Chapter Planting Manual ver 3.0

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C h a p t e r p l a n t i n g m a n u a l
version 3.0

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i n t r o d u C t i o n t o t h e m a n u a l
In the first edition of this manual, we wrote that it was a "work in
progress." We are now in the third phase of that work. Over this past year,
as before, we have been instructed in the practical classrooms of chapter
plants across the country as we've tried out our ideas on campus. Our
commitment to planting InterVarsity chapters committed to Jesus and his
work of redemption and transformation on campus is stronger than ever.
Over the past years we have learned a great deal about how to help staff,
students and faculty plant vision-driven, mission-focused communities
of students and faculty. Our personal experience, the experiences of the
first generations of chapter planters, their coaches and our continued
relationship with the Evangelical Covenant Church and their head of church
planting, Dave Olson, have all contributed to this revised manual.
In version 3.0 you'll find major changes to the Four Stage Launch. We've
worked to bring greater clarity to understanding each stage, and we will
continue to work on how to integrate Planting and Building. We have
given the manual a new introduction to the Stage 2 Wave, and there are
new articles on prayer and multiethnicity as they pertain to the life of your
new Plant. We've reworked the descriptions of the Planting Essentials and
the descriptions of the Four Stages. We've adding a brief Glossary to the
Appendix as well.
With each new generation of Chapter Plants, the manual wil be revisited
so that it wil continue to develop as an effective aid in your leadership on
campus.
Our rich history of planting will continue. Our passionate commitment to
Jesus and our love for students and faculty is sustaining our efforts. As
you work with this material you become a part of this ongoing legacy. Our
continuing dialogue will enable future generations of InterVarsity staff,
students and faculty to become more expert in their ability to bring
the gospel to campus. May God bless and enrich you as you take the
joy-filled risk of bringing his message of hope to students and faculty
throughout the US.
In Christ, for the campus,
Shawn Young
Chris Nichols
Brian Sanders
Marcia Wang
and members of the Chapter Planting Steering Committee
June 2009

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t a b l e o f C o n t e n t s
3.16 Vision Worksheet
1. FOUNDATIONS
6. MISSIONAL LEADERSHIP
3.17 Context Worksheet: Vision
1.01 Choosing Chapter Planters
6.01 How Jesus Made Disciples:
Mark 1:16-39 Manuscript
1.01 The 7 Elements of Effective
Chapter Planting
4. OUTREACH
6.03 Group Exercise: a Survey of
Mark
1.02 Attributes of Planters and
4.01 Evangelism Starts Now!
Strength Grouping of Pastors
6.04 Identifying and Developing
4.03 Network Planning
Student and Faculty Leaders
1.04 Spying out the Land
Worksheet
6.05 Tour through Acts (Passages
1.08 A Place of Worship:
4.04 Student Worksheet: How
for Planting)
Ezra 3 Manuscript
are You Connected?
6.06 Context Worksheet: Student
1.11 Planting Essentials
4.06 Effective Strategies
and Faculty Leadership
1.14 Recognizing and Awakening
4.08 Outreach Exercise - Reflection
Missional Christians
7. CATALYTIC EVENTS
4.09 Context Worksheet: Outreach
1.19 Four Stage Launch Process
7.01 Catalytic Events at Every
1.20 Four Stages (goals, warnings)
5. GATHERING & BUILDING Stage
7.02 Catalytic Event Diagram
2. PRAYER
5.01 Gathering New Students
and Faculty
7.03 Catalytic Events: Luke 10;
2.01 Planting through Prayer
Matthew 28 Manuscripts
5.02 Outreach Events vs.
2.02 Prayer Walking your Plant
Gathering Events
7.06 Context Worksheet:
Catalytic Events
2.03 Context Worksheet: Prayer
5.03 Retention and Loss
and Worship
8. THE PLANTER
5.04 How is a Core Group
3. VISION
different from a Leadership Team
8.01 What it Takes
5.06 Finding a Rhythm: the Stage
8.01 10 Mistakes Planters Make
3.01 InterVarsity/USA Purpose
2 Wave
and Vision
8.02 Developmental Problems
5.09 Strategic Planning Outline
3.02 Multiethnicity and Chapter
for the Stage 2 Wave
APPENDIX
Planting
5.11 Meeting Setup Checklist
3.07 1 Samuel 17 Manuscript
A.1.1 Glossary
5.12 Facility Considerations
3.12 Vision Evaluation
A.1.2 Online Planting Resources
5.13 Context Worksheet:
3.13 Anatomy of Good Vision Talk
A.1.3 How do Chapters Grow?
Gathering
3.15 Vision Talk Preparation
A.2 Prayer & Worship: articles
and ideas
A.3 Finding Them: Ideas for
NSO and Outreach
Graphic design and production: 2100 Productions, with special thanks to Grete Bauder
Editor: Jeff Yourison, jyourison@intervarsity.org
Online: Manual and supplemental papers at http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/page/chapterplanting
Much of the content used in this manual is adapted with permission from material used by the Covenant Church.
© InterVarsity Christian Fel owship/USA
InterVarsity staff employees are granted permission to print and distribute copies of this manual for use with InterVarsity Christian Fel owship/
USA campus staff, volunteer staff and students. This permission assumes that the material is being used for InterVarsity training and planning
purposes and is not being resold for profit.

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foundations
1
f o u n d a t i o n s
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
4

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C h o o s i n g C h a p t e r p l a n t e r s
foundations
THE 7 ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE CHAPTER PLANTING
Our cohort approach employs seven elements of effective chapter planting:
1. A well-conceived process which is carefully implemented.
2. The right chapter planter who has a strong mix of planting gifts and
ministry strengths.
3. The right campus that is a strong match with the gifts and strengths of
the planter.
4. Strong coaching that helps the planter identify and remove the obstacles
to developing a vibrant new ministry on campus.
5. A strong base of funding support so that the planter is able to focus
MISSIONAL
on planting and building the ministry.
LEADERSHIP
6. God's moment to plant a new ministry on that campus.
7. Strong support from the supervisor, the area team and the community.
A Successful Plant Requires:
1.01

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THE ATTRIBUTES OF PLANTERS
As your regional leadership teams work to select gifted and cal ed chapter
foundations
planters to join the cohort, the chapter planting task force has identified a
number of characteristics to watch for in the staff that you consider for the
cohort. Five sets of words that helpful y summarize the attributes of a planter are:
1. Spiritual vision -- passion -- calling -- encounter with God
2. Risk -- challenge -- guts
3. Persistent -- moves through failure -- work ethic -- self-discipline -- drive
4. Communicator -- gatherer -- enlists the help of others -- personal charisma
5. Trainer -- developer -- empowerment -- discernment
FOUR MAjOR STRENGTH GROUPINGS OF PASTORS
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
As the Covenant has studied the people who have been effective church
planters, they have noticed that they are invariably strongest in the gathering
and building gift mixes. As gatherers, they have the ability to attract dozens
of missional y oriented lay people to join them in the planting endeavor. As
builders, they understand group dynamics and structures; they can train,
develop, and deploy lay leaders to build the new plant and anticipate and
address future opportunities and obstacles.

The Evangelical Covenant Church, which has one of the most effective
systems of church planting, has identified four major strength groupings
that they see generally in pastors. They are:
1. *Builder 2. Manager 3. *Gatherer 4. Pastor
*These two have been found to be required for chapter planting.
1.02

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DESCRIPTIONS OF THE STRENGTH GROUPINGS OF PASTORS
foundations
1. Builder
Strategic
Visionary ­ thinks and plans for the future
Growth biased
Looks for potential
Prefers to start things versus maintain things
2. Manager
Fixes what's broken
MISSIONAL
Revises vs. invents
LEADERSHIP
Analyzes systems and makes them run better
Maintains performance
3. Gatherer
Motivated by the relationships they can form
Natural inviter
Bonds quickly with new people
Has strong instincts for what people will come to
Pays attention to ambience and atmosphere
4. Pastor
Excels at proving care for broken, struggling, hurting believers
Focus on personal integration of spiritual principals
Preference for teaching and counseling
Prefers to learn from the past rather than dream about the future
Concern for spiritual health of the group
1.03

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s p y i n g o u t t h e l a n d
By Jeanette Yep, revised by Ann Boyd and Greg Jao
foundations
To understand your campus, you must observe the campus (through visits,
interviews, and exploration), interpret this data (by forming hypotheses
about campus life and ministry opportunities), adjust your hypotheses
(based on your observations), and apply this knowledge in your ministry.
Yes, all of life can be inductive!
The following categories and questions offer you some ideas to help you
"spy out the land" as you seek to understand the campus milieu better.
(These ideas are not presented in order of importance.) Whether you are
establishing a new fellowship, joining an existing campus team, or thinking
through campus engagement issues, these categories should clarify
your understanding of the campus, raise helpful questions, and provide
important insights into your ministry goals.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
1. Contact the administration of the college or university.
Learn the procedure for establishing an InterVarsity chapter on campus if you
are establishing a new witnessing community on campus. If you work with
an established chapter, learn the official procedures for applying for annual
recognition by the school, funding, and running a student group on campus.
Build a relationship with the member of the administration responsible for
student life and activities. (Bring your chapter president or another upcoming
leader from your fel owship, so that they can learn from the experience as
wel .) During your conversation, get a feel for this administrator's attitude
towards Christian groups on campus, assessment of student needs, and
ability (and wil ingness) to provide university resources to the chapter.
If you work with a focused ministry (e.g., Greek, ethnic fel owship, NCF),
meet with the official university representatives/advocates for your people
group (e.g., InterFraternity Council/PanHel enic Board, Minority Affairs office).
Get a copy of any handbooks governing student groups on campus.
Identify the person in charge of scheduling room reservations. Ask them
to identify ways that InterVarsity could best reserve appropriate rooms at
appropriate times.
2. Investigate campus demographics, informal structures and networks.
Identify the following information through your interviews, acquisition of
admission or public relations brochures, use of the school website, etc.:
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· the total number of undergraduates and graduates
· the ethnic minority percentages on campus
· the number of international students
foundations
· the percentage of residential and commuter students
· the average age of the typical undergraduate
· the percentage of the student body that is going to school full-time
· the most popular departments, majors, courses, or professors
· the average number of hours most students work during the school
year
· Is this a suitcase school? a party school? a school for geeks? Greeks?
· Why do most students attend this particular school?
· What do the graduates of this school typically do?
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
3. Spy out the land/campus physically.
Where do different types of people hang out? When? For how long? Take
a campus map and identify these locations. Use this as an aid to help you
meet various campus affinity groups.
Where do on-campus students live? Do certain types of students (e.g.,
first-years, geeks, African American students, agriculture students)
congregate in specific dorms/houses/apartments? Where do the commuter
students tend to live? How do they get to school?
Where does your fellowship meet for large group meetings? small groups?
other activities? How does that compare with the information that you
have gathered? Take your student leaders on a prayer walk to areas that
you have identified as strategic for the chapter's ministry.
4. Find "cultural informants" and take time to understand
people's attitudes.
Briefly interview at least two students, one faculty member, and one
administrator who are not a part of InterVarsity's ministry. Take your evangelism
coordinator (or equivalent) with you to at least one of the interviews.
What are these people's perspectives on the campus atmosphere/ethos, on
the needs of students, and on the InterVarsity chapter? What changes have
occurred in the campus's ethos or environment in the past 5 years?
Who or what are some of the key influences on campus, or on your focus
1.05

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ministry area? Consider the faculty, the newspaper, the student government,
certain individuals, social groups (e.g., athletes, Greeks, gay/lesbian al iance,
students from a certain geography). What are key campus-wide events?
foundations
What are people on campus (or among your focused ministry area)
thinking/talking about? What topics are being discussed in the lounge,
cafeteria, sports field, campus newspaper? (Bring in a copy of the most recent
student newspaper.) How much time do students spend studying, commuting,
working, recreating? What do the students do during their free time?
5. Understand the existing InterVarsity chapter's ministry.
Even if you are not new to the scene, do an assessment. What is the
chapter like in terms of personality? effectiveness? How does it (through its
structure, ministry and student participants) meet the needs of the campus
(or your specific target group)? How does it not "fit" the target campus or
MISSIONAL
focus group ethos as well?
LEADERSHIP
Interview a former staff member, a faculty adviser, an alumnus, and a
student leader (past or present) regarding the strengths and weaknesses
of the chapter, as well as the major influences that have shaped it. What
training events are most utilized? least utilized? Why? What are historic
weaknesses of the fellowship? strengths? trends? Veteran staff on your
team may also have some valuable historical perspectives and strategic
insights. (If you work on a campus with multiple InterVarsity chapters,
interview the other InterVarsity staff on campus to understand how the
fellowships relate, synergize, or conflict.)
Review the past 3 years of AFR data to identify trends in (a) overall student
numbers, (b) prayer, (c) evangelism, and (d) ethnic minority students. (Ask
your AD for the AFR data.)
6. Identify any other existing Christian groups.
Check with the administration. Read campus bulletin boards and the school
paper(s). Don't overlook ethnic Christian ministries such as gospel choirs,
Chinese Bible studies, Korean fellowships, etc. Also check to see if local
churches sponsor a ministry on campus or have particularly strong church
ministries for college students.
Get a broad handle on the ethos and mission of these other groups. What
role does InterVarsity play in the Christian fel owship community on campus?
Interview the university's chaplain or official campus minister (or a local
pastor). Ask them about their perspectives on the spiritual life on campus,
their ministry's history and ethos, and their perspectives on InterVarsity.
1.06

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7. Assessment
Compile a four-page report of your findings. In the report, answer the
following questions:
foundations
(a) What are the 10 most important things you learned about the campus/
fellowship? What surprised you?
(b) How does the ethos and ministry of your fellowship reflect the ethos
and needs of your campus?
(c) Write up a description of your campus that would take 30 seconds to
read out loud. Make sure that it is a snapshot that provides us with a feel
for the key issues, struggles, needs or opportunities on campus.
(d) Given what you've learned, what "windows of opportunity" exist for
relevant evangelism on campus?
(e) What are the key discipleship needs on campus that the fellowship
MISSIONAL
must address to be relevant?
LEADERSHIP
(f) In what places, situations or relationships did you see injustice
on campus?
(g) Where did you see evidence of the kingdom of God moving forward
on campus?
(h) What trends did you notice in your fellowship's ministry through your
review of the AFR data?
1.07

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e z r a 3
creating a place of worship
foundations
1
When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their
towns, the people assembled with one accord in Jerusalem. Then
Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of
Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of
5
Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is
written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of
the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and
sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and
evening sacrifices. Then in accordance with what is written, they
MISSIONAL
10 celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of
LEADERSHIP
burnt offerings prescribed for each day. After that, they presented
the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the
sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the LORD, as well as
those brought as freewill offerings to the LORD. On the first day of
15 the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD,
though the foundation of the LORD's temple had not yet been laid.
Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food
and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they
would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized
20 by Cyrus king of Persia. In the second month of the second year
after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son
of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the
priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity
to Jerusalem) began the work, appointing Levites twenty years old
25 and older to supervise the building of the house of the LORD. Joshua
and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of
Hodaviah and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers--all
Levites--joined together in supervising those working on the house
of God. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the
1.08

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1
LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the
Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise
the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and
foundations
thanksgiving they sang to the LORD:
5
"He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever."
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD,
because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But
many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had
seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation
10 of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one
could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of
weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound
MISSIONAL
was heard far away.
LEADERSHIP

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY'S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of
International Bible Society ®. All rights reserved worldwide.
1.09

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d i s C u s s i o n q u e s t i o n s :
foundations
1. What are the Israelites' primary objectives as they return to Jerusalem
from captivity?
2. What do their actions tell you about their convictions?
3. Explore the context they were working in. What were the challenges they
faced?
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
4. What was their approach to the context around them?
5. Why was it important that they begin with the altar?
6. What accounts for their responses as they laid the foundation of the
temple? What do you learn about these people?
1.10

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C h a p t e r p l a n t i n g e s s e n t i a l s
foundations
1
Prayer
Creating a place of
worship on campus
6 Catalytic Events
Vision
2
Events that lead the
group into the next stage
Authoritative
MISSIONAL
vision from God
LEADERSHIP
Leadership
5 Developing students and faculty
as missional leaders
Outreach 3
Engaging students
Gathering
and faculty with
the vision
Forming community
around the vision
4
1.11

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C h a p t e r p l a n t i n g e s s e n t i a l s
Almost al of what it takes to plant a chapter is summed up by the six categories
foundations
in the diagram above. At first, they seem to be somewhat sequential, which is
why they are depicted that way. Yet al of them must remain as bedrock practices
of a healthy and growing group. These categories represent principles of action
and therefore, can be contextualized and worked out in ways that are as
different as every planter and every campus.
Prayer and Worship: We begin with a connection and calling from God.
We pray not so that we can succeed but so that we can become a part of
what God dreams for that campus. We offer ourselves as the first fruit of
the hundreds, if not thousands, of students and faculty we hope will one
day offer all of who they are to Jesus in worship and service. We do not
pray to ask God to bless our vision for that campus; we pray to understand
MISSIONAL
his vision and then to offer ourselves to be a part of seeing it become a
LEADERSHIP
reality.
Authoritative Vision: The next step is to develop and to be able to
articulate a clear and compelling vision for the campus. It is out of the place
of prayer and surrender (either personally or as a planting team) that we
will discern a vision for the campus. What makes it authoritative is not the
way we say it but where it comes from. If the source of our vision for that
campus is clear and its source is God then people will be able to tell. On the
other hand, if our vision does not come out of a place of prayer, it will lack
power and we will lack confidence as we share it with others.
Outreach: Next, with the goal of sharing our vision, we begin the process
of meeting as many people as we can. How this is done is less important
than that it is done with abandon. We have to cast the net wide and share
with as many people as we can the vision that God has given us so that
people can join us. Our first group of people needs to be drawn to us
because of the mission and not our programs. Starting our ministry with
outreach sets a precedent that will benefit the chapter for its lifetime.
Gathering: Once a group of people have shown interest in us or our vision
we have to gather them to begin pursuing that vision. Our next assignment
is to gather these people and build a sense of community in the presence of
God. Intentional gathering for the purpose of Bible study, worship, prayer,
discussion, fellowship and dreaming about the campus will begin to solidify
a community that is committed to pursuing the vision and mission of
InterVarsity on campus.
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Missional Leadership: Right from the start, we begin building trust and
relationship with potentially missional students (PMCs) and faculty. Through
missional activities, reflection on scripture and prayer, we develop them
foundations
as disciples of Jesus and help them complete the discipleship cycle by
extending their influence to others. This pattern paves the way to missional
leadership.
Catalytic Events: While it's important for each student and faculty to make
personal choices and decisions to become more involved and committed
to the mission on campus, we don't want to neglect the role of communal
experiences and commitments. A significant turning point in the chapter is
achieved when the leaders and Core members encounter God together and
respond to his call as a community.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
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r e C o g n i z i n g a n d a w a k e n i n g
m i s s i o n a l C h r i s t i a n s o n C a m p u s
foundations
By Chris Nichols
If you are planting an InterVarsity chapter, you know that one key to
developing that chapter is gathering "missional Christians." A missional
Christian is defined as a student or faculty who is motivated by
their relationship with Jesus to advance the gospel on their campus,
someone who is willing to devote time and resources and to take
risks for Jesus' sake.
In the chapter-planting framework, missional Christians are an essential
component. But knowing who they are isn't always obvious. Missional
Christians have certain characteristics which make them unique and as you
spend time with students, you begin to recognize that not every student or
MISSIONAL
faculty is missional. So how can you recognize missional Christians?
LEADERSHIP
We begin to understand who missional Christians are from watching Jesus
and his interactions with his disciples. Jesus gathered men and women
around him who were going to be essential for the future of the work he set
out to do. As we watch these early disciples in action with Jesus and after his
resurrection, we can see that these were Jesus' missional leaders.
Recognizing missional qualities
So what might a missional Christian student look like today?
Bill arrived on campus as a new believer. He'd had a profound conversion
and had begun his life as a disciple in a dynamic, conservative, charismatic
church. By the time we'd met he was eager to evangelize everyone he
knew. He gathered up other frosh and brought them to InterVarsity. He
mobilized freshmen guys to join a small group. As he recruited others to
join him in contact evangelism he was an effective force on campus. He
was also effectively offending a wide variety of people.
The longer Bil was on campus, the more complaints I received from other
campus ministers, faculty and even the Dean's office. His assertiveness came
across as intolerance and arrogance to many. And while the extent of the
criticisms went too far, the core issues that were identified were correct. Bil 's
gifts were big and so were his liabilities. Unchecked, untrained and unmentored,
he was a menace to the group. His wil ingness to take risks was welcome, but
the randomness of his actions was not. His fearlessness in the face of opposition
and conflict meant he wasn't easily intimidated but it also meant he could be
intimidating and cause those he was confronting to run in the other direction.
It would have been easy to decide that Bil didn't fit our group, that he
1.14

