Backpack Evangelism® is a ministry vision that has developed from the transition of a ministry that began in West Texas in 1997 and then moved to Houston in 1999. While living in a small town in West Texas, Lee Rushing founded Crosspoint Ministries, a 501(c)3 organization and Texas corporation, in July, 1997. Two years later, they moved the ministry to Houston at the invitation of some friends and church staff as the director of a new campus ministry emphasis that had begun.

After four years of ministry on about 50 campuses in the Houston area, the board of directors felt that a name change and new identity was necessary. One day while Lee was speaking to a group of students, he quoted the verse where Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). He was talking about “being evangelistic in their life…they carried their life in their backpack…therefore, they needed to be evangelistic with Christian fishing gear out of their backpacks…they needed to be…backpack evangelists.”

The words “backpack evangelists” went off like a light bulb in Lee’s head. Over the next few days, he could hardly sleep. He began to envision developing the training and resources he had been using on campuses and in churches in a new way with the name of “Backpack Evangelism” like an umbrella over it all. The resources and preaching would be intended to help students grow in their Christian faith and equip them to be more effective in sharing their faith with others. The resources would be convenient for students and adults and would be simple and unintimidating for the believer in Christ to use and the unbeliever to understand. The new name “Backpack Evangelism” was decided upon by the board of directors, and the transition began toward the new vision.

“Backpack Evangelism” was approved as a Registered Trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office in July, 2004, in two trademark classifications for religious materials and training.

During the next school year, teaching from prototypes of the Backpack Evangelism® training materials was used on nine public school campuses in the northwest and southwest greater Houston area. The preaching material in the resources had also been used on four mission trips to six states in Brazil in 2001, 2003, and 2005 and in Nigeria in 2002.

It is our prayer that God would use the preaching and resources to effectively train and challenge believers in Christ to grow solidly in their faith and be more effective and passionate in sharing their faith in their world. We also pray that the resources will outlive us, and that our faith and yours will be passed on to multiple generations after us.

Backpack Evangelism® is a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry organization and Texas corporation. The ministry is supported by individuals, churches, businesses, and foundations, and gifts and contributions are tax-deductible.