds of stages of both pursuits: self-discovery and God-discovery.

Those are the quick get-to-know-us facts. We’re really excited to connect with you on your campus and talk with you about Jesus, but until we get that privilege, here is a place to find out more about who Jesus is and what He has done for you!

If you’d prefer to read more about us, you can dig in to find what we believe, why we exist, who we’re sponsored by, what’s up with our name, how we got here, current (inter)national happenings, and lots of other stuff. But we’d love to get to the part where we can hang out and be comfortable together—so if you’re ready for that, you might just want to jump to our campus locator to find a Chi Alpha near you. We can’t wait to meet you—awkwardness and all!

Our Name

In the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:20,

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

Our movement of campus ministries finds its identity in this passage. We believe that God longs to have each and every person be reconciled to Himself, and that the way that re-connection happens is through the representation of his people. Each of us who takes on the identity of “Christian” becomes Christ’s ambassador—or christou apostoloi in Greek, which we shorten to the first letters “Chi” and “Alpha,” or XA. Our name is our constant reminder that each of us has a real part to play in this world. We each can carry Him within us to bring Him closer to the people around us.

Who We’re Sponsored By

Chi Alpha is sponsored by the Assemblies of God (AG). That means the AG provides each local campus with support, resources and connectivity to a larger worldwide movement. They also work to equip the leaders of each local XA, both the vocational missionaries associated with each group and the student leaders.

The sponsorship by the Assemblies of God does not mean that you have to have a history with the AG. You don’t have to have any particular denominational connection to be welcomed in our groups.

Where We’re Located

Chi Alpha was founded in 1953 at Missouri State University, formerly Southwest Missouri State University, and is on more than 300 campuses throughout the U.S. and around the world today.