During the first few weeks of every spring semester, it’s not uncommon to see crowds of people lingering around Academic Plaza. Terms like “Brother Jed Bingo” and “Everyone is a sinner” are thrown to the crowds like candy, but this unconventional kind of ministry work has sparked a debate at college campuses nationwide.
Since 1974, George Edward “Jed” Smock, Jr., or Brother Jed as he is known across the nation, has traveled to hundreds of college campuses across the country to preach his word to current students. Every year, he spends at least one week at Texas A&M, where students have coined his time on campus as “JedFest.”
“College students are the future leaders of America and will be in positions of influence after they finish their higher education,” Smock said. “It is important to reach them while they are still searching before they take on the concerns and preoccupation of a career, marriage, family and a mortgage.”
Known for his loud and often accusatory approach to spreading the Gospel, Smock said what sets him apart from other ministries across campus is his inability to fear confrontation.
“We boldly confront sin and call students to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by public preaching out where the sinners are,” Smock said. “Most other ministries primarily practice friendship or relational evangelism.”
Videos of Smock’s unconventional way of preaching have gone viral on popular social media platforms, including Twitter and TikTok, capturing the attention of millions of viewers. Because of this, a number of students across campus, such as society, ethics and law junior Gary Frankel, refuse to take Smock and his ministry seriously.
“It’s almost like a sideshow at a fair or an amusement park,” Frankel said. “You always hear about these kinds of people existing, but you rarely get a chance to actually interact with them. I think it’s the absurdity of it all that really attracts people.”
With a mission to spread the message that “sin is bad, and God is good,” Smock said local church support is a key factor in choosing which colleges and universities he travels to, as well as choosing the right time of year to travel to certain campuses.
“In the winter months, I travel the sun-belt since we are preaching out in the elements,” Smock said. “If I have a local church in which I can speak, I am given a generous offering to help with expenses and sometimes some of the church folks come out to stand with me and witness the students on the sidelines.”
Not only is Smock and his ministry work reaching America’s youth, whether that be through his campus work or the videography skills of onlookers, but his reputation has spread to a number of foreign countries as well.
“Foreign nations send their best and brightest to America to study at our universities,” Smock said. “They will hear the word of God from me and hopefully take it back to their native countries. Years ago a group of Iranian students informed me that I was very well known in Iran because my preaching was a common experience they had when studying at U.S. institutions. They said to me, ‘Brother Jed we talk about you in the cafes of Iran.’”
For aerospace engineering sophomore Amy John, JedFest provides the entertainment she feels the spring semester lacks.
“Spring semester doesn’t really have much going on except spring break,” John said. “JedFest is that in-between thing that really gets people hyped in all honesty. It’s worth swinging by when everyone’s into it in the beginning. The memes, the content with no background. It’s the best damn tradition at this school.”
No matter the backlash he and his followers receive, Smock said A&M is by far his favorite campus and generally where he ministers the longest.
“I’ve been preaching at Texas A&M virtually annually since the late ‘80s and usually spend at least a week on campus,” Smock said. “My favorite is Texas A&M, which relatively speaking, is the most conservative public university in America with a stronger Christian influence than any other.”