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belonged with someone else and that he didn't fit our culture. But it was
clear that Bil was a leader and would be important to us if we wanted to
see the ministry advance. He was wil ing to be a part of InterVarsity, and it
foundations
became my job (along with other staff) to help him not only identify his many
gifts but also learn how to practice them on campus with love and care.
Sometimes that meant correcting some aspect of Bill's behavior that was
offensive. Other times it meant standing up for him and protecting him
from those who were simply offended by his willingness to be public about
his beliefs. It meant giving him space to practice his gifts and flourish in
leadership. It meant taking time to teach him from scripture what faithful
followership looked like. It meant taking the time to help him understand
and find his place in our mission on campus. Bill was definitely a missional
Christian. And because we could see it in him, we connected to him and
helped him take his place in leadership. As a result, Bill became a key
contributor to the success of the ministry. He was and is an evangelist, a
leader and an influencer wherever he goes.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Mary arrived in the group as a freshman. She was quiet and tended to
stay on the edges of whatever was happening. The InterVarsity group was
growing and beginning to become committed in new ways to evangelism
but Mary didn't display any of the obvious gifts the group was needing in
order to move ahead in conversion ministry. But she kept showing up. She
was faithful, though quiet, and she seemed determined to go where the
group was growing. As staff began to get to know her, they gave her small
jobs to do at events they were holding. Mary not only faithful y carried out
her responsibilities but also began to take initiative to finding ways to do
those jobs with greater efficiency and effectiveness. As staff and student
leaders gave her greater responsibility, they began to realize that Mary's gifts
were in strategic development. Not only could she organize but she could
also think through the weaknesses of any system and figure out how to
help it work better in order for the group to achieve its evangelistic goals.
And Mary worked in concert with where the group wanted to go. She was
not only a team player but over the next four years became the essential
strategist for the development of the most significant large group ministry
the group had ever had. Mary was and is a missional Christian. While her
gifts are different than Bil 's, her impact for the mission was just as great.
As staff, we are watching for missional followers and as we find them, are
inviting them to join us in a new endeavor on campus. Some missional
believers are already demonstrating their abilities. Others are just beginning
to show their talents.
Missional Christians don't have the same personality types, nor do they
look alike, nor are they exclusively female or male or a particular ethnicity.
They are a diverse group. And because they are young, sometimes they
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won't demonstrate characteristics that are as easy to see as those shown
by the disciples in scripture. They can be opinionated in their enthusiasm.
They might show their risk-taking talents by taking the wrong risks. Their
foundations
determination to make a difference may come across as arrogance. Their
fearlessness may be interpreted as hubris. Their eagerness to make an
impact for the kingdom may be experienced as disruptive to the group. Yet,
they do show up on campus and do display some common characteristics.
Characteristics of missional Christians
We are looking for students who:
· show up. They are attracted to what we are doing and like the fact that
there is a new risk to take that has a great purpose behind it.
· are eager to see something happen that isn't currently happening on
campus. They may not understand what it is we are trying to achieve but
they understand enough to engage with us in reaching out to parts of the
MISSIONAL
campus we had never impacted.
LEADERSHIP
· are willing to make accommodations in their lives to see something
develop. They rearrange their schedule, are available and make some
sacrifices to see meetings take place, and the work gets done.
· want more in their relationship to God and want it for those around
them even if they aren't sure how it will be done.
· are able to engage with others and seek to have an influence on them. It's not
just that they are smooth relational y, but they make significant connections.
· take risks. The level of risk looks different with different people, but
students who are missional demonstrate that they're willing to step out
beyond their comfort zone for the sake to this movement they have joined.
· are teachable and are willing to learn and contribute ideas of their own.
· can and do gather others around them.
· aren't afraid to stand out in some way in public as followers of Jesus.
Missional students are both leaders and partners, but there will be rough
edges. Missional Christians are young when we meet them. Their big gifts
are unwieldy and often unmanageable. They may seem brash and full
of hubris. They may come across as hard to teach and too eager to take
leadership. It takes patience and lots of communication to make headway.
Searching for missional Christians
How will you find them? First of all, there must be a missional environment
in the group. Missional students won't come to a group that is lacking
vision. Staff need to be dedicated to being missional themselves. Like will
1.16

---

attract like. Second, staff should look for opportunities to both demonstrate
the fundamental values of the mission they are leading and practice their
missional skills. Where are new frontiers on campus for advancing God's
foundations
kingdom? Staff should be going there. As staff live out a missional lifestyle
on campus, they must constantly and consistently cast vision for the work
they are doing and be able to explain their strategies. Third, as the group
culture becomes more missional, staff must at the same time be out among
students, searching out the missional Christians God has sent. You'll find
them through information tables, contact forms handed out at churches,
by following up family friends who you find out attend your campus, and
through meeting friends of original campus contacts. Each avenue of
contact with new students that presents itself is your opportunity to go
looking for them. Finally, each day you should be praying for God to give
you divine appointments with those he is sending your way. Ask him to give
you eyes to see them and ears to recognize them through the things they
are saying.
MISSIONAL
Each time you meet someone you are looking for signs. How do they
LEADERSHIP
respond to your vision for campus ministry? What do you notice about how
they relate to others? Do they demonstrate good people skills? Are others
gathered around them? Do they want to engage with you in conversation
about the mission, asking why you are there? Are they eager for something
to begin? Are they willing to meet again?
When you think you've met a missional student, invite them to something
else. Over time keep exploring with them their interest in ministry and keep
giving them parts of the vision to think about and understand. As you extend
an invitation for them to join the group and participate more ful y in the
ministry, invite them into leadership. As you welcome them in, take them
with you as you take steps of faith in bringing the gospel to the campus.
Not every student with skills is missional
It's important to note that not every outgoing student with good people
skills is necessarily missional. I've met many Christian students with strong
faith background, who, while friendly and outgoing, aren't ready or
interested in going with us on the journey we have ahead of us.
Matt came from a strong Christian background. He had been to a Christian
high school and had been a leader in his youth group. He was outgoing and
attractive and knew how to lead. He signed up for the group early on and
seemed like exactly the right person to help us move the group forward. Matt
looked like a missional leader because he had sophisticated people skil s. He
knew his way around the evangelical world and knew the right language. He
seemed to want to see the group grow and engage the campus.
But Matt wasn't eager to lead change. Matt wanted to head up an
1.17

---

organization. He was happy to lead meetings but unlike the missional
Christians we were looking for, he didn't want to be an integral part of
leading a group that sought to take risks in order to advance the impact
foundations
of gospel. He didn't want to be in a group that crowded his schedule. He
was willing to gather students, but his goals were to have a group that
supported and encouraged one another but not engage with the secular
edge of the campus. Matt didn't turn out to be the missional leader we
needed. He eventually found another group to be a part of that suited his
needs more fully.
Be ready to be surprised about whom God is cal ing. Be praying for them. Help
them gain a biblical understanding of the their role as you work together. And
prepare for the day when you wil hand the mission over to them.
Missional Christians are essential to the development of mission. May God
give us eyes to recognize those he sends!
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
1.18

---

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1.19

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t h e f o u r s t a g e s
Goals, Activities, and Warning Signs
foundations
s t a g e o n e : f o r m i n g a m i s s i o n a l C o r e
Strategic Goals
· It's critical that you are seeking God earnestly and frequently as you
prepare and begin to plant. Supporters, students, faculty, pastors should
be invited to pray with you.
· Clarify vision and values, and write them out in 30 sec., 3 min., and
30 min. versions.
· Carry out initial outreach strategy, including any events, networking
efforts, publicity and follow-up.
MISSIONAL
· Get recognition as an official university club; get necessary rooms
LEADERSHIP
or spaces reserved.
· Begin Bible studies that teach and demonstrate the vision and
foundational values. Develop any PMCs in these groups.
· Build trust and relationship with core members and lead them into
missional activity.
Most Productive Activities
· Meet lots of new people from all areas of campus (depending on the
target population of your chapter).
· Bond quickly with interested people, moving to deeper friendship.
· Share vision of fellowship in various ways.
· Offer practical ways to get involved.
· Personal follow-up, visits and contact with interested people
Warning Signs of Potential Problems
· Confusion about how to prioritize time
· Inability to connect with new people
· Inability to create enthusiasm among core members
· Vague concept of vision and values
· Homogenous ethnic representation (unless the chapter is ethnic-specific)
· Allowing time to flow toward non-missional Christians
1.20

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s t a g e t w o : b u i l d i n g m o m e n t u m
Strategic Goals
foundations
· Launch a Core Meeting (give it a fitting name). Use meeting time to
teach on the vision, mission and core values, and let the Core act as an
operations team to carry out the mission.
· Core members have identified their relational networks and are equipped
to invite people to events.
· Use a modified "Wave" strategy to plan all special or recurring events for
the semester/quarter.
· Train/equip all core members in evangelism skills that are appropriate for
chapter and campus. Ideally, 50% of the Core is engaged in some kind of
ongoing witnessing efforts.
· Help members deepen personal and corporate prayer life by practicing
MISSIONAL
various approaches.
LEADERSHIP
· Hold a special meeting, event or retreat designed to celebrate what God
has done, inspire members about the next year, and call for maximum
involvement in specific ways.
· Work with the Core Group to launch a larger scale NSO strategy.
Most Productive Activities
· Spend a lot of time with core members in their relational networks so that
you can model core values. Disciples are made in everyday situations!
· Be an invitational machine. Invite broadly, constantly and cheerfully.
· Prepare wel for Core Meetings. Be clear about your objectives for each
meeting. This is extremely important!
· Be observant as core members try evangelism, lead bible studies, carry out
tasks and short-term responsibilities. Spend time helping them process
and learn from these experiences.
· Bring core members to key discipleship conferences. Visit another (well-
established) InterVarsity group to inspire core.
Warning Signs of Potential Problems
· Core Group lacks enthusiasm or ownership of Outreach events and
Gathering events.
· Core members abandon outside relational networks for "safe Christian
community."
1.21

---

· Visitors to small groups don't return or don't get invited to Core
Meetings.
· Core demonstrates poor welcoming/inviting skills.
foundations
· Majority of Core is unwilling to attempt GIGs, conversational evangelism,
or other form of personal witness.
s t a g e t h r e e : d e v e l o p i n g m i s s i o n a l
l e a d e r s h i p
Strategic Goals
· Regular missional prayer meetings that are focused, engaging and inclusive.
· Leaders begin the year inspired, trained and prepared for launching new
MISSIONAL
small groups.
LEADERSHIP
· Excellent New Student Outreach program with high participation from
current members.
· Major Gathering events for whole chapter are energetic, welcoming, and
well executed, with new people coming from small groups and personal
invitations.
· 85% of new members join a small group Bible study.
· Small group members bond, and leaders identify responsive students to
invest in.
· Small groups and Gathering events help new PMCs step into the Core.
Most Productive Activities
· Prepare al current members for NSO, giving specific roles and instructions.
· Partner with leaders and core members to meet and build relationships
with new students and faculty from NSO.
· Use a pre-fall retreat (or suitable event) to cast vision to the entire core.
This event may also train leaders for their roles.
· Continue to help leaders and core members reflect on their missional
experiences, and extend their influence to others.
· Invite/recruit new PMCs to key conferences, weekend projects or suitable
experiences in order to draw them into the Core.
1.22

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Warning Signs of Potential Problems
· Follow-up from NSO is confused or ineffective.
foundations
· Leaders and/or Core members stop inviting new people after the first two
weeks and settle into a maintenance mode.
· New members continue to split their involvement among multiple
Christian groups for more than a semester.
· Leaders feel burned out, overwhelmed, or too busy to have a personal
influence on their small group members or PMCs.
· New people come to and leave chapter events without having at least
one personal interaction with a core member.
s t a g e f o u r : t r a n s i t i o n t o b u i l d i n g
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
s t r a t e g y
Strategic Goals
· Evaluate and assess chapter structures to see if they are still effectively
advancing the mission.
· Assess leaders and core group to see where missional people are present,
missing, moving, etc.
· Reflect, pray and learn from the assessment and from scripture. Seek
clarity on God's vision for the chapter and campus as a community of
leaders.
· Discern where momentum lies, and how to continue building on it.
· Determine if new outreaches, new small groups or new chapters can be
planted on the same campus. Is God raising up new planters to start the
planting process all over again?
· Develop a clear plan for how new ministry will be started and supported,
and who will be released to do it.
1.23

---

2
prayer
p r a y e r
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Prayer
Creating a place of
worship on campus
Catalytic Events
Vision
Events that lead the
group into the next stage
Authoritative
vision from God
Leadership
Developing students and faculty
as missional leaders
Outreach
Engaging students
Gathering
and faculty with
the vision
Forming community
around the vision
1.24

---

p r a y e r
The Ignition Point
p l a n t i n g t h r o u g h p r a y e r
prayer
It's assumed that as we begin to plant a new Christian fellowship on
campus we'll pray. After all, planting is a missionary endeavor. And
missionaries pray, don't they? It seems appropriate to pray--much like
it's appropriate to pray over our lunch when we're meeting with another
Christian. Often that appropriate feeling leads us to a practice of prayer
that is functional but not foundational to our work. We may begin and end
meetings with prayer and even recommend to the students we lead that
they should be praying. But the model of prayer we demonstrate may begin
to feel perfunctory.
If we want to be involved in a world-altering work of God; if we really
MISSIONAL
want to join with Jesus in the harvest on campus, prayer must be much
LEADERSHIP
more intentional. Prayer is more than an appropriate Christian custom or
spiritual "stamp of approval" on our work. It's the life-giving connection
between the Vine (Jesus) and the branches (ourselves). Without this
connection, "you can do nothing."
Prayer is our soul's connection to Christ. Prayer is also the ignition point
for starting a spiritual revolution on campus. As we look for missional
Christians on campus, and begin to gather them around God's will for the
campus, we must lead them into prayer. By praying together, you are taking
the first steps of revolution. You are helping students position themselves
for a deep, transforming encounter with God. You are focusing them on
God's will, and His purposes. You are building the very beginnings of a
mission-minded, world-changing community. There is no greater strategic
move for the planter than to begin gathering students to pray for God's
kingdom to come on their campus.
s o m e g e n e r a l t i p s
· Sometimes the place you choose to meet in can affect how people
engage in prayer. If the place is a high-traffic area, it may be too noisy to
concentrate and your students may feel self-conscious about praying in
public. On the other hand, if the place gives a certain view or perspective
on the campus (i.e. a balcony that overlooks the quad or student union, a
window with a view of the campus, a seat in the stadium, etc.), it can help
students think about the immense mission field before them.
2.01

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· Take 10-15 minutes to look at a passage of scripture that helps them see
themselves as joining with Jesus. For example, you could look at Mark 6:30-
44 and discuss what the disciples learned from feeding 5,000 people. Help
them make the connections to their own lives--How might Jesus be calling
them to "feed" his people? Or take John 4:31-38. What prevented the
disciples from seeing the harvest? Can we see the harvest on campus? How
prayer
can we begin to work along side Jesus in the "field"?
· Let your prayer time flow out of the scripture reading. Be prepared to
lead this by suggesting some initial things to pray about in response to the
passage. You may also need to give a few suggestions about how to pray
as a group; like listening to each other's prayers, allowing God to speak to
you through the prayers, allowing scripture to be read, allowing silence, etc.
MISSIONAL
· At the end, ask, "What do you think God might be saying to us?" The
LEADERSHIP
responses might lead to some next steps for the group.
2.02

---

a p r a y e r w a l k f o r p l a n t i n g
Howie Meloch
The following outline is ideal for a prayer walk on a campus that you
hope to plant a ministry at in the future. It can also be used with students
prayer
and faculty that you meet in the first year of planting, to gain a sense of
corporate vision and calling to God's mission there.
OUTLINE FOR A PRAYER wALk
Adopt an open and expectant posture as you do this: be open and
responsive to God; expect him to answer. Relax and give yourself plenty of
time. Be observant, pray with your eyes open, follow promptings in your
spirit to talk to people, to turn down this hall, to go up these steps, and so
forth. Look at the buildings, the people, the posters you see. Pray as God
leads you specifically for this place. And look for him to answer, even while
MISSIONAL
you are praying.
LEADERSHIP
Opening
Get right with God (corporate/individual confession), asking for God's
presence, ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and teach us what is going on with
this community
Foundational Verses
· Joshua 1:3, ". . . every place that the sole of your foot wil tread upon wil . . .
· Ephesians 6:18, ". . . praying at al times with the Spirit . . . making
supplication with al the saints."
The first verse puts us in the mindset of asking God to reclaim this land we
will walk on for his Glory. The second reminds us we are joining the Spirit
and others in prayer for this place.
1st request
· Luke 10:2
Pray that the Lord would send workers into this place, for the harvest to
be collected in this place is going to take more than you. Pray for students,
other campus ministers, pastors, etc.
2nd request
· Colossians 4:3
Pray that there would be open doors for the Word. That God would show
creative ways for the Kingdom to come and the gospel to be proclaimed.
Pray that God would give opportunities for the gospel to be spread even
during this prayer walk. Also that you would see unique ways the gospel
can be shared in this place.
2.03

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3rd request
· Matthew 10
· Luke 10
Pray that God would reveal or raise up people of peace to be a gateway to
the community. Like the disciples as they visited towns, we need people to
welcome us to this community and help provide us regular access. Pray that
prayer
you would meet them and connect deeply with them.
4th request
· 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Pray for the blinders to be removed, for eyes to be opened up. Pray for
each person you see. Ask that those you encounter would be able to see
Jesus, and that whatever stands in their way (sin, people, hardness of heart,
etc.) would be removed.
5th request
MISSIONAL
· Matt 12:25
LEADERSHIP
Ask the Lord to bind the strong man in the lives of the people on the
campus. Pray for any spiritual strongholds to be revealed in the different
departments, dorms, offices, etc. Ask that the Lord would reveal spirits that
influence this campus. Pray against these, asking God to bind them.
Reflection (individually or as a group)
What is it that you saw as you walked? What did you sense as you were
walking? Any thoughts on the strongholds present? Next steps that you
should take? Any follow up from the people whom you met and talked
with as you walked?
Some tips:
· Choose a time when you are well rested and feeling alert.
· Pick a time of day when people are active on campus.
· Select a mix of people to go with you, both experienced pray-ers and
eager learners. Don't press anyone into going with you; make the
invitation open and joyful.
· Take your time and walk as you sense God leading; there is no set time
or distance to cover, and you can always go again or make this a regular
discipline.
· If you do another prayer walk, consider going at a different time of day or
taking a different route.
By Howie Meloch, adapted from training by Eric Guthrie.
2.04

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w o r k s h e e t - i n y o u r C o n t e x t
p l a n t i n g e s s e n t i a l s : p r a y e r a n d w o r s h i p

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2.05

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3
vision
v i s i o n
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Prayer
Creating a place of
worship on campus
Catalytic Events
Events that lead the
Vision
group into the next stage
Authoritative
vision from God
Leadership
Developing students and faculty
as missional leaders
Outreach
Engaging students
Gathering
and faculty with
the vision
Forming community
around the vision
2.06

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v i s i o n
PURPOSE STATEMENT
In response to God's love, grace and truth:
The Purpose of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is
vision
to establish and advance at colleges and universities
witnessing communities of students and faculty
who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord:
growing in love for God,
God's Word,
MISSIONAL
God's people of every ethnicity and culture and
LEADERSHIP
God's purposes in the world.
VISION STATEMENT
Our vision is to see
· students and faculty transformed
· campuses renewed and
· world changers developed.
3.01

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m u l t i e t h n i C i t y a n d
C h a p t e r p l a n t i n g
Marcia Wang, National Coordinator of the Multiethnic Initiative
f i v e r e a s o n s f o r f o C u s i n g o n m u l t i e t h n i C i t y
i n C h a p t e r p l a n t s
vision
1. We are motivated by the Great Commission. Just before Jesus left
this earth, he empowered his followers to make disciples of all nations: "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age" (NIV, Matthew 28:18-20, emphasis mine). To bring a lasting, redemptive
MISSIONAL
influence to higher education and the global world means increasing
LEADERSHIP
awareness and knowledge and improving the cross-cultural skills of our
Christian faculty and U.S. domestic and international college students and
scholars, so they might effectively witness and disciple across cultures.
2. It's a kairos1 moment. Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian
Church, writes "New churches [or chapters] best reach a) new generations,
b) new residents, and c) new people groups."2 It is easier to select a diverse
group and/or teach the value of multiethnicity to a missional core of Christian
students or faculty in a new plant than leading a culture change in a larger
formed chapter with fairly fixed traditions. In other words, steering a dinghy
or a small sailboat in a particular direction is much easier than trying to turn
the Titanic.
3. U.S. demographics are changing.3 Racial and ethnic minority groups will
soon make up the majority in the United States. According to The Review of
Higher Education, in several states, minority students make up at least one
third of the student body. Students of color are expected to comprise nearly
two fifths of total undergraduate enrollment by 20154 and almost half of the
U.S. population will be racial/ethnic minorities by the year 2030.5 "Faced with
this dramatic demographic shift, leaders in the public and private sectors have
called on colleges and universities to prepare students to function effectively
in a diverse society."6
4. Addressing racial issues makes the gospel message relevant and
winsome. Ethnic minority people in the U.S. don't have the choice to opt
out of the race discussion, and when a Christian group takes seriously racial
issues, some may feel like a significant part of their experience and person is
finally acknowledged and affirmed by the Church. Likewise, those from the
dominant culture may appreciate when their non-believing friends feel warmly
3.02

