Ministry: D-Groups at Southwest Baptist University

Role: Campus Staff

Mission Statement:

SBU D-Groups are student-led small groups that meet weekly to help one another grow in their faith, build meaningful community, and become servant-leaders who make a Christ-centered impact.

Tell us about your journey to becoming a Campus Missionary:

D-Groups started my freshman year at SBU. I am now a senior and working full-time as the Associate Director of Residence Life, focusing on investing in the spiritual and personal lives of our female students. I joined D-Groups in January 2023 and there were only 13 of us, and I experienced an astronomical growth in my faith through the accountability and vulnerability that D-Groups had. I led a group of 4 other girls for two years and formed lifelong friendships with those girls. Now that I am the AD of ResLife, the highlight of my job is now overseeing the ministry that helped me grow in my love for Christ and seeing how that same ministry is changing the lives of other students.

What do you love about doing ministry on your campus?

Being one of the original 13, D-Groups hold a very special place in my heart. The Lord worked mighty wonders by opening my eyes to my sin and cultivating daily spiritual disciplines. I love telling my story to students who are hesitant to join, then 3 months later, can’t imagine their life without it.

Tell us about yourself and your family:

I just graduated from Southwest Baptist University with a degree in Media Studies and Political Science. While working at KY3 TV in Springfield, the Lord changed the desires of my heart to work in journalism and pursue this job at SBU. I grew up in Columbia, MO and have a loving mom and dad whom I visit often, and a younger brother who just transferred to SBU. I recently married my best friend, Tyler Johnson, in December 2025!

What do you hope to see happen on your campus/within your ministry in the next few years?

This year we saw a huge growth in our ministry. Last year, we had 93 students in D-Groups, and this year we have 145. I would love to see this number hit 175 next year. In addition to growth in numbers, we want to invest more in reading groups for students and expand the number of conferences we take our students to.

What are some of the things your ministry does?

The second week of school is Discipleship Week where we promote joining D-Groups. Those next few weeks consist of placement interviews, then our team distributes students into groups. After that, the groups of 4-5 students meet on a weekly basis and share ways they’ve been poured in to, how they’ve poured out, what they’re struggling with, how their prayer life is, and what they are thankful for.