About Us
Master Plan Ministries is a non-profit 501(c)(3) non-denominational Christian organization.
Master Plan Ministries is a dedicated, non-denominational movement of evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development. We intentionally spend time sharing the Gospel, meeting one-on-one & in group Bible studies, and seeking to develop the skills of others for the glory of God. Our goal is to see as many people as possible going and making disciples, reaching the nations with the Gospel one person at a time.
Based out of Durango, CO, our ministry work currently has three major areas of focus:
- College Campus Ministry
- Men's Ministry
- Mountain Ministry Venues
- Cascade Lodge
- Three Trails Ranch
Our mission is preparing others to reach and influence the world for Christ.
Our Beginning
Russ and Linda Akins founded Master Plan Ministries in 1985 while reaching students at Fort Lewis College in Durango.
Along with the continued ministry at FLC, Master Plan has also been at Colorado Mesa University since 1994. We were at Adams State University from 2019-2023, the Auraria Campus in Denver from 2009 to 2018, and the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque from 2015 to 2017. In 2023, Master Plan was pleased to welcome students from San Juan to the Fall 2023 Regional Retreat.
Our Ministry Today
As of Summer 2026, we have 12 full-time staff and 1 part-time admin staff.
We also have a committed Board of Directors and an awesome team of ministry partners.
Each year we touch hundreds of lives for Christ through evangelism and discipleship.
We are looking to grow our ministry teams.
Read more about us below and see if Master Plan would be a good fit for you!
The Condition of Our World
America’s moral fabric is unraveling quickly. Our culture that is trying to abandon God is leading to confusion, pain, and death. All over the world, there are hearts longing for love that are seeking fulfillment in the wrong places. The fundamental issue is people don’t know the love of God expressed through Jesus Christ, or the hope that He offers.
Today, there are over 16 million college students in the United States. We recognize that college students are at a critical part of their lives as they enter adulthood, and their life convictions are like wet cement. They are the leaders of tomorrow in families, businesses, churches, entertainment, government, medicine, law, and more.
Our Part of the World
God has given us over 20,000 college students who are attending classes each year in the Western part of Colorado. They are on 4 main secular college campuses and several community colleges, and they attract students from all over the world. We currently have teams on 2 larger campuses in Grand Junction and Durango, and we are looking to expand as we gain more staff.
These students are facing increasing challenges on campus related to the cultural pressures that are growing in the US. The secular humanist worldview that is openly taught at the public colleges is in defiance to truth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thousands of lives hang in the balance.
There are tax funded departments on each public campus that promote the normalcy of sexual perversion, gender confusion, the theory of evolution, and socialism. Many Christian college students are open to fighting for their faith with some encouragement, and many lost students are open to considering the Gospel, if someone will share with them. We see these students as our primary mission field and a huge potential labor force for the Great Commission.
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:18-20
In order to reach the lost for Christ, Christians must spiritually multiply their own lives and make disciples who can also make disciples. God has uniquely positioned us to reach many of these students that attend these institutions of higher education each year with evangelism and discipleship. The emerging Christian student leaders are taught to win, build, and send other disciples around the U.S. and to the world.
What is Win, Build, Send?
WIN
Winning involves meeting new people - for us, that is mostly students on college campuses. We use a variety of things to get students interested in the ministry. We take them on hikes, set up info tables, host fun activities on campus like volleyball, and most of all... we have food! Few college students will pass up free food.
All of these avenues allow us to begin building relationships and trust. We want to be involved in their lives, provide a safe place where they can ask questions, and most importantly: share the Gospel!
BUILD
For those students who accept the Gospel or are already believers, the next step is building them up in their faith and giving them opportunities to grow. Some of the ways we do this include: weekly one-on-one discipleship, main group meetings with a Biblical message & worship music, small group Bible studies, and weekend retreats.
We want students to spend the rest of their lives growing closer to Jesus, spending time in the Bible, in prayer, and with other believers.
SEND
Not only do we want our students to have a strong walk with the Lord, we also want to see them go out and continue the Great Commission wherever God calls them to live. To do this, we spend time specifically encouraging them to develop their gifts and break down the barriers (like fear) that prevent them from making disciples.
Through leadership development, we give them opportunities to watch and then step out into evangelism, discipleship, and leadership roles. We help develop servant-hearted leaders for worship, Bible studies, and small groups that have the tools to step into their church and lead others to do the same.
CMU Servant Team Students & Staff - Spring 2025
For over 40 years, Master Plan staff have been working on campuses in Colorado reaching young people for Jesus. We are committed to spending the best hours of our day to fulfill the Great Commission by winning, building, and sending them for Jesus.
Most staff members were originally students involved in the ministry - a testimony to how we were impacted for Christ as college students through MPM. We are passionate followers of Jesus Christ, eager to work with others who desire to share the love of Christ with a lost world. By working together we can reach people here in our own neighborhoods, our country, and beyond.
We eagerly seek your partnership to help prepare others to reach and influence the world for Christ.
Master Plan Staff Team
Join Our Team!
We are praying for others to join us in preparing others to reach and influence the world for Christ! Interning and serving on staff with Master Plan Ministries are awesome opportunities to make an eternal impact for the Lord!
If you think God is calling you to share the Gospel message, lead Bible studies, mentor college students, lead retreats, teach at weekly worship gatherings, hang out with young adults, and help them to cultivate their faith in Jesus, this may be for you!
Website Questions / Comments?
Contact our web admin.
Curtis Fay - Colorado Mesa University Campus Team Member | IT & A/V Lead
720-791-5736