---

embraced by their fellowship. It is powerful and attractive when the power of
the gospel brings down the dividing wall of hostility (Eph 2:14­22) between
cultures and ethnic groups. It is a great witness to the campus at large as well
as to outside the faith community.
5. It brings God glory. In response to God's love, grace and truth:
The purpose of InterVarsity is to establish and advance at colleges and
universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow
Jesus as Savior and Lord: growing in love for God, God's Word, God's people
vision
of every ethnicity and culture and God's purposes in the world.7 It is clear
in Revelation 5:9 and 7:9 that it brings great glory to God when people
from every tribe, language and nation recognize his glory and worship Him
together. This is a sign of God's shalom to come and a great picture of our
ultimate redemption.
We have a calling and prime opportunity to equip tomorrow's leaders and
parents to make Jesus Christ ruler of every aspect of their lives, to prepare
MISSIONAL
them to share the gospel on their campus and families and bring systemic
LEADERSHIP
change in their companies and communities. The global world is in desperate
need of the power of the gospel. Developing these values and skills in
students and faculty on campus is incredibly strategic!
f a q s
What does it mean to be multiethnic?8
The word "ethnic" is derived from the Greek word, "ethnos" meaning
nations. Because God blessed Abram to be a blessing to the entire world, by
extension, we are to be a blessing to our mission field, the entire university
world. Hence, to be multi-ethnic means reflecting: A body of people
representing different racial and national groupings, e.g., Asians, Blacks,
Latino/Latina, Native Americans and Whites or Anglos. This recognizes a
diversity of cultures within each ethnic grouping, e.g., Caribbean Blacks,
third-generation (sansei) Japanese-Americans, Italian-Americans, etc.9 Hence,
we pursue and seek to create chapters and ministries of many nations who
witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
How do I plant a multiethnic chapter?
Prayer. As you spy out the land, who is not in a Christian fellowship? Who
do you and your core students' hearts break for? Pray for God to give you
strong relationships and connections within these communities. Pray for
missional Christians and missional Christian leaders in those groups to join
your core. Encourage participants to lead prayer out of their traditions.
Teach various prayer styles--popcorn, silent prayer, conversational, one
voice, listening prayer, prayer ministry, etc. Partner with churches, professors,
communities and individuals who have a passion for seeing a diverse
3.03

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witnessing body on that campus. Because of the added complexity, having a
solid intercessory prayer team is crucial when planting a multiethnic chapter.
Vision. When you cast vision for the plant, is it clear that you are building
a multiethnic witnessing community? Are you casting vision in a way
that can be heard, e.g. are you using language familiar to the targeted
communities? Is your vision contagious? Vision for multiethnicity can be
expanded and reinforced by experiential discipleship experiences. Provide
displacement experiences and debrief them--from holding all campus prayer
vision
gatherings and joint evangelistic outreaches to taking students on urban and
global programs, from watching and debriefing cultural film to developing
friendships and sharing the traditions of International and U.S. born students.
Outreach. When we think about planting or building a multiethnic chapter,
often we have this ideal picture in our minds (Rev. 7:9) of what our campus
ministry ought to look like. But, just as we experience the tension between
"the now and the not yet" with Jesus' ushering in the kingdom of God with
his first coming and yet still await the full realization of the kingdom of God
MISSIONAL
and his second coming, so we will only experience a taste of what it will be
LEADERSHIP
like in heaven in the arena of multiethnicity and racial reconciliation on this
earth. Although we may desire and hunger for it and can teach, preach and
pray its establishment on earth, our experiences may be periodic and brief.
With every generation, we will need to teach and re-educate students the
value of multiethnicity. With each group, new conflicts will emerge. Even
campuses that are very diverse demographically and hold multiculturalism as a
strong community value experience the tension of the now and the not yet.
Who do you (and your planting team) want to reach? Given your level of
cross-cultural awareness, knowledge and skills, given the demographics of
the campus, and given how diverse the planting team reflects the group you
hope to become, whom can you effectively reach? Once you've identified
missional Christians with strong gathering skills and relational connections in
different segments of the campus, give them support. Missional Christians
(MCs) should never go it alone. Just as Jesus sent out the Seventy in pairs, so
should we send them to different community bodies on campus. It is helpful
if missional Christians can gather at least a small group (seven or more) so
the subdominant group has a significant "presence" when they attend the
whole group gathering. Encourage these mobilizers to stay in their social
networks. Shepherding that group may be a more significant contribution
than plugging them into a different part of the leadership structure.
When the students or faculty they bring attend a Gathering Event they may
wonder, Will this InterVarsity chapter work for me?--Can I be myself? Can
I develop meaningful relationships? Can I trust that I will be treated fairly?
As you move through the planting stages, cultivate an atmosphere that
reflects various discipleship methods, food choices, and musical worship.
Consider activities that attract both genders and whether students from
3.04

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all socioeconomic backgrounds can afford the social activities. When you
hold Gathering Events, invite speakers of both genders and speakers from
different preaching traditions.
Whether ethnic minority students live at home or on campus, particularly in
areas of the country where they are noticeably subdominant, they may have
a higher felt need for a place where they do not have to translate, can relax
and be themselves. If that place is not in an ethnic-specific club or at home,
you may need to provide that type of space within the fellowship.
vision
Leadership. As you look for missional Christians, are you intentionally
going to different geographical segments of the campus to reach missional
Christian leaders that reflect the demographics you'd like to reach? Most
natural leaders will already be in leadership positions in other non-religious
organizations. Keep an eye out for ethnic minority student leaders in ethnic-
specific clubs. Of these leaders, who is open to spiritual things that you
can develop into a missional Christian? Who are the natural gatherers and
leaders within those groups who can naturally invite and bring others? As
MISSIONAL
you move from having a core group to a leadership team, evaluate your
LEADERSHIP
preparedness to welcome new members and read books10 that can help
you better understand the history of different ethnicities and ethnic identity
development. Consider whether the students or faculty you are working with
are from high or low power distance cultures11 and discuss how to bridge
the gap between the different ways you lead and communicate. In addition
to leading discussions on ethnic identity development, do missional activities
together (e.g., gathering activities, evangelizing) and within that context
develop skills, language and understanding as you debrief how diversity plays
out in discipleship and leadership tasks. Become more self-aware of how you
tend to lead and what you look for in leaders as you select and affirm them.
What if my chapter is not visibly multiethnic?
In many cases, that is fine. In fact, we believe it is very strategic to have
ethnic-specific and focused ministries that inherently minister to primarily one
culture. In addition, U.S. history, immigration patterns, geographical realities,
the type of students a college/university or academic discipline draws and
racial demographics are all significant factors that play into how diverse a
chapter can look. But, what it does mean is that we desire for every chapter
to live out God's purposes by being multiethnic in vision, values and actions.
What if some ethnic minority students aren't attracted to the
multiethnic chapter?
Ethnic specific small groups or chapters may be a solution. The future of
church planting and perhaps chapter planting is that millennial students
want a community where their passions can be lived out. How can you
release missional Christian leaders to develop relationships and lead different
subgroups on campus under the rubric of InterVarsity's purpose and vision?
3.05

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How does multiethnicity work out in an ethnic-specific or focused
ministry?
The value of multiethnicity may be experienced by participants in a
predominantly, homogeneous group as they attend area and regional
training events, urban and global programs and national events like Urbana.
But, there are many more opportunities to nurture the value. If other
InterVarsity chapters exist on campus, intentional partnerships (e.g. joint
prayer gatherings, outreach events or training opportunities) may begin the
vision
journey of greater exposure and opportunity for cross-cultural relationships
and a concerted, compelling witness.
As we minister on our college campuses, we (undergraduate, graduate
and faculty ministries) need to band together and collaborate in order to
achieve our shared goal of reaching the campus in all its diversity. Through
corporate prayer, shared vision, racially reconciled relationships and witness
we will have greater credibility to influence and bring systemic change to the
MISSIONAL
university world.
LEADERSHIP
NOTE: For additional strategy and practical ideas, see The Multiethnic Journey: Resources for
Campus Ministry DVD series produced by 2100 and the MEM Department, © 2008; the results
from the Multiethnicity and Growth research project, 2009; "Building a Multiethnic Ministry" (a
PowerPoint presentation) by Marcia Wang, and related articles by the MEM Department found
on www.intervarsity.org/staff/mem and www.intervarsity.org/mem.
1Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment.
2Keller, Tim. "Why Plant Churches." February 2002, p. 2. http://download.redeemer.com/pdf/
learn/resources/Why_Plant_Churches-Keller.pdf
3Pike, Gary R. and George D. Kuh. "Relationships among Structural Diversity, Informal Peer
Interactions and Perceptions of the Campus Environment." The Review of Higher Education,
Summer 2006, Volume 29, No. 4, pp. 425­450.
4Carnevale, A. P., and Fry, R. A. "Crossing the great divide: Can we achieve equity when
generation Y goes to college?" Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service, 2000.
5Cortes, C. "Pluribus & Unum: The quest for community amid diversity." Change, vol. 23, no.
5, pp. 8­14, 1991.
6Association of American Colleges and Universities. "American pluralism and the college
curriculum: Higher education in a diverse democracy." Washington, DC: 1995.
7Barkat, Samuel, Hayner, S., and members of the Task Force for a Theology of Multiethnicity.
InterVarsity's commitment to multiethnicity and biblical reconciliation can be found in
"The Commitment of InterVarsity to Biblical Multiethnicity" and "Multiethnic Ministry in
InterVarsity." Presented January 8­10, 1995 at the 1995 Multiethnic Gatherings, Chicago, IL.
8"Options for Building Multiethnic Chapters" Original Document written by Neil L. Rendall and
Sam Barkat in 1992-1995. Updated by Neil L. Rendall in 2006. Updated by Phil Bowling-Dyer
and Kylene Hong in 2008.
9Yep, Jeanette, Chairperson. "Report of the Multi-Ethnic Committee" December 4­6, 1986,
Yahara Center, Middleton, WI.
10Wang, Marcia. "Building a Healthy Diverse Team," located under Supervision on the MEM
staff website.
11Hofstede, Geert. Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions, http://www.geert-hofstede.com.
3.06

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s p i r i t u a l a u t h o r i t y
1 s a m u e l 1 7
Pre-study questions:
1. What does it mean to have spiritual authority in the context of ministry?
vision
2. How is spiritual authority different from youthful arrogance?
3. How would you distinguish spiritual authority from the confidence that
comes from experience and success in ministry?
Manuscript study
1
Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at
MISSIONAL
Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between
LEADERSHIP
Sokoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped
in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the
5
Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another,
with the valley between them. A champion named Goliath, who
was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six
cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a
coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on
10 his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on
his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point
weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come
out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not
15 the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to
me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects;
but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects
and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the armies
of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing
20 the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and
terrified. Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who
was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's
3.07

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1
time he was very old. Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul
to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the
third, Shammah. David was the youngest. The three oldest followed
Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's
5
sheep at Bethlehem. For forty days the Philistine came forward every
morning and evening and took his stand. Now Jesse said to his son
vision
David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of
bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these
ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers
10 are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul
and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the
Philistines." Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a
MISSIONAL
shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached
LEADERSHIP
the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting
15 the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines
facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies,
ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. As he
was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath,
stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David
20 heard it. Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him
in great fear. Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how
this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king
will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give
him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family line from
25 taxes in Israel." David asked those standing near him, "What will be
done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace
from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy
the armies of the living God?" They repeated to him what they
had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the
30 man who kills him." When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him
speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked,
"Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave
3.08

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1
those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are
and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the
battle." "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?"
He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same
5
matter, and the men answered him as before. What David said was
overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said
vision
to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your
servant will go and fight him." Saul replied, "You are not able to go
out against this Philistine and fight him; you are little more than a
10 boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." But David said to
Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion
or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after
MISSIONAL
it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned
LEADERSHIP
on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has
15 killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be
like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of
the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to
David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." Then Saul dressed David in
20 his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet
on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried
walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go
in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he
took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth
25 stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's
bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept
coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was
little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he
30 despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me
with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come
here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds and the wild
3.09

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1
animals!" David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with
sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name
of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and
5
I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give
the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals,
vision
and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those
gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the
LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you
10 into our hands." As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David
ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag
and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the
MISSIONAL
forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on
LEADERSHIP
the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and
15 a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine
and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the
Philistine's sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him,
he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that
their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel
20 and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines
to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were
strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. When the
Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their
camp. David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem;
25 he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent. As Saul watched
David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander
of the army, "Abner, whose son is that young man?" Abner replied,
"As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don't know." The king said,
"Find out whose son this young man is." As soon as David returned
30 from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before
Saul, with David still holding the Philistine's head. "Whose son are
you, young man?" Saul asked him. David said, "I am the son of your
servant Jesse of Bethlehem."
3.10

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d i s C u s s i o n q u e s t i o n s
Things to look for and discuss:
1. What is the central problem in this story and why does it persist?
vision
2. What do you see in David's response?
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
3. How is he perceived by others?
4. How do you see spiritual authority being demonstrated?
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY'S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of
International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.
3.11

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v i s i o n e v a l u a t i o n
A clear and compelling vision is a critical building block for a chapter plant,
and has to be shared constantly. Here is an evaluation tool that can help
you assess how you are doing in this area:
Your vision communication is...
vision
EXCELLENT -- Can communicate a clear, compelling vision for his/her
plant; knows what it will look like; integrated philosophy of ministry; can
get others excited about vision; others consistently are attracted to vision,
his/her followers are willing to sacrifice for the vision.
ABOVE AVERAGE -- Can articulate vision quite well, but others aren't
quite as excited as he/she is; knows how most of the pieces of the vision wil fit
MISSIONAL
together in reality; wil make some sacrifices to see the vision a reality.
LEADERSHIP
AVERAGE -- Understands pieces necessary for chapter planting, and
is beginning to put them all together; is personally inspired by vision, but
others don't seem to understand as well.
BELOw AVERAGE -- Vision vague and non-specific; unable to put
pieces of vision together to form a complete piece; others hesitant to
commit to the vision; vision lacks passion and immediacy.
UNACCEPTABLE -- Unable to articulate any clear vision for a new
plant; unable to integrate a credible philosophy of ministry; others don't understand
what the focus is; unable to convince anyone to sacrifice for the vision.
Vision helps remind you why you are there on campus and why you are sacrificing
for it. Our goal is to help you prepare well-organized vision-casting talks:
· 30 seconds (the "banner headline" version)
· 10 minutes (the "info table" version)
· 30 minutes (the "gathering" version)
Your talk needs to be well-planned (introduction, main body, conclusion) and in
your own style and context (fitting your audience). So what is that kind of talk like?
3.12

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a n a t o m y o f a g o o d v i s i o n t a l k
Poetry and Reason
There are essentially two ways to make a point in speaking: one is
aesthetic, the other is logical. A good talk will make an appeal through
both means. One employs reason as the tool for persuasion, the other
uses poetry to illustrate or illuminate. One speaks to the left brain, the
vision
other to the right brain. One speaks to the head, the other to the heart.
Even the individual points of a talk are made through one or both of these
approaches.
Reasoning: to discover, formulate or conclude on rational grounds (left brain)
Illustrating: to make clear, to brighten (right brain)
MISSIONAL
Some tools for reasoning and illustrating:
LEADERSHIP
· Narrative (telling a story, personal or otherwise) ________
· Scripture (finding support in the Bible) ________
· Scripture Narrative (re-telling biblical stories)
________
· Analogy (making a comparison of two things that are alike) ________
· Example (describing a group of ideas, events,
________
results, etc., by citing one)
· Quotation (citing a known, credible source)

________
· Humor (highlighting error or common experience, using ________
the unexpected)
A good story:
· is not overly long
· is detailed enough to help listeners be drawn into the experience
· illustrates the point of the talk

What should be true of all good vision talks? What is the anatomy of a
talk that persuades both the heart and the mind?
3.13

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C o m m o n e l e m e n t s
Clear: Your talk needs to be memorable. It is possible to succeed as a
speaker but not as a vision caster. In other words people can "like your
talk" but not really remember it or be able to discern what you were trying
to accomplish through it.
vision
Repeatable: Similarly, unlike other talks, you are not just trying to call
for life change but you are trying to communicate and recruit for a vision.
Therefore, people need to be able to repeat what your vision is 30 minutes
after your talk is over. A good rule of thumb is, "If you don't repeat it,
they won't either." It has to be short enough to be remembered but long
enough to say what you mean. It has to be authentic enough to be real out
of your mouth but common enough to be real out of theirs as well.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Beautiful and compelling: A vision talk, like a vision, has to be
compelling. It has to tap into the audience's core desires. What do they
really want? Is it significance? Belonging? Success? Acceptance? To make
history? To have peace? Answer their question--try to paint a picture of
how your vision will accomplish that.
Possible: A vision talk has to call for more than they believe they are
capable of doing individually, but not outside of reasonable limits. It may
sound beautiful but it also has to pass the test of logic--can what you
are saying really be done? Having God as a player obviously expands the
possibilities but it is your responsibility to show how he makes it possible.
Deep: Just like you have to connect to core desires, you have to
acknowledge the sacrifice of surface desires. Something great is not
possible without cost. People know that. We have to clearly show how we are
cal ing people to something that is costly and that it wil not succeed without
sacrifice, but that the things we wil be cal ed to sacrifice are not as valuable to
us as the vision and the core desires it promises.
3.14

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v i s i o n t a l k p r e p a r a t i o n
Ten Things to Remember
1. Do it. Preparation and prayer are not separate; they are both parts
of the same process.
2. Analyze your audience. Who are you talking to? What are their needs?
vision
How can you help them grow? How can you personalize what you are going
to say? How many non-Christians wil be there? Etc.
3. Set a goal. Decide your goal for the talk and what you hope happens
in the students' lives. (What is the life change you are hoping for?) Then
decide if your approach is going to be topical or expositional. Are you going
to speak from a passage? A topic? Write your goal at the top of your talk.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
4. Compile. Allow enough time to collect illustrations for your talk. Get
fresh insights from God and others on your topic or passage.
5. Choose an outline that fits you. Consider how to best organize your talk.
6. Open and close well. Take extra time to think about your
introduction and conclusion. Your conclusion is one thing your
audience will remember.
7. Get your transitions down. No matter how loose your outline,
you need to have your transitions in place and have thought about the
particular wording you will use. Search out delightful words.
8. Make sure your points communicate your goal. Consider your goal
and ask if the points you are making wil help that to happen or not.
9. Flow. A good talk is like a conversation; it should flow from one point to the
next. Make sure you are not jumping around or trying to fit two talks into one.
Use both logic and aesthetics as a guide for this.
10. Call for life change. Make sure your message is empowered with good
application. Don't make application an after-thought or the thing that gets left
til the end. Find ways to weave it in to the whole talk. Remember, your talk
won't have credibility unless you are living our your application in your own life
as wel .
3.15

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v i s i o n w o r k s h e e t
How will you open?
vision
How will you articulate your vision?
MISSIONAL
How will you illustrate it with stories and examples?
LEADERSHIP
How will you connect to desire?
How will you call for sacrifice?
How will you close?
Vision: An attractive picture of an attainable reality.--Rich Lamb
3.16

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w o r k s h e e t - i n y o u r C o n t e x t
p l a n t i n g e s s e n t i a l s : a u t h o r i t a t i v e v i s i o n (from God, for growth)
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MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
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want to develop to help students
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values and purpose of the chapter?
3.17

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4
outreaCh
o u t r e a C h
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Prayer
Creating a place of
worship on campus
Catalytic Events
Vision
Events that lead the
group into the next stage
Authoritative
vision from God
Leadership
Developing students and faculty
as missional leaders
O u t re a c h
Engaging students
Gathering
and faculty with
the vision
Forming community
around the vision
3.18

