By Christi Mays
When Logan Knous '25 arrived at UMHB as a freshman, he never imagined he’d one day hold a full-time position ministering to the very students he once sat beside. But four years after stepping into his first UMHB33 meeting, Logan is back on campus—not as a student, but as UMHB’s campus missionary, leading the same ministry that transformed his own college journey.
The role of campus missionary is a collaboration between the Baptist Student Ministry and UMHB’s Spiritual Life office, and part of Logan’s new responsibilities is ministering to young college men who join UMHB33, an organization designed to help them grow in faith, discover their calling and lead with purpose. Logan, who has served as a leader in the group since his freshman year, says UMHB33 was much more than a student organization during his time as a student. “It was the most transformative thing I experienced at UMHB— more than my academics, more than my schooling,” he said. “It taught me how to lead others, how to reach guys where they are, to communicate the Gospel, to build teams, to interview teams, to help leaders grow in their development and the gifts that God has given them, and to grow an organization from where it started to where it is today.”
As a transformational development major, just weeks into his freshman year, the coordinator and founder of UMHB33, Danny Allen, recognized Logan's leadership potential and asked him to join the ministry’s leadership team. By his sophomore year, Logan was trained and leading the entire ministry and continued in that role until he graduated. During this stint, Logan introduced more structure and communication tools to the growing group, moving from spreadsheets to a centralized platform to expand the group’s outreach.
He also helped organize its first two mission trips to Montana, partnering with East Haven Baptist Church’s summer camp. He helped host banquets on biblical marriage and partnered with a local church to host a weekend Man Camp, designed to foster relationships and build connections.
As a transformational development major, Logan had planned to enter church ministry, perhaps through a pastoral residency, but when a new opportunity emerged through UMHB33’s leadership pipeline, he knew it was where God was calling him to be, even though he says he “never saw it coming.”
“UMHB33 is something that I’ve been really passionate about for four years now, and so the opportunity to continue leading in that was something that I was like, I have to be a part of that.
“We always talk about, you know, ‘Lord, would you do something through this ministry that we don’t expect?’ and God has continued to answer that prayer time and time again.”
In his new role, Logan mentors student leaders and connects with incoming freshmen even before they arrive on campus. This past summer, he sent welcome mailers and personally called new students to tell them about opportunities, like UMHB33, on campus.
“You could just hear in their voices how surprised they were and how thankful they were,” he said. “One guy even asked me, ‘So, this is a safe place for me to be able to share about my past?’ and I said, ‘Yes, absolutely.’”
Logan, who is also working on a master’s degree at Truett Seminary, sees this role as more than just a continuation of his time in college—it’s a calling. “It’s just a surreal experience, because I know what UMHB33 has done in my life,” he said. “This is really the strategic point in a man’s life. To be able to give a guy the tools he needs to be successful, not only at UMHB, but for life, it is just amazing.”
Looking ahead, Logan envisions even bigger things—perhaps even a dedicated ministry space. For now, though, he’s focused on the day-to-day work of discipleship, leadership development, and building lasting community. “Really, I’m living this life that I didn’t expect,” he said, “and it’s been so rich and so full and so just unexpected.”
