Formed in Mission with Riley Griggs

Feb 17

Episode Summary

In this episode, Brian and Cory sit down with Riley Griggs of Icthus Campus Ministry in Manhattan, Kansas. Riley shares his journey from heartbreak and identity crisis to discovering Jesus in college, encountering movement principles, serving overseas in North Africa, and now returning to Kansas State with a renewed vision for gospel saturation. Together, they explore what it means to be formed by God’s love while living on mission—and how urgency and patience meet in the easy yoke of Jesus.

Key Themes & Takeaways

1. Identity Shaken, Identity Found

Riley’s journey with Jesus began in a moment of deep loss. After building his identity around a relationship that ended, he was left asking: Who am I? What is life about?

Began exploring faith seriously in college at Kansas State University
Captivated by the gospel through reading Scripture and asking honest questions
Noticed a disconnect between the Book of Acts and modern church experience
Began gathering Christians in his architecture major to live missionally

From the beginning, Riley sensed that following Jesus meant more than attending church—it meant participating in something dynamic and multiplying.

2. Discovering Movement & Finding His People

Through a friend, Riley connected with Icthus Campus Ministry and was introduced to disciple-making movement principles.

Found language for what he had already been wrestling with
Began seeing New Testament patterns as reproducible today
Deepened conviction that ordinary believers can live sent

This wasn’t just new information—it was alignment. Riley realized he wasn’t alone in longing to see gospel saturation.

3. North Africa: Learning the Pace of Jesus

Riley and his wife Chloe moved to North Africa for two years, living in a Muslim context and engaging in relief work during a major earthquake.

One of the biggest lessons:

It’s okay to not know what you’re doing.

He learned to slow down and follow the Spirit’s timing
Discovered the “easy yoke, light burden” pace of Jesus
Let go of striving and performance-driven urgency
Practiced listening prayer and discernment in real time

Instead of forcing mission, Riley learned to walk at God’s pace—sometimes accelerating, sometimes slowing down, always attentive.

4. Returning to Manhattan: Love Over Pressure

After returning to Kansas and welcoming their son Miller, Riley stepped into leadership with Icthus.

Now he’s navigating a unique tension in campus ministry:

Avoiding fear-based urgency and performance pressure
Inviting students into mission rooted in identity
Helping them understand God’s heart for them first

Rather than motivating through shame or hype, Riley is reframing mission as: Love as the agenda.

Understanding God’s delight in us transforms how we see others. As Riley described, becoming a father has deepened his grasp of God’s heart:

His son can “do nothing” for him
Yet he delights in him completely
That revelation reshapes how Riley sees himself—and others

When identity is rooted in love, mission becomes overflow.5. Learning to Communicate Good News as Good News

Disciple-making shapes our ability to speak the gospel in ways that actually connect to people’s real lives.
Instead of defaulting to a formula, we learn to bring “Kingdom news” into specific forms of brokenness with gentleness and curiosity.
The more the gospel takes root in us, the more clearly we can communicate it to others.

5. What’s Being Formed in the Journey

Through heartbreak, overseas mission, and campus leadership, Riley describes what God has been forming in him:

Patience over urgency
Trust over control
Rest over anxiety
Love over pressure
Identity before activity

The formation is internal—but it shapes everything external.

Final Thoughts

Living on mission is not about frantic urgency or performance. It is about abiding in the love of God so deeply that His heart becomes ours.

When we know we are delighted in, mission stops being a burden and becomes a privilege. The more we understand how God sees us, the more naturally we begin to see others the same way.

Movement begins not with strategy, but with love.