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e v a n g e l i s m s t a r t s n o w !
Setting an Evangelism Foundation in a Chapter Plant
Terry Erickson, National Director of Evangelism
I used to play a lot of basketball as a young campus staff worker. I would
play with college students, in city leagues and in pick-up games on outside
playground courts. I enjoyed the competition, and the good feeling that
comes after playing hard.
One year I wasn't getting enough basketball so I decided to start my
outreaCh
own basketball league. I started the Milwaukee County Church Basketball
League. I formed the league so that it would be competitive, and focus
on outreach to non-Christians. Since I was the league organizer I could set
the league rules. One rule I established was to allow each team to have
two outside players, i.e. not involved in the church, on their roster. In most
cases, these outside players were the team's best two players. This rule
MISSIONAL
helped keep the league competitive and evangelistic. One advantage of
LEADERSHIP
being the person who starts a new activity is you can determine the goals,
values and direction of that endeavor.
This is also true when we start a new ministry, like planting a new
chapter. In the beginning, the chapter planter can establish the group's
values, vision, goals, and ministry philosophy. It is much easier to set these
up in the beginning of a ministry rather than trying to change them in an
existing group.
A leader of a new ministry is in a great position to shape the future of
that ministry. The potential members look to the leader for direction, and
will follow the leader's example. What they say is important, but what they
do, is equally if not more important, in shaping the group. We can never
underestimate the power of modeling the values we want practiced in our
group.
There are many possible values for you to model in the beginning stages
of a chapter plant. One value that is essential for you to model from
the start is evangelism. If you want your new group to be a witnessing
community you must model an evangelistic lifestyle. Here are some
evangelistic activities that you can do during the initial stages of the chapter
launch that will establish evangelism as a value in your group.
1. Pray for non-Christians during your group prayer times.
2. Ask your potential members about their personal evangelism.
3. Lead a GIG with the non-Christian contacts you are making.
4.01

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4. As you identify missional Christians, ask to meet their non-Christian
friends. This models your interest in their non-Christian friends and
demonstrates how to engage non-Christians in spiritual conversation.
5. Spend time each week doing conversational evangelism with your new
members.
6. Establish a tradition of celebrating conversions. This al ows everyone to
share in the joy of new spiritual birth.
7. Plan some evangelistic outreach during your first semester to encourage your
members to work together in outreach, and demonstrate to the campus
outreaCh
that you are committed to proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.
I don't play basketbal much anymore, but I stil like to start new ministries.
It gives me great joy to watch a group grow, and practice actions that I have
modeled for them during the earliest stages of the group.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
4.02

---

n e t w o r k p l a n n i n g w o r k s h e e t
1. List the contacts you have on campus (church pastors, college groups,
faculty, staff, etc.).
outreaCh
List contact information (phone numbers, email addresses).
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
2. Where do students gather? Make a list. Where is the heaviest foot traffic?
3. If possible, when could you put a table in these locations?
What steps will I need to go through to get permission?
Who might join me at the sign-up table?
4. What information do you need to have on the sign-up sheet?
5. How will you follow up the contacts you will make?
4.03

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w o r k s h e e t - h o w a r e y o u
C o n n e C t e d ?
classes,
department,
or major
outreaCh
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
dorm
and
house
sports,
hobbies,
interests
4.04

---

h o w a r e y o u C o n n e C t e d ?
Discussion Questions - to be used with a group of
students and/or faculty.
1. What does this worksheet show you about your relational networks on
campus?
outreaCh
2. What groups do you have the strongest connections with?
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
3. What groups would you like to be more connected to?
4. What groups or individuals show signs of spiritual interest?
5. Which ones would you be willing to invite to the next InterVarsity event?
6. How can you invite friends from InterVarsity into your networks?
4.05

---

e f f e C t i v e s t r a t e g i e s
Contacting the First 20-30 Students and Faculty
1. Have an attractive, engaging outreach table.
· Look large! Use 2100 materials and InterVarsity giveaways.
· Offer drinks and treats.
· Be able to clearly explain programs and purposes.
outreaCh
· Make clear invitation to upcoming events.
· Use interest cards with a variety of options.
· Try to get to know people!
MISSIONAL
2. Attend orientation events that are planned by the university
LEADERSHIP
for new students.
3. Develop a personal contact/networking strategy.
· Be organized--keep notes!
· Help Christian students and faculty identify their relational networks.
· Have Christian students and faculty share their networks with you (and
each other).
4. Hold easy-invite events (fun, interactive).
· Usually don't take a lot of planning/preparation.
· May meet practical needs of students and faculty or community.
5. Hold a high-visibility event.
· Takes more planning, may need donations/funding.
· Open to whole campus.
· Brief, effective "commercial" for InterVarsity.
· Outreach table, etc.
4.06

---

6. Pursue intentional involvement with other student groups.
· Identify and affirm common purposes, values.
· Possibly start focused small group Bible studies.
· Doing so involves members who already have relational networks outside
InterVarsity!
7. Build trust with RAs and campus administration.
· Find out their goals, challenges, and ways you can support them.
outreaCh
· Offer to partner with them to meet the spiritual needs of students
and faculty.
· Establish open lines of communication in case there is ever a problem.
· Ask if you (or better, a student) can make an announcement at floor
MISSIONAL
meetings or other appropriate meetings.
LEADERSHIP
8. Dorms: hang out early, hang out often!
· Participate in "Dorm Move-In" programs (or start your own). Wear
InterVarsity T-shirts, have flyers to hand out, serve drinks, offer rides to
the store, etc.
· Find a "home base" as soon as possible and work from there (Luke 10:5-7).
There may be more than one person who welcomes you--the more
home bases, the better.
9. Follow up
· This is critical--your outreach is only as good as your follow-up!
· Have a goal to fol ow up al contacts and interest cards within 24-48 hours.
· Take new members around with you to meet them.
· Don't give up too soon--some people need to be invited more than once
before they will show up to something.
4.07

---

o u t r e a C h
o u t r e a C h e x e r C i s e - r e f l e C t i o n
What was your role on the team? What was your main contribution?

outreaCh
MISSIONAL
What did you find challenging or uncomfortable about the exercise?
LEADERSHIP
Coaches: What did you notice about the way the team approached
this exercise? What were their strengths? And what were their
weaknesses?
4.08

---

w o r k s h e e t - i n y o u r C o n t e x t
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MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
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Which students and faculty will fill
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What training will these students
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invite their networks?


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4.09

---

5
g a t h e r i n g &
gathering
b u i l d i n g
& building
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Prayer
Creating a place of
worship on campus
Catalytic Events
Vision
Events that lead the
group into the next stage
Authoritative
vision from God
Leadership
Developing students and faculty
as missional leaders
Outreach
Engaging students
Gathering and faculty with
the vision
Forming community
around the vision
4.010

---

g a t h e r i n g n e w s t u d e n t s
a n d f a C u l t y
1. People will come only if they are invited. Spend extensive time
developing the word-of-mouth system. Ask yourself these questions:
· Are my people sufficiently motivated and excited about our ministry so
that they will invite people they meet?
· Do we have smal groups or events that make it easy to bring friends to?
· Have I provided our people with tools for inviting others?
· Am I as the planter still meeting new people and inviting them?.
gathering
2. Use a rhythm of outreach to develop good opportunities to invite
& building
people. For example:
· The first meeting of the month is devoted to an outreach-oriented event
MISSIONAL
or Bible study.
LEADERSHIP
· August/September and January/February can be targeted as outreach
months, and then the cycle continues to have more Christian-targeted
meetings until the next outreach month.
3. Offer as many front doors as possible to your fel owship. For example:
· Service projects
· Small group Bible studies
· Large group meeting
· Leadership meeting
· Conferences
· Training events
· Outreaches
· Social events
4. Find the gatherers and spend time strategizing how they can reach
their webs of networks. It is worth the time to identify and work with gifted
gatherers to empower them to bring as many people as they can.
5. Do not rely on it but think about your publicity. Use direct mail to get a
large influx of visitors. Unless this is done wel , it wil disappoint.
6. Set up tables again. Go back to what works. If you meet students in the
beginning through tabling or just meeting with people, then keep doing that.
5.01

---

o u t r e a C h e v e n t s v s . g a t h e r i n g e v e n t s
What's the difference?
OUTREACH EVENT
GATHERING EVENT
Seeks to connect with students and
Seeks to connect with students and
faculty who are not yet involved
faculty currently involved with the
in the chapter.
chapter on some level.
Engages potential members
Forms community around the
gathering
with the vision and mission of
vision and mission of the chapter.
& building
the chapter, or, if the event is
evangelistic, it aims at presenting
MISSIONAL
the gospel and inviting people to
LEADERSHIP
follow Jesus.
Tends to be publicized broadly,
Personal invitations are given to
generally open to anyone who is
those with potential to become core
interested.
members.
Key challenge or invitation is to
Key challenge or invitation is to
investigate Jesus, become a
increase involvement in the
follower of Jesus, or get involved
mission of the chapter and to
with the Christian community on
pursue deeper fellowship with
campus.
one another.
Are often excellent projects for
Inspires and calls the core to
core members to rally around,
reach the campus. Invites new
increasing their commitment to the
people and fringe members to come
mission of the chapter.
to Core Meetings and become more
involved in our mission.
5.02

---

RETENTION
Good visitor flow will only produce growth if you can keep some of those
visitors. Addressing that factor will mean dealing with the strategy and
quality of the events that students are visiting. Here are a couple of tips for
making these meeting something that students will feel good about.
1. The space principle. Think sardines in a can. It is best to have a room
that is full. At first you want to think about reserving space that will shrink
to fit your group. As the group grows so can the room, but you want it to
be standing room only if you can. Forty people packed into a small room
will seem exciting, while 40 in a room that holds 150 will seem sad and
embarrassing. Same number of people, just better planning based on
gathering
understanding group dynamics.
& building
2. Student and faculty leadership. Students and faculty who are involved
in leading will be more likely to invite people, and other students and
faculty will be more gracious about the quality of the event. If it seems like
MISSIONAL
professionals are leading everything, expect a higher level of mistrust and
LEADERSHIP
criticism.
3. Encounter. Your meetings do not have to be perfect to keep people
coming back, but they do need to be places of genuine encounter. If people
feel like they have had a meaningful encounter with people or with God,
they are likely to come back. If they have both, all the better. Make your
meetings places of interaction, so that community can be formed and God
can be encountered.
BACk DOOR LOSS
Sometimes when visitors are coming and retention is high, growth is still
arrested because of back door loss. Students and faculty who have been
coming and who no longer warrant attention or fol ow up can begin to slip
through the cracks. For this reason, back door loss is also a concern for the
planter to consider.
Funnel people into leadership and service roles as soon as possible by
inviting potential missional Christians into the Core.
Have your leaders keep up with everyone. Everyone should be the
responsibility of someone. Develop a plan for keeping up with people and
use your leaders to do it.
Deepen content. If you have a high rate of back door loss, it could be
because your meetings are too simple. Focusing on visitors or the lowest
common denominator may help at first, but people will only stay if they feel
like the group is growing with them.
5.03

---

h o w i s a C o r e g r o u p d i f f e r e n t f r o m
a l e a d e r s h i p t e a m ?
l e a d e r s h i p t e a m
C o r e g r o u p
A leadership team comprises various
No "permanent" roles have been
defined leadership positions or roles.
defined yet. Temporary roles are set
These positions usually last for a full
up to accomplish certain things like
year or at least a semester.
a day of outreach, a gathering event,

an evangelism project, a small group

Bible study or a GIG. Members can be

added to the Core Group at any time

in the semester or quarter.
gathering


& building
People are selected and asked to
People are entrusted with tasks,
commit to a leadership role or
depending on the event or project,
position based on interest, character,
and their interest. Because of the
MISSIONAL
skills and availability.
temporary nature, the commitment
LEADERSHIP

is short term, and the selection and

assignment process may be done

during a Core Group meeting. It gives

you a chance to see how they handle

responsibility, how they lead others,

how they recruit help, how they plan,

procrastinate, communicate the event

to others, etc.


Teaching/training may be specific
Teaching/training is primarily about
to the role (for example, Small
being a disciple of Jesus, becoming a
Group Leaders Training). While the
missional community and developing
leadership team continues to deepen
the inner character of a Christian
their understanding of discipleship,
leader. Without this foundational
community and biblical leadership,
focus, the students and faculty tend
significant attention is given to doing to reduce their ministry to simply
the tasks involved in the leadership
carrying out a set of tasks. In doing
role.
so, they risk failing to deeply commit

to discipleship, the community or its

mission.


The chapter's vision and mission
The chapter's vision and mission
has already been embraced by the
is being communicated and
leaders. They have made a formal
demonstrated by the Planter, and
commitment to it and each other.
the Core members are becoming
They are seeking ways to influence
increasingly involved in carrying
and involve others in the chapter's
it out.
mission.
5.04

---

Overal , the emphasis for the Core Group is not on the tasks, positions
or roles. It's on the deeper spiritual transformation of the members, their
becoming a community, and their engagement with the mission. So your
meetings with them ought to be built around those priorities. Scripture study/
reflection/discussion and prayer for the fel owship and the campus need to
be regular components for the Core. The Sketches of Leadership series is
very effective with Core Groups, because they're designed with leaders or
potential leaders in mind. When choosing Sketches, think strategical y so that
it builds on the themes you want to see your Core grow in.
Finally, it's important not to have them learn in a passive, inactive way.
Get your Core actively applying what they learn. Put them in situations,
predicaments, conversations and activities that help them tangibly grasp
gathering
what you are teaching.
& building
The "Stage 2 Wave" (pages 5.06 to 5.10) describes a rotating schedule of
events and meetings that you can use with your Core as it becomes ready.
It has two key events that the Core is involved in hosting: Gathering Events
MISSIONAL
and Outreach Events. Don't try to simply follow the seven week timeline
LEADERSHIP
as it's pictured. It's just meant to give you the main components. You need
to figure out what the best rhythm is for the chapter. You can start with
one or two of the events, and involve everyone in your Core to pull it off.
Having something like a Gathering Event or Outreach Event is energizing
for the Core and helps them engage with the vision/mission you are sharing
with them.
If you are already leading one or more small group Bible studies, you can
develop Core members in those groups by helping them lead the study
once in a while. Small groups are an extremely important opportunity to
give leadership tasks and see what people do with it. Always be looking for
ways to invite small group members to partner with you in some way to
further the mission of the small group!
5.05

---

f i n d i n g a r h y t h m : t h e s t a g e 2 w a v e
Momentum for a Chapter Launch
INTRODUCTION
By Stage 2, you have already identified a number of Missional Christians
(MCs) and Potential Missional Christians (PMCs). It's crucial to begin
partnering with them to accomplish larger Outreach events and efforts, and
to host chapter Gathering events that inspire and build momentum. The
Core Meeting is your most important structure in this stage, because it's the
place where community is forming around the vision and mission. It's also
gathering
the place from which future leaders will emerge.
& building
Since so many "established" InterVarsity chapters (especially undergrad)
operate with weekly LG meetings, SG meetings, leadership meetings,
etc., it's natural for Planters to try to replicate those meetings and their
MISSIONAL
schedules as soon as possible. This is a huge mistake. It usually demands
LEADERSHIP
too much of the Planter to plan and host all those meetings, and it saddles
Core members with "program-logistics" to the extent that they no longer
have time for evangelism or other missional experiences. Ultimately, these
meetings tend to be uninspiring and fail to build momentum because the
Planter is trying to force a structure or schedule that doesn't really fit the
chapter's size, people or resources.
The Stage 2 Wave (see the next page) is simply a concept to help
Planters find the right rhythm of meetings, events and gatherings. The
goal is to leverage momentum without burdening the Planter or the Core
members with tons of planning, logistics and coordination.
Similar to a sound wave graph, the Stage 2 Wave pictures chapter events
as "waves" and each wave has a "frequency". The graph lets you see (and
plan) events over a semester or quarter. While each of the events/meetings
in this graph are important for planting, they are purposely given generic
titles so that you don't use them. It's up to you (and perhaps your Core
Group) to name them as you see fit. Also, you shouldn't try to simply mimic
this pattern of events/meetings or it's frequency. This graph is meant to
give you the key components and the concept of being creative with the
frequency. You should experiment and adjust your Stage 2 Wave as God
gives you insight during the year.
5.06

---

t h e s t a g e 2 w a v e d i a g r a m
1Gathering Event 3Outreach Event 5
Gathering Event
7
2Core Meeting
4Core Meeting
6Core Meeting
gathering
Weeks
& building
d e s C r i p t i o n s o f w a v e s ( e v e n t s a n d m e e t i n g s )
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
GATHERING EVENT
· Seeks to connect with students and faculty currently involved with the
chapter on some level.
· Personal invitations are given to those with potential to become core
members.
· Key challenge or invitation is to increase involvement in the mission of the
chapter and to pursue deeper fellowship with one another.
· Purpose is to build momentum by teaching core values and highlighting
real-life examples of missional activity. Also seeks to inspire and call the
core to reach the campus. Asks members to take major roles in the next
outreach event.
CORE MEETING
· Purpose is to teach on vision & mission, core values, discipleship, and to
get everyone involved in some way with upcoming events or evangelism
and outreach (see also p. 5.04).
· This is an open meeting. PMCs from small groups, Gathering Events, etc.,
should be encouraged and invited to come. "If you want to learn more
about our vision and mission on this campus, and would like to help make
it happen, then this meeting is for you!"
· An informal (home or apartment) setting may be best for this initially to
promote relationships and community. Food may also be an important
feature.
5.07

---

OUTREACH EVENT
· Seeks to connect with students and faculty who are not yet involved in
the chapter.
· Tends to be publicized broadly, generally open to anyone who is
interested.
· Key challenge or invitation is to investigate Jesus, become a follower of
Jesus, or get involved with the Christian community on campus.
· Are often excellent projects for core members to rally around, increasing
their commitment to the mission of the chapter.
gathering
& building
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
5.08

---

s tr ategiC pl anning outline for s tage 2 wave
­ semes ter pl an
How the Wave might look over a semester or quarter
wEEk 1: CORE MEETING
· Celebrate your progress
· Hear stories of "putting scripture into practice"
· Develop/expand the Core Members--train the group
· Explain Gathering Strategy
gathering
& building
· Review plans for upcoming Gathering Event
MISSIONAL
wEEk 2: GATHERING EVENT
LEADERSHIP
· Theme or topic is based on vision/mission
· Excellent welcome and clear statement of "why we're here"
· May have worship, if the leadership is high quality
· Story/example from core member that illustrates the focus of the event
· Ample time to mingle, interact, introduce people to each other
wEEk 3: CORE MEETING
· Celebrate what God is doing
· Evaluate the Gathering Event
· Refocus on the mission to reach the campus
· Review plans or upcoming outreach event & explain invitation strategy
o Consider using the Networks Worksheet with the Group
wEEk 4: OUTREACH EVENT
· Name the purpose of the event
· Description of the Event
· Desired outcome
· Follow-up strategy and plans
5.09

---

wEEk 5: CORE MEETING
· Celebrate what God has done
· Evaluate the Outreach Event
· Review Follow-up Plan
o Check in on responsibilities
o Problem solve barriers to the plan and make adjustments
gathering
wEEk 6 AND BEYOND: CONTINUE THE PATTERN
& building
· Continue the pattern for the Semester/Quarter as you build momentum.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
5.10

---

m e e t i n g s e t u p C h e C k l i s t
1. Find and use a room that you can fill.
2. If you are stuck with a huge room, use curtains or some other kind of
barrier to close off the excess space.
3. Try to make the room warm and inviting. Think about lighting, seating
and what is on the walls.
4. If you can, use a smal portable platform to increase viewer sight lines.
gathering
5. Make sure you have adequate lighting up front.
& building
6. If possible, set up fewer chairs than you anticipate and add back rows
as needed.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
7. Find ways to make your group look as big as possible in the facility:
wider spacing of chairs, seating around tables, etc.
8. Think about having music playing as people come in.
9. Set up the room so that people can interact with each other.
10. Offer hospitality. If you can, serve coffee or something that makes
people feel like they can relax.
5.11

---

f a C i l i t y C o n s i d e r a t i o n s
When analyzing options for one-day-a-week facility usage, there are many
dimensions to consider. The following list summarizes those considerations.
Core group proximity: Is it located to take advantage of core group
networking? Is it located so that current members can reasonably invite friends?
Demographic advantage: Is it located where long-term demographic
trends can be capitalized on to achieve community penetration among
those beyond core group networks?
Space configuration: Can the space be configured to provide appropriately
gathering
sized worship space relative to the estimated size of the group? Can the
& building
facility accommodate a growth?
MISSIONAL
Worship environment: Is lighting adequate? Is good sound achievable?
LEADERSHIP
Can a reasonable effort create an aesthetically appropriate worship
environment? Can the space be configured according to group size? Are
chairs provided? Is a platform needed?
Community awareness: How well known is the location? Do people
know "right where that is" or is the location more anonymous? Generally,
student unions are best, with classrooms being less well known or
accessible, and off-campus locations being the least desirable.
Accessibility: How easy is it to get to the location? How easy is it to
explain how to get to the location? Is there decent visibility? Can signage
easily direct people?
Equipment: What equipment is available for use? Chairs? Sound? What
are the cost implications?
Setup and storage: Can equipment be easily maneuvered in and out of
the facility? Is storage available? (This is rarely provided.)
Cost: Are there any costs associated with the space? Include time costs.
5.12

---

w o r k s h e e t - i n y o u r C o n t e x t
p l a n t i n g e s s e n t i a l s : g a t h e r i n g (forming community)
oup
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s
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4
How will you keep small gr
Bible studies focused on inviting,
gathering and welcoming new
people to chapter events?



