In 2012, Tim Tanner came home and told his wife, Beth, something that reshaped their future: “You know what? I don’t think I’ll be teaching for the rest of my life.” Tim’s words took Beth completely off guard. In their mid-30s with two small kids, Tim and Beth were enjoying their place in life. Beth loved her years teaching in an elementary school and was now happy as a stay-at-home mom to their children, Timmy and Olivia. Coaching and teaching high school social studies at a Christian school was a satisfying career for Tim. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that God was leading them into something else.

A number of years earlier, the Tanners had been asked by their church, Faith Baptist of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, if they would teach the College & Career class. Tim and Beth were a natural fit. They loved working with youth and were already serving separately in the church’s children’s and teen’s ministries. The College & Career class was something they could do together, and it became a joy. It was deeply rewarding to build into the lives of young adults, helping them grow in knowledge and confidence in the Lord. 

Greater opportunities like this kept coming their way at a new Christian school and church in Ohio. Tim thought, maybe God has something else for us? Tim and Beth spent the next year and a half praying and searching for His direction. They were open to all kinds of ministries: sports, church construction, camp. Nothing was clear until they discussed what they loved doing together. The College & Career class topped their list. After seeking counsel from their pastor and BMM leaders, Tim quit his job and the Tanners took a step of faith to explore campus ministry.

During the 2014-2015 academic year, Tim and Beth served short-term alongside BMM Campus Bible Fellowship (CBF) missionary Mary Amesbury at Cleveland State University. The Tanners helped plan and participate in student events. Tim taught Bible studies and met one-on-one with the guys while Beth did the same with the ladies. They never realized how great the challenges were for this age group, from anxieties and insecurities to struggles maintaining a spiritual focus in a screen-based culture. Even among the Christian students, many had significant gaps in their Bible knowledge. Tim found it fulfilling to see their eyes light up when they grasped deeper spiritual truths. 

For Beth, a watershed moment came when God put her and Mary in the path of a CBF girl coming down the hallway in tears. Her professor had just given her a scorching rebuke for wanting to serve in a Christian crisis pregnancy center for her summer internship. Beth and Mary helped her to find strength in the Lord and to navigate that difficulty. Beth saw how greatly they could be used in the lives of young adults living in environments hostile to Christianity.

The Tanners’ short-term ministry was a life-changing immersion into the world of campus ministry, and it settled their direction. They joined BMM full-time in 2015, and today they lead the CBF chapter in Syracuse, New York. It’s been a delight to serve in a ministry that helps change the trajectory of students’ lives, leading them toward a future of knowing, honoring, and serving God. 

God led the Tanners on a path they never anticipated, but it happened because they were open and willing to serve. Tim points out that Romans 12:1-2—offering our bodies as living sacrifices—is the least we can do for God. Beth adds, “If we had not been willing to be open, to pray, and to really think through the possibilities, it could have been so different. We would have missed so many blessings.”