Does the cor
welcome spiritual seekers to
participate in chapter life?
gathering
& building
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MISSIONAL

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thr
evangelism, and service?

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that you and cor
to gather people?
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5.13

---

6
m i s s i o n a l l e a d e r s h i p
missional
leadership
Prayer
Creating a place of
worship on campus
Catalytic Events
Vision
Events that lead the
group into the next stage
Authoritative
vision from God
Leadership
Developing students and faculty
as missional leaders
Outreach
Engaging students
Gathering
and faculty with
the vision
Forming community
around the vision
5.14

---

m i s s i o n a l l e a d e r s h i p
How Jesus made disciples
MARk 1:16-39
1
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his
brother Andrew casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for
people." And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
5
As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his
brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately
he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with
missional
the hired men, and followed him. They went to Capernaum; and
leadership
when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.
10 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their
synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, "What
have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to
destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus
15 rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the
unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out
of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another,
"What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even
the unclean spirits, and they obey him." At once his fame began
20 to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. As soon
as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and
Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in
bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and
took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and
25 she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought
to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole
city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were
6.01

---

1 sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would
not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the
morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a
deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions
5 hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone
is searching for you." He answered, . . .
missional
leadership
The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard
Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
6.02

---

g r o u p e x e r C i s e
HOw DID jESUS MAkE DISCIPLES?
a survey of Mark
Instructions: Break up into groups of four to five. Write down the verbs
that show what Jesus is doing with or for or to the disciples. In other words,
what did Jesus do to influence or develop his disciples? (Note: some things
will be implicit, and you will have to choose your own verb to describe it.)
Group 1:
Group 4:
1:16-20
8:27 ­ 9:1
3:7-18
9:14-32, 33-36
4:10-13, 33-34
10:13-16
missional
7:17-23
10:35-45
leadership
Group 2:
Group 5:
4:35-41
13:1-10
6:7-13, 30-34
13:32-35
6:35-44
14:44-50
7:24-30
16:6-8
8:1-10, 17-21
Group 3:
5:37-43
6:45-52
9:2-8
14:32-41
6.03

---

i d e n t i f y i n g a n d d e v e l o p i n g
m i s s i o n a l l e a d e r s
Following Jesus' example in Luke 5:1-11, you can use increasing levels of
involvement to help you identify and develop potential leaders.
1. Offer simple ways for students and faculty to get involved with you on
campus. This is not delegating, but asking students to join you in carrying
out tasks that may be simple but are still important to the mission.
missional
2. How does the student or faculty member respond to evangelistic
leadership
opportunities? To the needs of other students and faculty they know? Are
they wil ing to make themselves available for God's purposes? Involve the
student or faculty member in more direct ministry with you.
3. In what areas of the student or faculty member's life has obedience (to
Jesus) been an issue? When have they made a choice to trust Jesus' word
more than their own judgment or the opinion of others?
4. Encourage the student or faculty member to make steps of personal
sacrifice for Jesus and the gospel.
5. Entrust increasingly important ministry tasks and influence-roles to
the student. Continue to build partnership in ministry.
6.04

---

t o u r t h r o u g h a C t s
These nine passages represent nine different planting lessons or principles
and therefore could make a great series of studies for a planting team or a
group of young leaders. We suggest reading each passage and then rewrite
it using your own campus contexts. Replace the places, people and any
pertinent details with your own context. Then see if your team can discern
the main planting principle or lesson as it relates to that story. This could be
done all at once or over the course of nine weeks.
Acts 11:19-26 Sending your best (releasing apostolic leaders). This
might be your motivated freshmen or your veteran leaders
that need a new challenge
Acts 13:1-5 The Holy Spirit told us to. The vision came directly from
missional
the Holy Spirit during a time of prayer and fasting versus a
leadership
strategic move on their part
Acts 16: 1-5 Contextualization / discipleship through pioneering /
following up
Acts 16: 6-10 Revelation through experimentation. They were
trying things, not all of which was on the Holy Spirit's
agenda, but the clarifying vision came while they were
experimenting
Acts 16: 11-15 Finding your Lydia (home base). Looking for who's
open, teachable and welcoming and building on that
Acts 18:1-8 When to move on. If people aren't accepting or
interested in what you have to offer, move on to another
part of campus or another campus altogether
Acts 18:23-28 Identifying, training and empowering emerging
apostolic leaders--Priscilla and Aquilla with Apollos
Acts 19: 17-22 Continuing after success.
Acts 20: 17-24 Laying it all down for the gospel. The life of a pioneer
6.05

---

w o r k s h e e t - i n y o u r C o n t e x t
p l a n t i n g e s s e n t i a l s : s t u d e n t l e a d e r s h i p
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about Christian leadership thr
these experiences?
What event(s) will you use to
inspir
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6.06

---

7
C a t a l y t i C e v e n t s
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Prayer
CatalytiC
events
Creating a place of
worship on campus
Catalytic Events Vision
Events that lead the
group into the next stage
Authoritative
vision from God
Leadership
Developing students and faculty
as missional leaders
Outreach
Engaging students
Gathering
and faculty with
the vision
Forming community
around the vision
6.07

---

C a t a l y t i C e v e n t s a t
e v e r y s t a g e
At every stage of a Chapter Plant both Catalytic
Moments and Catalytic Events take place.
Catalytic Moments
There are times in the life of every chapter plant when you experience
a movement of the Spirit in which the students involved in the core team
come to a new recognition of the mission. We call these times catalytic
moments in the life of the plant. You recognize the moment by the
changed attitudes of those involved. What seemed impossible before
now becomes possible. Spiritual, intellectual, and emotional barriers are
removed. The group takes a new step in trusting God and are willing
MISSIONAL
to take a new step if faith. Planters need to be able to recognize these
LEADERSHIP
moments in order to partner with what God is doing and encourage the
work of the Spirit in the students and faculty they are partnering with.
The planter's role is to interpret and describe what is happening so that
CatalytiC
everyone is better able to recognize that what is happening is from God.
events
Planters help students learn to see the hand of God at work. Students
and faculty need to see that this activity is not luck or a random act but
rather the work of the Holy Spirit. It's at these times Planters are able to
call students to join them in what they see; to join them in a greater act of
commitment to the mission and God's kingdom work.
Catalytic moments help us recognize the time is right for catalytic events.
Catalytic Events
There are also times when the Planter knows that in order to move
the group forward, an intentional strategic event must take place. This
catalytic event propels the group from its current level of involvement
in the mission to a greater level of involvement, commitment and/or
participation. There is a strong sense that God is present during these
critical junctures. The Planter is strategic about planning the content and
focus of the event, but there is an uncontrollable, dynamic element of
God's presence that transcends our efforts. An important question to ask at
each stage of development is, "What would have to take place to take this
group to the next level?"
7.01

---

omise
Make A Pr
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ovide Definition:
Pr explain w
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
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7.02

---

C a t a l y t i C e v e n t s

l u k e 1 0 : 1 - 2 4
1
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two
by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about
to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are
few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers
5
into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among
wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet
anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to
this house.' If the head of the house loves peace, your peace will
MISSIONAL
rest on that house; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and
LEADERSHIP
10 drinking whatever they give you, for workers deserve their wages.
Do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town
CatalytiC
events
and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who
are there and tell them, `The kingdom of God has come near to
you.' But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into
15 its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town we wipe from our
feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God
has come near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for
Sodom than for that town. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been
20 performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre
and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will
you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.
Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me;
25 but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me." The seventy-two
returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in
your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and
7.03

---

1
to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice
that your names are written in heaven." At that time Jesus, full of
joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven
5
and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was
your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my
Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one
knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the
10 Son chooses to reveal him." Then he turned to his disciples and said
privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you
that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did
MISSIONAL
not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
LEADERSHIP
m a t t h e w 2 8 : 1 6 - 2 0
CatalytiC
events
1
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where
Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped
him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore
5
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age."
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY'S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of
International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.
7.04

---

d i s C u s s i o n q u e s t i o n s :
1. How did Jesus use this to propel his disciples?
2. What does Jesus want them to learn?
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
3. What is the experience forcing them to learn?
CatalytiC
events
4. What are you learning about Jesus and his priorities?
7.05

---

w o r k s h e e t - i n y o u r C o n t e x t
p l a n t i n g e s s e n t i a l s : C a t a l y t i C e v e n t s ( I n t o t h e N e x t S t a g e )
s
oject, Global
, Urban Pr
oject, etc., be used to galvanize
e members' passion about
s
t
a
g
e

4
How will Chapter Camp, Mark
Study
Pr
cor
and commitment to the chapter'
mission?
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MISSIONAL
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eat for the cor
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Design a r
that communicates the vision in
a compelling way and calls for
commitment.


Who do you want to be ther
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In what ways do you hope the new
cor
in these things?
How will you begin to give the cor
a sense of community and vision
for the futur
7.06

---

8
t h e p l a n t e r
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
the planter
7.07

---

t h e p l a n t e r
what it takes spiritually to pl ant a Chapter
1. Teachability
2. Spiritual Rhythms
3. Personal Balance
4. Living in step with the Holy Spirit

MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
t e n m i s t a k e s p l a n t e r s m a k e
1. Take for granted their spiritual lives
2. Believe most people understand vision apart from the incarnation of it
the planter
3. Work seven days a week
4. Lead without creating ownership
5. Create ownership, but don't lead
6. Forget about fundraising
7. Think they know more than their coaches
8. Spend too much time in the office
9. Create their own model apart from the four-stage launch
10. Believe their own sparkling personality is all they need
8.01

---

d e v e l o p m e n t a l p r o b l e m s
1. The planter does not know how to use his/her time well
in gathering people
2. The planter is not thinking ahead to get future agenda items solved
(e.g., securing meeting location, lining up the worship team)
3. The planter is not picking up the group's dynamics and leadership
issues
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
4. The planter is not getting a handle on the myriad details she/he needs
to master
5. The planter is not setting appropriate boundaries in his/her life
the planter
6. The planter is not spending enough time in the most important areas, or
in his/her spiritual gifts and strengths
7. The planter does not understand how to lay the groundwork
for future development
8. The planter avoids talking about commitment and sacrifice
9. The chapter planter is unteachable

8.02

---

9
a p p e n d i x
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
appendix
8.03

---

g l o s s a r y
Missional Christian (MC)
A student or faculty member who is motivated by his or her relationship with Jesus to
advance the gospel on their campus, characterized as (a) someone who responds to our
mission by becoming personal y involved and invested, (b) a student or faculty member
who is teachable and has the ability to influence others, and (c) someone who is wil ing to
devote time and resources and to take risks for Jesus' sake.
Potential Missional Someone who exhibits some of the characteristics of a MC, but lacks some important
Christian (PMC)
aspects (like motivation, vision, commitment, wil ingness to learn) and needs to be
developed further to realize their potential.
Non-Missional Christian A Christian student or faculty member who isn't personal y invested or engaged in
(NMC)
advancing the gospel on campus or God's purposes in the world. This person may
acknowledge missional concepts as valid, but is typical y unwil ing to become actively
involved in these things when invited. They may attend InterVarsity functions regularly for
the social or emotional benefits.
Missional Non-Christian A student or faculty member who is attracted to the vision and mission of InterVarsity,
(MNC)
even though they have not made a personal decision to fol ow Christ (yet). This person is
often moved when they hear our sense of purpose fol owed by a "cal " to action, and will
typical y sign up, volunteer, and even lead efforts that are advancing the mission.
Spying out the Land
This is a biblical reference (Numbers 13:17) to when Moses sent several men to survey
the promised land of Canaan before entering it. For planting purposes, this phrase deals
MISSIONAL
with any activity that helps us gain information, assess the possibilities and barriers for
LEADERSHIP
planting, and discern what God is leading us to do at a campus in the future.
Outreach
In the Chapter Planting strategy, the term outreach refers to any activity that is intended
to "reach" students or faculty members who are not yet involved with the chapter. This
may be an evangelistic outreach, which seeks to engage people who are not currently
connected to the chapter with the gospel. Or it may be an outreach event to find more
Christians on campus and invite them to join us. The fact that we are seeking to connect
with those who are not currently involved with InterVarsity is what makes the event,
project or effort an outreach.
Gathering
A gathering event or effort is intended for those students or faculty members who are
currently involved or connected with the chapter, in order to build community around
appendix
the vision and mission of the chapter. It may take the form of an al -chapter event, which
builds momentum toward the mission. Or it may be a very intimate, informal gathering
of a few people to experience and discuss a crucial biblical value or principal. It may be
a road-trip with a few members from a smal group Bible study. The fact that the people
being "gathered" are currently involved or connected to the chapter is what defines it
as a gathering event/effort.
Core
Essential y, these are the MCs and PMCs who you are developing at any given time. Core
Group is another way to refer to them, as a subset of the entire chapter. A Core Meeting
is an intentional gathering of PMCs and MCs to deepen the sense of community, embrace
the vision and mission together, and to become actively involved in carrying it out. Core
Meetings usual y start happening in mid to late Stage 1, and become central to the Stage
2 strategy.
Momentum
The scientific definition of momentum is: Velocity X Mass = Momentum. In chapter
planting, this concept translates to: Missional Activity X Gathering people = Momentum
in the chapter, which leads to greater impact on campus. Underneath al the chapter
planting strategies lies this principle--we are looking for signs that God is moving
amongst us (velocity) and gathering more and more people around that spiritual
movement (mass).
a.1.1

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o n l i n e C h a p t e r p l a n t i n g
r e s o u r C e s
Here are some resources, articles and case studies to help you grow (or start) InterVarsity
chapters that are healthy, diverse witnessing communities. Links to these resources and more
can be found in department Web sites, staff libraries on the staff Web site or at the InterVarsity
Ministry Exchange (MX) site on the chapter planting and building "landing" pages:
Building: http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/page/chapterbuilding
Planting: http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/page/chapterplanting
Evangelism: http://www.intervarsity.org/evangelism/
Multiethnicity: Staff Library: http://www.intervarsity.org/staff/mem/library/
MEM Web site archives: http://www.intervarsity.org/mem/archives.php
Planting resources:
· Chapter Planting Manual, Version 3.0 by Shawn Young, Brian Sanders and Chris Nichols and
Marcia Wang. PDF format. This is the latest version (June 2009) of the training manual for staff
who are planting chapters.
http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/6040
MISSIONAL
· "Recognizing and Awakening Missional Christians on Campus" by Chris Nichols. Word
LEADERSHIP
format. http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/8046
· 2100 and Staff Store Resources for Chapter Planting, Growth and NSO - Links to customizable
banners and other planting and NSO resources. (Staff login required.) This page can also be
found by logging into the staff home page and selecting Tools >> for communication on the
left. http://www.intervarsity.org/staff/communication/resources/view.php?article_id=5955
Planting manual supplements/context papers
· "Six Chapter Planting Essentials in the Commuter and Urban Context" by Marcia J. Wang.
Word format. http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/7169
appendix
· "Chapter Planting in an International Student Ministries Setting" by Katie Rawson and other
ISM staff. Word format. http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/7171
· "Testimony of an ISM Chapter Planter" by Yii-Shyun Lin. Word format. http://www.
intervarsity.org/mx/item/7172
· "Chapter Planting in the Graduate Student and Faculty Ministry Context" by Lynn Gill. Word
format. http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/7250
· "Chapter Planting in a GFM Context" by Hanz Franzen. PDF format.
http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/8044
· "Recognizing and Awakening Missional Christian Graduate Students on Campus" by Nancy
Pedulla. PDF format. http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/8045
· "Chapter Planting in a Greek Ministry Context" by Mindy Meier, Kristen Dalton and Eric
Holmer. PDF Format. http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/7264/
a.1.2

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r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n p l a n t i n g a n d b u i l d i n g
The essential components that guide an effective chapter plant are the foundations of a
healthy growing chapter. These are present in the Chapter Building pyramid which is the
guiding structure after the 4th stage.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Prayer and Worship


Prayer for the Vision
Authoritative Vision


Vision for Growth
appendix
Outreach



Strategic Evangelism






Attractive NSO
Gathering



Effective Large Group






Missional Small Groups
Student Leadership


Leadership Development
Catalytic Events
a.1.3

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h o w d o C h a p t e r s g r o w ?
Chapter Building Task Force, Revised Summary, June 2, 2006
-- Rich Lamb and Cam Anderson
The Chapter Building Task Force met in October, 2004 and in January,
2005 to understand and describe the essential components of growing
InterVarsity fellowships. Each of the participants has seen substantial
growth in their campus fellowships and is recognized in their regions as a
chapter builder. We focused on chapters that have begun at the median
chapter size and have experienced rapid growth. We began with open-
ended discussions of the most significant factors contributing to chapter
growth and found much agreement and common emphasis.
As of the 2004 Fall Field Report, half of all campus chapters are smaller
than 32, while half are larger. The median for GFM chapters is, as expected,
MISSIONAL
smaller, at 19 students. Of the 560 undergraduate fellowships counted in
LEADERSHIP
the 2004 Fall Field Report, over 400 had 50 or fewer students involved.
And, on average, these small fellowships are not growing, but remain small
year after year. Our Task Force's hope is to contribute to the rapid growth
and even doubling of a hundred or more of these small fellowships around
the movement, contributing both to the significant enlargement and
deepening of our ministry to students and to the increased satisfaction and
morale of our staff.
Our goal of growing the work is built on four foundational perspectives,
appendix
each partly an answer to an objection to our focus on numerical growth:
1. God's Work: We believe that God is already at work on the campuses of
this country, whether InterVarsity is present or not, whether the fellowship
is growing or not. Our proper zeal is found in joining his prior work, and
doing this as effectively as possible.
2. Context: We share a commitment to take each campus context seriously.
This is not a one-size-fits-al blueprint for how InterVarsity ministry should
be undertaken, and the principles stressed here wil need to be pursued in
different ways for different kinds of campus settings and populations.
3. Quality: We believe that quality is not in opposition to quantity; rather
they go hand-in-hand. A group growing from 30 to 60 generally develops
deeper disciples than one that is stagnant at 25.
4. Partnership: We honor and value partnership between staff, students
and faculty. This analysis is not meant to imply a staff-centric, top-down
approach. We need partners, and identify them generously.
a.1.4

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With these perspectives in view, we want to make some claims about
growing fellowships without implying that numerical growth is the top
priority or the only valid sign of success in ministry. It is, however, a worthy
goal, as we know that the sower went out to sow his seed in order to bring
forth a tremendous harvest.
We identified seven factors that seem consistent among growing fel owships.
These could be divided into two groups: 1) fundamental disciplines of a
growing chapter and its staff, and 2) concrete activities that apply the
fundamentals in ways that attract and retain new students. These could be
differentiated as those activities (2) that any newcomer would see and perceive
and (1) the subterranean foundation on which those activities are built, but
which would likely only be visible to the leadership team or an especial y attentive
fel owship observer. (See the diagram at the end of this summary.)
FUNDAMENTAL DISCIPLINES:
MISSIONAL
God-Directed Vision for the Campus and Fellowship Growth: For a
LEADERSHIP
fellowship to grow, someone must have a specific vision for growth that
is God-directed, both in a sense that God is the one who brings it into
clarity (directed by God) and that the vision's result is a clearer picture of
God (directed toward God). The vision's source and destination is God
himself. A staff or team must have a specific vision of what the fellowship
would look like when it has grown in size and depth. This person or team
must then marshall his/her/their resources and those of the fellowship to
bring this vision to reality. This vision is based on a rigorous assessment
appendix
of the demographic opportunities and challenges of the campus, as well
as an honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the current
fellowship. It is based in reality but not bound to it. This vision, though
initially that of an individual or small cadre of leaders, must be articulated
in many settings so that it is widely held by the leadership of the fellowship
and others in the core of the group. In this vision, all the other components
of fellowship life and strategy will be present: evangelism and discipleship,
small groups and large groups, relationships and events. These activities are
not simply the job tasks of the staff person or the ministry assignments of
students, but they are the means by which the vision is accomplished.
Worship and Concerted Prayer toward the Vision: This has long been
viewed as the fundamental backbone of a growing fellowship, but the
simple reality is that fewer InterVarsity fellowships are built around the
typical "Daily Prayer Meeting" of the halcyon days of yore. Yet the value
seems to be firmly consistent: while the specific structure may vary from
campus to campus and era to era, growing fellowships and the staff who
lead them are characterized by a commitment to building a place for the
a.1.5

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meaningful corporate worship of God and for regular and concerted
prayer toward the vision of fellowship growth and campus engagement.
So while we are always glad when students gather to pray together, we
can distinguish between the kinds of prayer gatherings which offer up
prayers for tests and ailing aunts and the gatherings that bring students
and faculty to their knees over the state of the hearts of their lost friends
and colleagues. All-night vigils, campus prayer walks, small group prayer
meetings and one-to-one prayer partnerships, when focused around efforts
to engage the campus and bring the gospel to it in fresh, relevant and
attractive ways, seem to bear fruit in growth and depth.
Leadership Development and Training toward the Vision: In order
to grow the ministry, the leadership team must grow, both in size and
in depth. Consistent, high-quality leadership training plays a key role,
for student leaders must have fruitful and satisfying experiences for the
leadership team to grow. Also, the number and types of leadership roles
MISSIONAL
will expand over time to contribute toward the accomplishment of the
LEADERSHIP
vision. Beyond small group leaders, the worship team and the exec team,
a variety of other roles that combine a task role (for example, leading
GIGs, hospitality, publicity, drama, outreach, prayer, tech crew) with an
influence role (finding a person or people in whom to relationally invest and
focusing there) bring more students into the ministry in meaningful and
developmental ways. Each task role needs to be served and given direction
and partnership, but leadership training can focus on the values and vision
that are common to everyone serving on the leadership team. Growing
fellowships have a deep commitment to ongoing on-campus training,
appendix
even though they often have a consistently high involvement in Chapter
Camp and other kinds of off-campus and periodic training opportunities as
well. If cross-cultural mission is integrated into the ministry strategy of the
fellowship, then urban and global missions projects and team participation
serve to deepen the leadership experience of students and develop the
fellowship toward the mission.
CONCRETE ACTIVITIES
Missional Small Groups: We highlighted two things: 1) this ministry
focuses student leaders around the pastoral needs of the fellowship; and
2) it involves target audiences, populations on the campus with whom
leaders take initiative and for whom they pray (dorms, Greeks, international
students, ethnic groups, athletes, or other identifiable groups). This is
specifically in contrast to groups organized around "all people who signed
up at large group for the Monday night small group."
a.1.6

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Quality Large Group: The emphasis here is on quality, attractiveness,
consistency: do well what can be done, given limited resources. We talked
about the need for relevant messages, creative drama/media presentations,
high-quality worship and verbal leadership, attention paid to hospitality
and the physical location and layout of the room. Enthusiastic publicity and
thoughtful branding seem crucial.
Evangelistic Events: Evangelism is a core value of consistently growing
fellowships, and this value is found in every activity: large group meetings,
missional small groups, the leadership training and the missional prayer
expressions. It is at the very heart of the fellowship's vision for the campus.
But beyond the regular activities of the fellowship, growing fellowships also
have strategic evangelistic emphases through periodic events. No single
strategy emerged as the main factor, but chapter evangelistic activity (e.g.,
GIGs, seeker-targeted events, campus-wide outreach, individual student
training) contributed to group growth. This emphasis grows the chapter by
MISSIONAL
bringing in seekers who are genuinely curious as well as Christians who are
LEADERSHIP
interested in evangelism.
Attractive New Student Outreach: We said little new here, as NSO
emphasis has been around for a long time. Good NSO does not ensure
a rapidly growing fellowship, but bad NSO can sink one. NSO must be
energetic, creative, both innovating new events and building off of existing
traditions, and help new students to see the fellowship not simply as it is
but as it will be as it begins to accomplish its vision. Effective NSO helps the
small but growing fellowship to look bigger and more developed than it is
appendix
in fact. NSO is completed when new members are fully incorporated into
the mission and vision of the fellowship, completing the cycle.
This summary is necessarily brief. For more detail, please see "Chapter
Building Resources: an Annotated Summary" at http://www.intervarsity.org/
mx/item/5140.
a.1.7

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p r a y e r a n d w o r s h i p :
Ideas from around the country
w a y s w e p r a y
Compiled as part of a project by the National Prayer Task Force
Below is a short list of some of the ways we pray followed by some brief
stories. These are just a few of the many prayer styles happening among
InterVarsity groups on campus. While we don't have room to go into depth,
maybe you'll gain some fresh ideas!
· Daily prayer meetings (all kinds and at all times of day)
· "Concerts of prayer," sometimes in partnership with other groups and
churches
· Prayer for revival
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
· Spending a day or part of a day (usual y alone) in a prayerful retreat of silence
· "Jericho walks": students walk around the campus praying for specific
dorms, buildings, professors, etc.
· Praying through a specific Scripture passage such as a psalm
· Focusing on specific modes of prayer, such as praise, confession, and
thanksgiving
· Inner-healing prayer
appendix
· 24-hour prayer watches (with students signing up for specific time slots)
· Prayer for missions by focusing on a country at a daily prayer meeting,
praying through Operation World, or focusing on missions during large
group meetings
· Praying for group members heading out on urban or global projects
· Prayer for the spiritual cleansing of meeting facilities and intercession for
those attending events
· Small-group prayer in the mornings before class
· Prayers of blessing
· Writing out prayers
· Using the Book of Common Prayer and other written prayers
· Prayer for deliverance
· Ongoing prayer as a way of life ("spiritual breathing" versus event-based
prayer)
a.2.1

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· Setting a watch or alarm to be reminded to pray several times per day
· Regular fasting and prayer
· Everyone praying out loud at the same time (choral prayer)
· Splitting into two groups and reading psalms antiphonally to one another
(especially effective when done across a lake)
· Praying with fellow students one-to-one (prayer partnerships)
· Using a variety of postures and languages in prayer
· Conversational prayer, in which needs are prayed for by several people,
such as conversation flowing around a topic
PRAYER FOR A HIT-AND-RUN CAMPUS
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis -- John Crowder
MISSIONAL
There are nearly 30,000 students at our "hit-and-run" university,
LEADERSHIP
and 90 percent of them are commuters. Students hit their classes and
run to work or run home. Engaging the campus for Christ is like aiming
at a moving target. It's a challenge for the InterVarsity chapter to have an
ongoing, effective ministry on the campus of IUPUI (Indiana University-
Purdue University Indianapolis). We have made progress in becoming a
witnessing community at our school, but we have a long way to go.
One of the things we tried last fall to get students connected to each
other and growing spiritually was a Noon Prayer Fellowship. We met from
12:00-12:50 p.m. on Wednesdays, the day before our traditional weekly
appendix
meeting, which was Thursdays at 5 p.m.
Our schedule each week was the same. The first 15 minutes was
community time. Then we took 15 minutes to do a brief manuscript Bible
study on the white board. We looked at three or four verses in Philippians
each time, and got through the whole book by the end of the school year.
We spent the last 20 minutes praying for each other and the campus, often
in groups of three. We always ended promptly by 12:50 since many of the
students had 1:00 p.m. classes.
This noon prayer time turned out to be a great opportunity for students to
use their lunch hour to connect with other believers on campus. We welcomed
people to bring their lunch and eat while we talked, studied and prayed. The
attendance varied from eight to fourteen students throughout the school year.
It was a sanctuary hour in the busy lives of commuter students.
a.2.2

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A TIME OF HEALING AT HARVARD
Harvard University
God responded powerfully to prayer at a recent weekend conference
held at Harvard U. The theme was racial healing, and the event was led
by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice (authors of the IVP® book More Than
Equals). According to Andy Crouch, staff worker at Harvard, there were
about 150 students present in Harvard's Memorial Church on Saturday
night at the closing worship time. An African-American student who had
led the worship asked a Korean-American student to close in prayer. This
student, who has emerged as a significant leader of prayer in the college
(and who was completely unprepared), prayed a powerful prayer of
repentance, and then said, "I think we need a time of open confession."
He proceeded to go first, confessing some of his sin toward leaders of some
of the campus ministries (including HRCF, the Harvard-Radcliffe Christian
Fellowship). Then he left the microphone.
MISSIONAL
"In the ensuing one and a half hours, there was an outpouring of very
LEADERSHIP
personal, very public confession of a sort I have rarely seen," says Andy.
"Almost all of it dealt with race and racism. White students confessed their
passive and active racism; non-white students confessed their bitterness
and offered forgiveness; many confessed distrust or prejudice toward
others involved in different campus ministries. The presence of the Lord was
tangible and unmistakable."
Toward the end of the evening, the focus shifted toward praise and
intercession for God's ongoing work in the Christian community at Harvard.
appendix
At least one person, deeply affected by Saturday night's worship and
confession, became a Christian that very night. "It was a remarkable, tear-
filled, joy-filled experience that no one there will soon forget," adds Andy.
DOOR-TO-DOOR PRAYER
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan U. students have found a really effective way to reach
out to fellow students. Small groups go door-to-door in their hall asking
for prayer requests from residents. They pray for their hallmates as a small
group, and then follow up on the requests two weeks later.
As God faithfully answers prayer, students start paying attention. Some
have come to Christ through this outreach and have gotten involved in
small groups. According to InterVarsity® staff worker Andrea Thomas,
"Two things happen: our faith is deepened as we see God move among
unbelievers, and the act of reaching out lifts us out of our `holy huddles' to
see the real needs of students around us."
a.2.3

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SURPRISED AT THE POLE
California State U.-Monterey Bay
Students at California State U.-Monterey Bay returned from Urbana
96 convinced that God wanted them to intercede daily for their campus.
(This is a fairly new fellowship which has had difficulty being accepted on
campus by the administration.) They decided to meet for prayer at the
flagpole every day at noon.
"Our first day at the pole, one of the administrators approached us,"
says Steve Colby, who assists the group as an InterVarsity® staff member.
"She's one of the tough-minded administrators who has worked with us
about our organization's status. We told her what we were doing and
asked her if there was anything we could pray for."
"Yes!" she replied eagerly. She asked the group to pray for the university's
accreditation process--an area that brings real headaches--and then thanked
MISSIONAL
them profusely. The students walked away from the pole amazed that God
LEADERSHIP
brought along one of the people they'd least expected to see.
"Prayer is shaping everything we are doing," adds Steve. The small
groups are studying people of prayer in the Old Testament, and after the
noon prayer time, students disperse to eat lunch with other students on
campus. Some ethnic minority students are joining the group at the pole
for prayer as well.
MORE wAYS TO PRAY
appendix
-- Hallie Cowan, who serves as a specialist in prayer and spiritual formation in the
New England region
How can we pray? What follows are some ideas and forms for prayer. But
remember, the goal is not to come up with a great system. The goal is to
connect with the heart of God. Here are some things that I have seen God
use when students have come to the Lord in expectant faith:
1. Devote a large-group meeting to prayer. You can plan one large
group meeting a semester to be devoted to praying together. Prayer
meetings do not need to be boring, and a little creativity and planning
can make them much more approachable for all the participants. Give
clear directions and explanations to put everyone at ease. Use a variety of
styles and formats in order to include people with different sensibilities,
backgrounds and worship styles. Meetings can include praise music,
hymns, psalms, silence, small group and individual prayer times, whole
group prayer, "popcorn" prayer (where individuals call out short sentence
prayers one after another), call-and-response prayers (where the group
gives a united response to a prayer request, such as "Lord, hear our prayer"
a.2.4

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or "Thank you Lord"), dance, drama, art and creative writing (such as
composing psalms together and reading them aloud).
Jonathan Edwards, who wanted to see revival continue in the churches
in New England fol owing the Great Awakening in the 1700s, designed a
format for prayer meetings which he cal ed a "Concert of Prayer." The word
concert doesn't refer to a musical event, but to the "concerted" or united
prayer of people from different denominations and congregations who come
together and agree on what they desire from God. David Bryant has developed
a contemporary model for concerts of prayer and has written a resource book
cal ed How Christians Can Join Together in Concerts of Prayer for Spiritual
Awakening and World Evangelization (Regal Books, 1988).
Another format for a prayer meeting with visual aids is a tabernacle
prayer meeting, which uses articles like a menorah, a throne, a giant
cross, bowls of water and towels to symbolize some of the aspects of the
Old Testament tabernacle worship experience. In the tabernacle model,
MISSIONAL
participants are invited into a variety of formats for repentance and
LEADERSHIP
forgiveness, praise, consecration, intercession and worship at different
places and times in the meeting.
An easy-to-remember guide which covers four kinds of prayer in a prayer
meeting is the acronym ACTS. Adoration (or praise) calls us to acknowledge
God's presence and his character and worship him. In Confession, we
acknowledge our sin, and our need for God. T is for thanksgiving, when we
recall the specific blessings we have that come from God, and Supplication
means asking God for the things we need.
appendix
Two passages that can be used as outlines for prayer meetings are
the Lord's Prayer (Luke 6:9 and following) and Jesus' prayer in John 17.
Each passage has a handful of intercessions that can give order to a time
of prayer, and you can be creative in using different formats and styles of
prayer in each section.
2. Host daily prayer meetings. I remember being deeply moved by the
testimony of campus staff member, Lou Soiles, who came to Christ through
attending a daily prayer meeting. He described how he was drawn by
curiosity to this unusual group of students, and how he experienced the
genuineness of their faith as they gathered so faithfully day by day to talk
with God about the stuff of their lives. He also described how the very
presence of God in their midst was undeniable.
Are you ready to see God work among your members through a daily
prayer meeting? To get started, you need at least two students who are
committed to prayer, and a time and a place you can meet together each
day. Early in InterVarsity's history, chapters were required to have daily
prayer meetings in order to be chartered. Prayer has always been a central
a.2.5

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discipline in our life together. (A staff member from the early days of the
movement--when one staff would cover five states!--told me that the way
she planned her ministry trips was to get on her knees, ask God where he
was already at work, and then go there.)
One common reason that prayer meetings fail is that those who are
highly committed to prayer expect that everyone else is too. So they make
two errors that can be fatal to a prayer meeting. One is to induce guilt in
the members by telling them that if they were really good Christians, they
would come to the prayer meeting (that evidently nobody really wants to
go to). The second prayer meeting killer is to try to schedule the meeting
around the broadest interest and access, and in so doing, inadvertently
schedule out those who are most committed. If you have two or three
individuals who are highly committed and passionate about prayer, do
everything possible to make sure that those individuals are able to meet
together. If ten people in the room can come at one time, but two of your
passionate pray-ers can't, then don't choose that time! (Here's a corollary:
MISSIONAL
just as with gifted evangelists, gifted intercessors should not be saddled
LEADERSHIP
with administrative jobs on your exec team.)
3. Appoint a prayer coordinator. A prayer coordinator in your fellowship
can advocate prayer and provide resources for a variety of ways the leaders
and the members can pray. Some possibilities:
· E-mail prayer requests are collected by the prayer coordinator and
passed along to individuals who have committed to pray. (They can be
students, or alumni, parents and church people.) Note that any prayer list
like this needs guidelines to guard confidentiality. Prayer requests should
appendix
only be for the person who initiated the request, or with permission from
the person who is the topic of prayer, and should contain only the details
necessary for prayer. Those who receive the requests may need to be
cautioned to beware of gossip.
· Special delivery prayer: the prayer coordinator or a prayer team can
volunteer to come and pray with individuals or small groups in their
rooms or at their meeting place when there is a special need or just as a
gift and encouragement to the members.
· Assigned prayer partnerships: those who sign up can pair off at
a large-group meeting (by drawing names or by assignment of the
coordinator) and make a "prayer date" when they will get together
during the week to pray for each other.
· Prayer before events: The prayer coordinator can lead the worship team,
student leaders, staff and speaker in prayer before large group meetings and
oversee prayer times during large group meetings. Take time in large group
settings to al ow testimony of answered prayers, as wel as time to give thanks
to God for his specific provision.
a.2.6

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· A fellowship "prayer tree" could be managed by the prayer coordinator
(or smal groups can use their own prayer trees). This device consists of a
paper tree posted on a wal and paper leaves that are passed out to members
to write "faith-sized" prayer requests on. Individuals keep the "leaves" and
commit to pray (either in the group or individual y during the week) for the
concern on their leaf. When a prayer is answered, the leaf is stuck on the
tree. As the tree sprouts leaves, the group has a visual reminder of God's
faithfulness. (We began using a prayer tree at home when our kids were
smal , to increase their faith, but in fact, it increased ours as parents! Each
Thanksgiving, we would take off the year's worth of answered prayer leaves
and read through them to remember what God had done.)
4. Provide special prayer events. Here are a few ideas:
Prayer walks, or Jericho walks: Prayer walks are a kind of portable prayer
meeting. Gather a group of bold believers and walk around your campus,
your city or your dorm. Begin with an assembly to explain the plans and
MISSIONAL
have a time of praise and worship. (You may want campus maps and paper
LEADERSHIP
on which to write prayer requests.) Then the group can either break into
small groups and go to different parts of the region or go as a whole group.
As you walk, you can pray about the activities that go on in the buildings
and areas that you are passing. You can ask God to show you needs and
concerns for prayer--a kind of "prayer scavenger hunt"--and try to discern
the "spirit of the campus" or any spiritual strongholds that inhibit students
from coming to Christ or following him wholeheartedly. You can ask God to
bless the campus so that what is good and pleasing to him would prosper.
appendix
For an outreach prayer walk, you can ask passers-by for prayer requests.
After explaining who you are and what you are doing, you could ask, "What
do you think are the greatest needs of the campus?" or "Is there anything
you would like us to pray for you?" Depending on their comfort level (and
yours!) you can pray for them on the spot, or write down their requests for
prayer at a later time.
At Smith College in Massachusetts, the InterVarsity chapter had a custom
of beginning the school year with a prayer walk. We assembled students
from Campus Crusade, the Newman Club (Roman Catholic), the campus
Korean Christian group and our InterVarsity chapter, and sometimes some
prayer warriors and InterVarsity alumni from the surrounding area. One year
we met on the steps of the campus chapel and sang some songs of praise
together and prayed. Then we began our walk by traveling together across
the street to the college president's home. Her lights were on, so we rang
the doorbell, and when she came to the door, we explained what we were
doing, and asked if she would tell us the things that she saw as priorities for
prayer for the campus. She was surprised, but pleased, and quickly listed her
major concerns and desires for the school. After we prayed with her for the
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concerns she mentioned and for her leadership of the school, we split into
smaller groups and spread out to pray for dormitories, academic buildings,
the library and so on all over campus. We came back together at the end of
the evening to report back and close in prayer.
All-night prayer. Another way to pray comprehensively for the campus
is to hold a prayer watch, also called a prayer vigil or an all-night prayer
meeting. Again, this kind of event is strengthened by teaming with other
campus groups that love Jesus. First, you'll need a place to pray. Try
booking the campus chapel if you have one or a lounge or meeting room
on campus. It's helpful to have a spare room nearby for breaks, naps and
snacks. Students can take shifts spending time in worship and intercession
for the campus. Use markers and newsprint or poster board to highlight
topics for prayer. You can include worship, listening prayer, fasting and any
of the other ideas mentioned.
Try a listening prayer meeting. For this event, a leader can teach on how
MISSIONAL
to discern God's voice. Because this kind of activity is vulnerable to spiritual
LEADERSHIP
warfare and deception from the Evil One, it is important that the group doing
this be rooted in Jesus Christ and familiar with Scripture. These events must have
mature leadership. Pray for protection as you begin, and welcome the presence
of the Holy Spirit. Then participants can be instructed to enter into silence
together, asking Jesus how he is praying for the campus, what his greatest
desire for the fel owship is, or what strongholds are binding the campus or
the fel owship. After an opening prayer, al the participants take time in silence
to listen for leadings from the Holy Spirit, which may come in the form of a
Scripture passage, a visual mental image, a word or name or sentence, or simply
appendix
a convicted feeling about something.
After a time of silence, the leader can ask individuals to share what they
"heard" from God, noting that we bring our impressions humbly, because
each of us is capable of misinterpreting something as being from God or
not being from God. Agree to test any impressions with Scripture and the
wise counsel of leaders before assuming you heard from God accurately.
Often, the experience of a group in an exercise like this is that one or
two themes will emerge from several different people, or in different forms,
and the group has an "aha" experience as they sense the Lord's answer to
their question. It is helpful to note that one person may receive a picture
or a word and not know what it means, but God may give an insight to
someone else in the room. Anything that is clearly not from God can be set
aside (such as any direction that contradicts Scripture or the Bible reference
for a chapter and verse that doesn't exist).
Once, when we did this at Smith College, one student saw a picture
of a square, with a flagpole in the center of it. She didn't know what it
was or what it meant, but she shared it with the group. Another student
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said, "That's like the tower of Col ege Hal as seen from the top!" (It's a gothic
building with a brick tower, and has a flag on top.) Someone else made a
connection between that and some thoughts other students had shared, along
with the teaching of 1 Timothy 2. We decided we were being cal ed to pray
for the col ege president whose office is under the flag in Col ege Hal . That is
the same president whom we visited on the prayer walk whose commitment
to religious expression on campus and to spiritual life was in strong contrast
to her predecessor, a woman who saw no value in religion and had worked to
dismantle the col ege chapel budget. The president we prayed for later gave
scholarships to help two African-American students attend Atlanta 98!
Enlisting alumni
Another resource in prayer is alumni or local church members who
are prayer warriors. When I started as a campus staff member at the
all-women's Smith College in 1990, there was no list of alumnae of the
InterVarsity group, so I began to pray that God would show me women
MISSIONAL
who had a heart to pray for their alma mater. Whenever I met a Christian
LEADERSHIP
Smith alumna, I asked her to try to recall other Christian classmates
she knew, and I began to contact them and ask them for more names.
Gradually, I assembled a list of alumnae who were interested in praying for
the campus. One in particular, Lynne, told me when I contacted her that she
hadn't really thought about Smith for 15 years, but in the last few months
she suddenly had a burden to pray for the school! As we talked, she told
me the issues she was praying about, and they were precisely the concerns
that were on my heart at the time.
appendix
We invited her to come and meet with the leaders of the group, and over
lunch she shared an image of the campus that God had given as she had
been praying. She had seen the campus, looking like a World War I battlefield
with foxholes al over it and Christians hiding in the foxholes. Each one had
a tiny candle that could hardly be seen. Each one would pop a head up now
and then to look out, and occasional y two Christians would see each other's
lights and recognize they weren't alone. Then, there was a second scene. It was
the same campus, but with no foxholes. Instead, a huge bonfire blazed in the
center, drawing people to the light from al over the campus.
After she shared that vision, we identified that isolation was a serious
problem for believers on campus. The leaders were empowered to pray boldly for
the protection, unity and witness of Christians on campus. We prayed that first-
year students who were Christians would not be placed as the only believer in a
"house" (dormitory), but rather that each Christian would have at least one other
believer in her house. The next fal , as we met new members, it was wonderful to
find out how many had Christian roommates, hal mates or housemates!

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Some chapters have organized prayer events for alumni. Mount
Holyoke College reserved space at Toah Nipi (the New England InterVarsity
conference center) for a prayer day for alumnae. A couple of student
leaders and the staff joined a dozen alumnae for a day of prayer for the
campus. Wellesley College InterVarsity staff, working with the chaplain,
established a slot on the college reunion schedule for an evangelical
Christian prayer breakfast during reunions. This was a great way to pray for
the campus and to meet alumni who may have come to Christ since they
graduated. Other schools have matched interested alumni with fellowship
members as prayer supporters. The alumnus is sent a photo and a brief
description of a student, and agrees to pray regularly for the student.
In 1999, the Wellesley College InterVarsity group hosted a reunion (during
peak foliage season in New England) to commemorate more than 50 years
of Wellesley Christian Fellowship history. The day was divided into decades,
and alumnae and students told wonderful stories of God's work on the
campus, from the beginning. We spent time in prayer for the campus as
MISSIONAL
well. It was there I learned that Ruth, who had been a WCF president 25
LEADERSHIP
years before, had fasted and prayed every Thursday night the year before
I began there. She had asked God to bring new converts and to build up
the fellowship. My class ('74) brought a bumper crop of believers into the
group, the beginning of a steady increase in the fellowship. And out of my
class and the class after me, six women from Wellesley joined InterVarsity as
interns or staff--a number that is more impressive if you realize there were
only 15 InterVarsity staff in the New England area at the time! I had often
marveled at the work of God in our chapter, but I had never known about
Ruth's fasting and prayer during the year before the growth began.
appendix
Just light the fuse
As you set out to pray more for your campus, you will need
encouragement. Often when we pray, we don't see the results we want as soon
as we want them. Sometimes, we simply forget what we have asked for, so it's
helpful to keep a prayer log and look for answers to your prayers. But it is my
observation that a fresh, Spirit-led prayer effort on a campus is often fol owed
one or two years later by measurable growth in the fel owship. Sadly, by that
time, it's possible that the prayer initiators have graduated!
Barbara Boyd, a veteran InterVarsity staff worker who has taught me
much about praying for the campus, has said that intercessory prayer is like
drilling holes in a rock wall and putting in sticks of dynamite. You may drill
one hole, then five more, and see no change in the wall at all. It is easy to
get discouraged thinking your work is having no effect. "But one of these
days," Barbara would say with a twinkle in her eye, "God is going to light
the fuse!"
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ENLIVEN YOUR DAILY PRAYER MEETING
-- Hallie Cowan
Here are some ideas to help you maintain energy and interest in daily
prayer meetings:
· Start with time for praise and thanksgiving to remember the God
who has brought you together, and how good he is! Don't spend a lot of
energy providing music, but if you can, bring a guitar or sing a cappella.
· Pray for topics that concern all in the group, so that you all can agree
on the requests. (Don't start with your cousin in Idaho who has the
stomach flu. Do pray for your biology test, and also pray for your witness
in the biology class.)
· Pray "measurable" prayers, so you'll know when they are answered
("Please bring at least one new person to our next large-group meeting"
versus "Please bless our fellowship and make it grow"). Ask yourself
MISSIONAL
if you believe God can do what you are asking for, and don't pray
LEADERSHIP
bigger prayers than you have faith for. (Pray for one newcomer, not one
hundred!) This is what Rosalind Rinker called "faith-sized requests" in the
wonderful little book, Conversational Prayer.
· Keep track of your prayers in a prayer meeting log, using a prayer
tree (described in the article above) or in some other way. Each time you
meet, announce answered prayers and thank God for them.
· Those who attend can pray for more people to join, and can invite
friends to come along, not out of guilt, but to experience what God is
appendix
doing in your group.
· Vary the format at times, using silence, listening prayer, "buzz prayer"
(where everyone prays at once, as the Spirit leads), Scripture readings,
conversational prayer, a liturgical form of intercession, or picking a single
topic for a meeting.
ALL-NIGHT PRAYER AND PRAISE
-- Rachel Winslow
Last spring, several students in our chapter wanted to raise the bar
for worship and prayer. Our daily prayer meetings continued to grow,
averaging 15 students. One student, Debra, organized an all-night prayer
and praise event in the school's chapel. Debra convinced area businesses to
donate food so the evening could start with dinner at 7:30 P.M., and end
with breakfast at 7 A.M.
Her goal was to pray through the entire student phone directory.
There are 9,400 students at our school! That goal was achieved: every
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undergrad and grad student at the University of Rochester (NY) was prayed
for by InterVarsity. In the midst of this, our worship team led praise all night,
and we had the Messianic Jewish congregation dance team perform until
2 A.M.! I spoke on loving our enemies, and another local speaker came to
speak on prayer.
About 20 students made it all night, but throughout the evening we
had non-Christians and Christians from other groups on campus, as well
as 45 InterVarsity students in attendance. What a blessing for each student
individually, as well as for our chapter and campus!
LETTING PRAYER GROw -- ORGANICALLY
Brown University -- Sarah Cowan
As the prayer coordinator for Brown Christian Fellowship, I entered
the year excited to lead a weekly prayer meeting. I assumed it would, of
MISSIONAL
course, be very popular among the freshmen, well attended by the leaders,
and everyone's favorite InterVarsity event! Right? I mean, I was excited
LEADERSHIP
about prayer, wasn't I? So why shouldn't everyone else be equally as eager?
First I struggled to reserve a comfortable room across from the chaplain's
office, with big puffy couches to sit on and a soft carpet to kneel on if
necessary. I arranged it for noon (a fairly standard prayer meeting time, I
thought) on Tuesdays (middle of the week is always better than beginning
or end). I showed up expectantly for my first meeting.
And I ended up praying alone while a man from the Hillel Society made
loud rustling noises in the corner as he reshelved books and flattened
appendix
cardboard boxes.
I was so disappointed and distracted that I left after only 20 minutes.
Discouraged, I prayed, "God, I thought you were really going to do
something big with prayer this year! You laid it on my heart all summer!
Why doesn't my fellowship value prayer? Where are the leaders? Don't
they know prayer is a crucial part of effective campus ministry?" And the
answer? "Let go of your agenda, Sarah. Let go of your structures and your
pre-conceived notions of what campus prayer should look like. Prayer needs
to be more organic than this."
Organic? What does that mean? Well, it means that when a love for
corporate prayer is not already an inherent part of a fellowship's "culture,"
holding a prayer meeting--even a flawlessly planned one--is not going to
compel people to come out to pray. Prayer needs to grow--organically--
from within the hearts of the members. So I decided to cancel the prayer
meeting and make a commitment to pray with anyone in the fellowship
who wanted to pray. I would schedule the prayer meetings around the
people, rather than the other way around.
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I didn't have to wait long to see the fruit from this decision. Almost
immediately after I came to this conclusion, two people contacted me
out of the blue to ask if we could meet to pray together on a regular
basis. These two women are housemates and neither knew that the
other had asked me to pray with her. The three of us have been meeting
together every Friday afternoon to pray, first as squatters in a random
math department room and now at their apartment. I have been incredibly
blessed by this partnership. Praise God for his prompting me to scrap the
structure and think more organically!
PRAYER VIGIL
--Jason Gaboury
The first week of school a group of students stayed up all night (at
a closed commuter school) to pray for the campus. We prayed about
concerns of the fellowship, and we walked around the school praying for
MISSIONAL
teachers, faculty, staff and the learning that takes place.
LEADERSHIP
Twelve students showed up at 10:00 p.m. We divided the evening into
periods of worship, prayer, intercession, breaks and the prayer walk. At
3:30 in the morning, as we walked around campus, we drew the attention
of the janitorial staff and a few homeless people who were sleeping in
the school. We walked to the club hallway and prayed for conversions
among people from different organizations, fraternities, sororities and
social service clubs. (So far we've had a few GIGs start up with an activist
group along with some open doors at the student newspaper.) We walked
appendix
around the classrooms praying for students in their studies, for offices and
administrators (we've been invited to meet with the president), and for
outside groups, including a church, that use the school.
At 7:30 we went to breakfast, exhausted and exhilarated. God is answering
the prayers of that night, both the ones for InterVarsity and the ones for campus!
EVERYDAY PRAYER
Clarion University
For the past two years, the Clarion U. leadership team has prayed
together every day during the school year. This commitment to prayer
with one another has produced strong leadership, a growing chapter, and
men and women who want to know Jesus more. "It has been a serious
commitment which they have had to work hard to keep," says area director
Paul Hassell. "Since I usually only travel twice a month to see the chapter,
strong leadership has been crucial, and it appears God has honored the
prayer commitment of the leaders."
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e n l a r g i n g y o u r w o r s h i p C u l t u r e
TAkING SOME FIRST STEPS TOwARD TRUE MULTICULTURAL wORSHIP
-- Krista-Dawn Kimsey
Here are additional ideas to expand the worship experience in your fel owship:
· Identify what defines your personal worship culture and your
chapter's worship culture. The best way to determine your worship
values and cultural expressions is to experience worship with people
who are different from you. Go to churches of different ethnicities
and denominations and watch how they communicate with God
and celebrate his goodness. Songs are only one aspect of how
believers communicate with God, just as words are only a small part
of communication with other people. Step out of what is familiar and
experience something new, and you will see a contrast with your own
worship culture.
MISSIONAL
· Identify what ethnicities are represented on your campus and learn
LEADERSHIP
about their worship cultures. Universities are often the most diverse areas
of many cities, so worship on those campuses should not be mono-
cultural. Don't forget to explore what Christian denominations are also
represented on your campus. Don't wait to implement those new cultural
expressions until you have students from those cultures in your fellowship.
Multicultural worship can be an act of hospitality, but it also brings
glory to God by recognizing the beauty of his creation. Broadening your
"worship vocabulary" enables everyone to deepen their understanding of
our global God.
appendix
· Pursue an honest friendship with someone from a different worship
culture. When you give your heart to another in friendship, your desire
will increase for everyone to worship authentically and be transformed
by God. If you are a worship leader, your friend will also be able to give
feedback as you try to lead in their primary worship culture. And while
you're at it, bring them to Urbana to join you on the journey!
CONNECTING wITH GOD
-- Sundee Frazier
True worship from a person to God requires a spiritual connection
that worship leaders can't force, control or manipulate. We have to trust
God and God's work in people. This trust requires us to get into place as
doorkeepers in the house party of God (Psalm 84:10) and, along with God,
welcome fellow worshipers in to participate. We cannot make worship
happen, but with thoughtfulness, persistence and a willingness to take risks
we can get people into the house and then help them have the courage to
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approach the host. Once there, they can thank him for the great party or
have that heart-to-heart talk they've been needing to have.
Here are some ideas for how to use thoughtfulness, persistence and risk-
taking to partner with God in transforming "singers" into "worshipers":
Calls to worship aren't just for Sunday mornings. Most churches have
some form of a "call to worship." It may be listed in the bulletin as such
and consist of a formal prayer, or it may be a more spontaneous plea--
an elder's passionate testifying to the goodness of God, for example.
Regardless, it's a worthwhile tradition because it recognizes that human
beings need to be exhorted to worship God.
Develop a call-to-worship style that works for your context. It may be
a relevant Scripture reading, an exhortation from you, or a testimony from a
chapter member. It may be a poem or a projected visual image that you ask
people to reflect on before the first song. It may be different each week.
Thoughtfully consider what will help your group transcend the distractions
MISSIONAL
of their day and entrust their lives to God.
LEADERSHIP
What do these words mean anyway? The call to worship gets people in
the front door, but now they need a path cleared so they can actually get
to the host. The lyrics we sing aid in opening this path. Help people connect
with the words and not just recite them: explain or have them talk in pairs
about how a phrase grown stale is stil relevant to their lives; read a song's
words before you start it and let their meaning sink in; pray in the midst of
a song, while the music continues, and use the lyrics in your prayer. This is
where risk-taking comes in. Be wil ing to try new things so that your fol owers
appendix
are engaging with the words and hopeful y, through that, with God.
Allow space to confess, reflect, pray and deal. Don't be the only one to
pray over the group during the music--allow group members, individually
and in small groups, to talk to God for themselves. Here's where you
need to be persistent. It takes time for most of us to open ourselves to
God. Stand firm in your desire to see your friends connect with God and
don't cut prayer times short because you're not sure if anyone is actually
communicating with God. God speaks, but we need to create time and
space for him to speak and for us to listen.
Other ways you can encourage conversation with God in the midst
of musical worship are to encourage personal confession of sin, then speak
assurance of God's forgiveness, or give the group a topic for intercession. Don't
be afraid of situations in which some might be crying as they al ow God to
deal with pain in their lives. The Spirit wants to help others in the room deal
honestly with him as wel ; pray for wisdom and encourage people in that
direction. With thoughtfulness, persistence and risk-taking, you can help your
group connect with God--and you will experience God more deeply, too.
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i d e a s
f i n d i n g t h e m
Ideas from Around the Country
m e e t i n g p e o p l e
word to the wise... It's important to get a freshman orientation calendar for
your school and, if possible, talk to the administrators who are planning freshman
orientation week so they know who you are and what activities you want to do. This is
helpful because it ensures that you won't be holding events when there is a mandatory
meeting that the freshmen have to participate in. Also, we sometimes get free publicity
for our events because many administrators want to make sure that the spiritual and
religious needs of first-year students are not only respected but also fulfil ed.
r e C e n t n e w s t u d e n t o u t r e a C h i d e a s
MISSIONAL
Do you remember what the first week of school was like for you? As new students
LEADERSHIP
arrive on your campus this fall, you will want to be ready to meet and greet them.
Here are some great ideas from InterVarsity chapters that successfully welcomed
new students to their campuses last fall.
FREE SODAS
Moving into the dorms creates a lot of thirsty people, so the InterVarsity
students at the University of Nevada-Reno handed out hundreds of sodas
and helped new students move in. They met lots of students on campus
appendix
arriving with their stuff who appreciated the extra help carrying and toting.
The chapter has been doing this for nine years, and every year there are
more students from the chapter volunteering to hand out sodas and help
newcomers move in.
wORLD'S LARGEST ICE CREAM SUNDAE
First, get 40 feet of rain gutters in a long row. Then line with aluminum
foil. Next scoop some ice cream, add assorted toppings, and dig in! The
"World's Largest Ice Cream Sundae" was an NSO hit at the University of
Wisconsin­Eau Claire. It was held at a student's home, right across the
street from campus.
wATERMELON
The new InterVarsity chapter at College of Charleston (SC) held a
"Watermelon Party" during the first weekend back on campus. They
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i d e a s
received permission from the school to have the party in a small yard
between the two largest freshmen dorms and hung up lots of posters
around campus. Fifteen watermelons were donated by a local church. They
set up a screen with a projector and played a clip of move-in scenes from
shows or movies such as Gilmore Girls, Revenge of the Nerds, Friends,
etc. Several upperclassmen were in charge of cutting up and serving
watermelon while other returning students just mingled and met freshmen.
More than 125 students showed up. Some just picked up watermelon and
left, while others stayed the whole time and met a lot of other students
in the InterVarsity community. "Many students who are now involved in
our fellowship still talk about the Watermelon Party as key to becoming
involved in the group," says staff member Amy Weber.
HANDY qUESTION
"What are you passionate about?" That was the question on the large
MISSIONAL
poster at the InterVarsity tables on several campuses, including California
State University­Northridge and San Diego City College. Students walking
LEADERSHIP
by were asked to write their passion on their hand, and then a picture was
taken and pasted on the board. The display was an attention grabber.
SEXY PIzzA
At the University of Houston, the "Sexy Pizza" event offered students free
pizza and an opportunity to participate in a 30-minute group discussion
about what the Bible has to say about sex. Last fall, more than 150
appendix
students showed up for free pizza, and about half stayed for the optional
discussion. Students were given note cards and were encouraged to write
any questions they had about sex as it relates to the Bible. The lively and
frank group discussion was led by staffer Josh Howell. It was sometimes
a challenge dealing with crude comments but, he says, "I try to keep the
tone positive and loving, while still presenting truth."
BURGER BASH
The volunteer cooks at Burger Bash 2006 were flipping burgers in 100
degree heat for the 500 Aggie freshmen accepting the chapter's offer of
free food at Texas A&M. Two large InterVarsity banners announced the
hosts--all wearing red T-shirts and warmly greeting and chatting with the
guests. As students waited in line, they walked past two poster boards
and were asked to consider where evil had invaded their worlds, and
to offer solutions to that evil. At one point Andrew Schuff, the chapter
president, called out a "Howdy," a miraculous word that makes every
Aggie immediately grow quiet. In his loudest voice, he invited everyone to a
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i d e a s
relationship with Jesus. He presented the gospel in a way that was fearless,
clear, compelling and uncompromising. Afterward, one freshman said,
"Thanks for helping us transition to college."
GREEN CHILE ICE CREAM
The chapter at the University of New Mexico sponsored a free homemade
ice cream party. Among the ten different flavors of ice cream were vanilla,
peach, toasted coconut, and green chile. There were about 100 students
who were fed, and 70 stuck around for volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, and just
hanging out.
wOMEN + CHOCOLATE, MEN + VIDEO GAMES
Let's admit it--men and women are different. So why not plan some NSO
activities to reflect this? At Purdue University (IN), the chapter planned a
MISSIONAL
women's chocolate party and a men's video tourney on the same evening.
LEADERSHIP
The guys enjoyed hanging out together while the women indulged in two
different kinds of chocolate fondue, dipping fruit, pretzels, marshmallows
and other tasty treats. They divided into small groups to play a short trivia
game on facts and history related to chocolate. Another game they played
involved forming as many words as possible using the letters in the word
"chocolate." Each of the women also received a party-favor bag with a
variety of chocolate candies. "The women who came enjoyed the party and
the chocolate," said staffer Karen Dinius, "and it was a good time to get to
appendix
know new students. We'd love to do it again." (The guys? Well, the guys
enjoyed hanging out together playing video games -- 'nuff said.)
ALL IT TAkES IS PIzzA
New Mexico Tech is a unique campus. Students are self-confessed tech
addicts and spend much of their days on the computer and studying
physics, chemistry and biology. The challenge at Tech is to get the students
out of their rooms and to a small-group or large-group meeting. Social
events on the weekends do not fare so well because many students go
home to neighboring cities. One solution the chapter tried was providing
free pizza at every large-group meeting of the fall semester. They knew that
free food was a large draw on their small campus of 1200 students where
the cafeteria food is often tiresome.
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NSO FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
You won't see Mom's tightly-packed mini-van delivering international
students to campus. Most arrive needing the basics and eager to meet
helpful Americans. Here are some examples:
· The International Student ministry at the University of Kentucky took 66
students to an international supermarket in Cincinnati.
· At Fresno State University, incoming students from around the world used
a shopping shuttle to local stores that was sponsored by the International
Student Fellowship.
· The chapter at Minnesota State University, Mankato partnered with four
other campus ministries and area churches to sponsor a furniture give-away
in a parking lot.
· Internationals students in Raleigh, NC, started lining up at 11:00 p.m. for
MISSIONAL
a chapter-sponsored yard sale which began at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.
LEADERSHIP
Over 200 students picked up much-appreciated furniture and household
items.
wEEk zERO
Students love to eat, so the InterVarsity group at the University of
California-San Diego planned a lot of food for a lot of people. They grilled
hot dogs and hamburgers for three hours straight at a free barbecue--and
fed more than 1,000 students! They also had a luau party and bonfire at
appendix
the beach for 200 students. All that hard work of welcoming new students
paid off when more than 480 students showed up for the first large-group
meeting. When an invitation to faith was given, more than fifty of those
students stood in response.
wATCH wHERE YOU'RE SITTING (OR, THANkS FOR THE TIP)
The Activities Fair at Lawrence University (WI) found InterVarsity students
seated right next to the "free thinkers" who were giving away bumper
stickers that read, "Imagine a world without religion." The chapter's first
meeting was a "kegger" with free root beer on tap (locally brewed) and ice
cream, a perennial favorite activity. (One time, when a chapter leader was
wheeling a root beer keg across campus, some concerned fraternity guys
stopped her with experienced advice. "Oh no, not like that--they'll catch
you for sure!," they warned her. "You have to put the keg in the trunk of
your car and then slip it in when no one is looking.")
The InterVarsity students borrowed the "kegger" idea from the chapter at
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the Milwaukee School of Engineering (WI) which has been doing this for
years.
Read their story at http://www.intervarsity.org/slj/ss98/ss98_cn_nso_ideas_that_
work.html.
SURVEYS: wHAT DO YOU THINk?
InterVarsity chapter members at Northeastern Illinois University took a
survey of students about their favorite TV shows and radio stations. They
also asked the students if they were interested in exploring faith, God, the
Bible, or Christian community. More than half said yes, and about one-
quarter gave their contact info. "We could have done a better job with
follow-up," said staffer Beth Hedges, "but I was surprised at the level of
interest from those who filled out the questionnaire." Download the survey
at http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/5920/ (Microsoft Word file).
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
SPEAkING OF FOLLOw-UP . . .
At a small school like Lawrence University (WI), people get involved through
personal invitation and relationships. Last fall, the small-group leaders set
ambitious goals to personally meet with everyone in their small groups,
usually over lunch. It was a real stretch for some of the less outgoing small-
group leaders, but very rewarding. Sarah was one of those student leaders
who shares her story:
"Last fall I was a small group leader for the first time and I was nervous
appendix
about reaching out to new members in the fellowship. I am not naturally
outgoing and I felt inexperienced, but I wanted to convey the love of Christ
to new members because I know that's what binds believers together.
I met with members of my small group over lunch and found that this
was a natural way to show them that I genuinely care about them and it
strengthened our relationships. I feel that it also encouraged them to keep
walking with God in the midst of a secular college environment, and our
fellowship together is an important part of the Christian life. As I stepped
out to show the love of Christ to new members, God blessed me with a
beautiful small group. Meeting with them is one of the highlights of my
week!"
This article is also online at http://www.intervarsity.org/studentsoul/item/nso-ideas.
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m o r e i d e a s . . .
IMPORTED BAGELS
Vassar College, NY --Ginny Teeter
During NSO at Vassar College, the chapter put on a Bagel Brunch, with
bagels driven in from New Jersey (they have huge bagels!). Freshmen were
invited to stop by and grab a free bagel and mingle with upperclassmen
who invited them to the weekly fellowship meetings. Many stopped by; it's
amazing what free food will do! Our students were very welcoming and
friendly and helped new students feel like they were a part of what was
going on.
When Vassar held its first large-group meeting for the semester, there were
close to 50 students there! This is an answer to prayer. Just a few years ago,
there were only three or four students who would show up on an average
fel owship night. God's hand is definitely at work on the Vassar campus!
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
wATER, ANYONE?
Skidmore College, NY --Danielle Bailey
For NSO, we printed our chapter information and put it on water bottles
that we handed out during freshman move-in day. Our campus has around
2,000 students, and we gave away around 200-300 bottles of water.
There were probably ten to twenty new students who found the Christian
community on campus via a water bottle at the start of school. The chapter
had so many new freshmen that we had to create a small-group Bible study
appendix
just for them. The group meets on Monday nights and has been studying
issues that are particularly relevant to freshmen like transition, community,
nurturing a relationship with God, and relationships with the opposite
gender. We're grateful for the freshmen who have come consistently and
have helped doubled the size of our relatively small fellowship this year.
PUMPHANDLE
Knox College, IL -- Judy Jenkins
At the beginning of the school year, our chapter eagerly joins in with a
favorite all-campus tradition: Pumphandle. On the evening before the first
day of classes, the faculty, staff and students of Knox College (all 1,200!)
gather in the yard. A line forms, starting with the president and his wife.
Everyone moves through the line and shakes hands with each person who
has gone before, then takes a place at the end of the line to greet and
shake hands with those who follow. By the time it's finished, there is a
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snaking line of people all over the campus yard. The evening finishes with
an all-campus picnic.
We have learned to maximize this famous campus tradition during NSO.
Earlier in the afternoon, all of our small-group leaders go door-to-door in
their dorms and invite people to the Bible study that will be meeting in their
living area. Since Pumphandle happens just a few hours later, it's a great
opportunity for our leaders to reconnect and talk with those whom they
met earlier in the day. And the school provides the nametags and the food!
PLANTING AT PITT (AGAIN)
University of Pittsburgh, PA-- Oliver Ferguson
After a two-year absence, InterVarsity is once again on campus at "Pitt,"
as we fondly call the University of Pittsburgh, a school of 34,000 students.
Starting a new ministry has its challenges, and my staff partner, Susan
Scudiere, and I had no idea what to expect. But we were confident that the
MISSIONAL
Lord was with us and he had a purpose for us at Pitt.
LEADERSHIP
During the summer, Susan and I went on campus to pray, asking God to
show us where he was at work. The Lord placed in us a desire to see a
diverse fellowship on campus, rooted in the study of God's word and living
in community.
At the beginning of the semester, Susan and I stormed the campus. We
were ful y armed with our brand-new InterVarsity poster and T-shirts, a few
brochures and some flyers. The first weeks of the semester, we had tables set
up at the campus activities fair, the student union, and the freshman dorm.
appendix
We targeted the freshman dorm by having a table there for the first three weeks.
We promoted a study of Jesus & the Hip-Hop Prophets by John Teeter and Alex
Gee. We had the study for the first six weeks of school in the freshman dorm
lobby, with a sign to identify us. Each week we played a hip-hop song, and
then looked at the themes of the song, along with a related Bible passage. This
didn't attract as many people as we had anticipated, but it gave us visibility and
solidified our presence with the few students we had met at our table.
We started a Bible study on Sunday nights focusing on leadership
development of our core group of eight to ten students. Last October the
students caught a vision to start Bible studies in their dorms. I don't think
there is another group on campus that does this. We began a program of
small-group leaders' training that continued throughout the year. Only two
students were able to attend, but it was really good.
At the beginning of this semester, one our students, Tammy, started a
Bible study with four of her friends who have questions about their faith
but have never been in a regular Bible study before. Other students are
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preparing to take new risks in launching a Bible study in their dorms. This is
a key element to the future of the chapter.
During spring break we're hoping a student or two will join us in the
Urban Plunge in Pittsburgh. We want students to see God's heart for the
city and become aware of the problems of racism, injustice, crime and
homelessness. These issues compel God's people to become part of God's
work in helping with solutions.
As in any planting situation, it's often hard to measure success. But we're
thankful for the students who are involved in this ground-breaking ministry,
and for the favor we received from the school administration in being
recognized again as a student organization without trouble. Though we are
smal , the community is strong and we are actively digging into God's word.
"HANDS-ON" IN THE DORMS
Trinity University, TX -- Andrew Smith
MISSIONAL
The NSO events at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, are always exciting.
LEADERSHIP
Before the freshmen move in, we go through the dorms, pray over the rooms
and put a flyer on each door. I warned the students that occasional y some
students move in early and they should be prepared to respond if someone
comes out of a dorm room while we are praying for that room.
We were all secretly hoping it wouldn't happen. It can be a little awkward
for a door to suddenly open and then find yourself trying to explain to the
residents why your hands are all over their door.
appendix
But Ben had quite the opposite reaction. As he and his partner went door
to door, Ben started hoping that someone would come out. Sure, prayer
and flyers are nice and all, he thought, but meeting someone--that would
be twice as good. So when they started winding their way down to the last
few doors, Ben started to "get serious" with his prayers.
The guy whose door suddenly opened was there early for footbal . The puzzled
look on his face did al the necessary asking. Ben could have opted out. "Hey,
we're putting up flyers," Ben said. He could have stopped there. "And we're
praying for the incoming first-years," he added. More than enough. "Is there
something we could pray about for you?" Ben asked boldly. That's what NSO
is about: taking risks to get to know new students. Ben got it right.
STAYING HYDRATED
University of Michigan­Dearborn, MI -- Ann Beyerlein
The entrepreneurial leaders at the University of Michigan­Dearborn
obtained 2000 bottles of water for only $250, partly with a donation
from Sam's Club. They marked the bottles with InterVarsity information
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and passed them out on campus the first day of school. It was a gesture
appreciated by many, especially since the school is known for its religious
milieu (mainly Muslim and Christian) and lack of activity. In addition to
funding the water bottles at the start of the year, the chapter has raised
funds and donated over $800 to Compassion International and the
International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.
BROCHURE BLITz
The College of New Jersey, NJ -- Dale Young
The fellowship at The Col ege of New Jersey did an incredible job improving
their NSO publicity last fal . They printed 1,250 brochures to be included
in the welcome packets that the col ege distributes to al freshmen during
their first week on campus. They also placed ads in the first two issues of
the school newspaper and had a bul etin posted at the chapel. The publicity
complemented the great job students did in talking to freshmen and helping
MISSIONAL
them feel welcomed to campus. It's been a great beginning for the chapter.
LEADERSHIP
POETRY NIGHT
University of Florida­Gainesville, FL -- Haley Long
The Black Collegiate Christian Fellowship (BCCF) at the University of
Florida­Gainesvil e planned a Poetry Night as part of their outreach activities.
The leadership team pul ed together to make this a top-notch event. They
rented a room in the student union and had a caterer provide coffee, tea
and a variety of desserts. Throughout the evening, students were able to
share poetry that they'd written. The chapter saw many new faces that night
appendix
and got rave reviews from everyone who attended. They are planning more
Poetry Nights during the year with a poetry club on campus.
FREEzE-POP GIVEAwAY
Illinois Institute of Technology, IL -- Jessica Suk
The InterVarsity chapter at IIT was trying to think of the best way to
welcome freshmen as they moved into the dorms on move-in day. What
better way to say "Welcome!" than by handing out freeze-pops in front
of the main entrance of the dorms! Armed with a big InterVarsity banner,
500 freeze-pops and informational fliers about InterVarsity, we handed
out freeze-pops for six hours. This simple task lent itself well to striking up
conversations with parents and students, and asking the eternal question of
the day, "Who are you guys, and why are you handing out freeze-pops?"
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o t h e r i d e a s
FREE PIzzA & POP
At Minnesota State U.­Mankato, InterVarsity welcomed students with
Ultimate Frisbee®, free root beer floats, and "Pop 4 Your Thoughts" (a free
can of pop to anyone who would fill out a survey answering the question,
"Who is Jesus?") All these events led up to a free pizza party and the
weekly large group meeting.
BAND DAY, DUNk TANk AND SOCCER
As a major outreach to the campus during NSO week, the chapter at
SUNY Geneseo (NY) sponsors "Band Day" featuring bands brought in by
the students and a dunk tank featuring favorite professors. They also have a
MISSIONAL
tradition of "IV Soccer" every Sunday afternoon, organizing a friendly game
of soccer that is open to the whole campus.
LEADERSHIP
LOLLIPOPS
To make others more aware of their presence on campus, InterVarsity
students at Goucher College (MD) handed out 500 lollipops in the dorms.
Attached to each one was a welcome note with a contact phone number
and e-mail address.
appendix
MMM. . HOME BAkED COOkIES
At Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, CA), it took all 16 students from a small
group Bible study to spread out to four of the ten towers of the Yosemite
dorms and pass out fresh, home-baked cookies. They met almost everyone
in those four towers and have seen some of the "cookie-relationships"
grow this past year. All the delicious cookies were baked by a supportive
group of community people.
MOVE IT!
Location, location, location. The first day of NSO was not going well at
Allan Hancock Community College (Santa Maria, CA). The student
lounge and cafeteria were being remodeled, so the usual spot to set up the
InterVarsity table was under construction. A move near the registration gym
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was a bust. So they finally asked the administration if they could move their
table out in front of the library where all the students pass by during class
changes. The answer was "yes," and the next few days produced more
than 90 interest cards from new students.
e a s y - i n v i t e e v e n t s
BIBLES & BANANA SPLITS
The InterVarsity chapter at Johns Hopkins University (MD) set up a
book table in front of the school bookstore to welcome the 1,000 new
students on campus. They gave out more than 200 free New Testaments
and had more than 100 students sign up to be contacted about chapter
activities. Al the freshmen that signed up were invited to dinner at a chapter
member's apartment. "They real y appreciated the chance to see an older
student's place and get a home-cooked meal," says Jeff Pearson,
InterVarsity staff.
MISSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
But the highlight of the week was the fifty-foot-long banana split at one
of the social centers on campus. New students were welcomed to campus
with fifty feet of bananas, ice cream, and chocolate syrup.
SNOw-CONES
At Vanderbilt University (TN), InterVarsity students sponsored a "Shaved
Ice Party." They minister specifically to Asian International and Asian
appendix
American students and wanted to do something different from an ice
cream social for NSO. They were looking for something cold but with
an Asian flavor. So they rented a sno-cone machine for $20 at a local
party rental store and bought bags of ice, bowls and spoons. They set up
outdoors near the freshmen residence halls. Returning InterVarsity students
brought all the goodies to go with the shaved ice: sweet red beans,
coconut gelatin, canned jackfruit, canned lychee, sweetened condensed
milk, flavored syrups, and other Asian treats for ice desserts. Tracy Price,
InterVarsity staff, says, "It was quite a hit, especially because this is a rare
treat in our city."
FOOD ALwAYS HELPS
The International Student Fellowship (ISF) at California State University­
Fresno plans a World Welcome Party every year for incoming foreign students
in the fal . A number of churches and individuals are asked to prepare and serve
a delicious, plentiful meal to the 125 international students who come. The
evening includes games and fun, and is wel known for hosting an American
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square dance with a Christian square-dance band and an entertaining cal er.
After the World Welcome Party, many students come to the weekly fel owship
meetings. Quite a few have a sincere interest in studying the Bible and in
being with people who are fol owing Jesus. "We openly identify ourselves as
a Christian community," says Ann Fehr, InterVarsity staff. "We welcome those
who don't know Jesus or have never read the Bible to come and check it out."
Some students have even admitted that the World Welcome Party helped correct
their view of Christians. It is also a great way to involve the church community
and al ow students to see what Christian community looks like. "We continue to
seek ways to involve students in serving Jesus by welcoming the new students
in meaningful ways," Ann concludes.
CHANGING COLORS
University of California Santa Cruz -- Jody Chang
MISSIONAL
The chapter at UC Santa Cruz (CA) has changed its leadership structure
LEADERSHIP
to reach out to students of color on campus. They formed a "Kairos Team"
that focuses on making the weekly large-group meetings more accessible
to students of different ethnicities through worship, skits, food, testimonies
and hospitality. The NSO events last fall were planned with this new vision
in mind. The InterVarsity tables spread throughout the campus welcomed
students of color through the music they played and the snacks they had on
the tables. The chapter also hosted an event for incoming African American
students called "A Chance to Exhale." Twenty-five students came, which is
35 percent of the black students in the freshman class! They enjoyed soul
appendix
food and heard a presentation about opportunities for spiritual growth in
college. The Kairos Team's efforts have produced fruit as more students of
color have gotten involved in the chapter.
ROAD RALLY
Oakland University -- Lois Miller
At Oakland University in Michigan we have fun with a Road Rally. We
divide into four teams of seven to eight students and give each team a
video camera. They get a list of events to get on tape. There is a section of
acted events and one of just viewed events. Some of the acted events to film:
· Sing a song to an employee at a fast-food drive-through window.
· Perform a ballet recital in a restaurant.
· Crawl into a hair salon on your hands and knees.
· Blow a bubble with gum.
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· Choreograph a cheerleading bit.
· Hold a sock-puppet conversation with a stranger.
· Swim across a lake on campus.
The viewed events to film included such things as a bowler making a
strike and a policeman eating a donut.
There were different point totals for each, with extra points being
awarded if you could get a stranger to do something with you. There
was a time limit, and when each team got back we all watched the
videos together.
What makes this a good NSO event is that you get to know people
in your taping group, you have a task to do together which brings up
conversation so you don't have to try to make smal talk for hours, and you
get to come together at the end as a larger group and laugh together as you
watch the videos. It is also non-threatening to someone who may not be a
MISSIONAL
Christian, so people may feel more comfortable inviting their friends to it.
LEADERSHIP
SNOwBALL FIGHT
Illinois Institute of Technology -- Jessica Suk
"Snowballs in August?" That's how we advertised this NSO event at
Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL). Hot, sticky students wondered
what we were up to. They were invited to meet in the quad to find out.
The "snowballs" were actually pantyhose filled with flour that make
an excellent white, powdery mess when thrown at another person. We
appendix
lugged 100 snowballs to the field and the battle began. After 30 minutes
of flinging flour, the students were white and dirty from head to toe. We
then had cans of pop to pass out to the thirsty warriors and encouraged
everyone to stick around and rest for a few minutes. A student casually
introduced InterVarsity and invited anyone interested to our next event, and
other conversations popped up as students recuperated and brushed off
flour.
"CALLING ALL PYROMANIACS AND APPLE LOVERS . . ."
Coe College (IA) --Jon Doane
This was the subject line of the campus-wide e-mail that our chapter
sent out to advertise our bonfire at a local private orchard last September.
Our school is small, with only 1,300 students. We have a supportive
administration, so our chapter's e-mail announcement was a good way to
communicate to every student. The turnout was very encouraging, and a
number of students were interested in getting involved with IV. We had
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a great time picking apples for ourselves and for a local food pantry. We
played some football before cooking hot dogs and s'mores over the world's
largest bonfire (well, it was close). This was one of several events we've
hosted in order to build community and provide a way for new folks to get
to know us better at Coe.
FIRED UP
University of California ­San Diego -- Jeff Pearson
When 3,800 freshmen showed up at UC­San Diego last September, our
chapter was ready and excited to greet them. A group of student leaders
realized that the first night in the dorms is a very critical time. Freshmen are
eager to get out and make friends. So InterVarsity students planned a last-
minute bonfire down at the beach and began inviting all the freshmen they
had met while helping with move-in. We wanted to provide an alternative
to the typical parties in the dorms that center around alcohol. Some student
MISSIONAL
leaders spent most of the night driving back and forth from campus to the
LEADERSHIP
beach to get freshmen there. More than 100 students showed up to the
bonfire, most of them not yet Christians.
A few days later we threw a free barbecue for new students in the center
of campus. With three grills working constantly for more than three hours,
we managed to feed over 600 students. It was a great week of inviting new
students to the abundance of God's party. All of the hard work paid off
when 375 students showed up for our first large-group meeting later that
week. We had a wonderful night of worship and calling students to pursue
appendix
God in the context of community.
TRY A BIBLE STUDY
Rochester Institute of Technology -- Beth Cruz
It's Thursday evening during NSO week at RIT (Rochester Institute of
Technology). A group of ten faithful students gathers in a circle and prays
as they prepare to visit students and invite them to something we've
never done during NSO: a Bible study. We have stiff competition on
campus tonight! A "root-beer kegger" is being held by another group,
and the school is sponsoring the ever-popular Vegas Night. In addition,
RIT's orientation schedule has had the freshmen running from early in the
morning until late at night all week. To be honest, we expect maybe 15
people will show up. Nevertheless, we hope and prepare for more. Seven
small group leaders are ready to lead studies if they are needed.
An hour later, we're in the conference room in Nathaniel Rochester Hall
and the place is packed out! There are seven small groups of at least ten
people each that have formed and the room is buzzing as students discuss
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1 John 5. In my small group I meet Austin, a charismatic photo major who
takes off a knit cap to reveal his long braids, and Jess, a transfer student
from Kentucky who is looking forward to being involved in an active
fellowship. In all, about 50 freshmen have come to our Bible study, and all
of a sudden we realize we're in need of more small groups! Praise God for
blowing away our expectations!
kICkBALL AND kRISPY kREMES®
University of California­Berkeley -- Nikki Toyama
The kickball bumped unsteadily on the pavement of Underhill parking
lot on the campus of UC­Berkeley. Two teams of 35 students on each side
were running and yelling at each other, "Back up in the outfield!" Even
though it was 10 p.m., people began to gather under the lights of the
large parking lot to watch the kickers, runners and catchers. "What dorm
is this?" one of the observers asked. It gave us a great opportunity to talk
MISSIONAL
about God and the fellowship. We invited folks to come play; many did.
LEADERSHIP
In addition to a friendly game of kickball, we greeted students by
distributing more than 2,000 fliers, blitzed the dorm with Krispy Kreme®
donuts, and invited people to our barbeque ("Free steaks!"). We looked for
opportunities to be friendly and welcoming, even offering rides to Target.
The InterVarsity students were excited as we met nightly to share stories
and pray. People told stories of the risks they took, and how God had
worked before they even took the first step.
appendix
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