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C H A P T E R B U I L D I N G M A N U A L
VERSION 1.0
W E L C O M E T O T H E C H A P T E R B U I L D I N G M A N U A L
Dear Chapter Builders,
In fall 2002, more than 40 senior leaders met to determine our Fellowship's
key strategic objectives. Chapter building emerged quickly as a consensus goal.
Hence it is with great joy that I commend our new Chapter Building Manual.
InterVarsity's purpose is to establish and advance witnessing communities on
campus. Chapter building is clearly captured in the verb
advance. Building
chapters is not something optional but is an activity in which all our campus
staff should be engaged--it is central to our calling of evangelism.
You are my heroes. When chapters grow (from 20 to 40, from 50 to 80, or
from 150 to 250), more lives are being transformed, more campuses are
being renewed, and more world-changers are being developed.
As a mission arm of the church, InterVarsity exists to reach American college
students and faculty with the gospel. Recent studies indicate that during
the next two decades this nation's culture will stand at a crucial crossroad.
Without intentional intervention, the United States will become increasingly
secular. And that would be a tragedy.
I can think of no better investment of energy and resources than in chapter
building. May the Lord bless, inspire, and encourage your efforts. And may
he be glorified in the process.
Special thanks to Val Gordon, Jay Anderson, Jim Marshall and Jeff Yourison
for their efforts in developing the Chapter Building Manual. It represents
a watershed moment in our Fellowship's history. My thanks, too, to Jimmy
Long and Dan Denk for their service in leading the Chapter Building
Steering Committee.
In His care,
Alec Hill, National President,
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
H O W T O U S E T H E C H A P T E R B U I L D I N G M A N U A L
Welcome to the InterVarsity
Chapter Building Manual. Our hope is that this will
be a useful tool as you think about how to grow your InterVarsity chapter.
Consider these words of Jesus:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it
did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." Matthew 7: 2425
Jesus uses the analogy of building a house to describe what it means to
follow him. He encourages us to build on rock--to build our lives on him
and his words. Chapter building has parallels to building a house. They
both require a blueprint and a solid foundation on which to build. We as
believers are to build our foundations on the words of Jesus. While not
exactly a blueprint, this manual is fi lled with articles, resources and tools,
shaped by both biblical principles and years of InterVarsity staff experience.
It is an attempt to help you put Jesus' words into practice and build your
"houses" or chapters on a strong foundation.
Building a house and building a chapter require a basic, step-by-step
process. As much as we may look forward to the best parts of a house
being built--the rooms we have been looking forward to the most--those
rooms are not typically the place to start building. The same is true
in chapter building. It may be tempting to jump to the triangle in the
Chapter Building Pyramid that you need the most help with, but you
would be better served to
start reading and working on the Analysis
section (2.01). The three tools offered in the Analysis section will help
you understand your campus (Campus analysis, page 2.03), interpret
your AFR data (AFR analysis for dummies, page 2.06) and help you ask
the right questions related to the elements of chapter building (Chapter
builder's assessment tool, page 2.10). These three tools are designed to
help highlight your chapter's strengths and offer suggestions about how
to capitalize on those strengths, as well as bring to light your chapter's
weaknesses and help you know how to begin addressing them. These
three tools are not the foundation, but rather the prep work before the
foundation is built, to ensure that we have all the facts about the property
we are on building on.
The next section to read and work through is the Vision section (3.01).
There are many reasons chapters don't grow, but one key factor that is
fairly easy to spot and change is a fellowship's lack of vision or having a
vision that is not focused on growth. The Vision section will ensure that
your chapter has a vision for the campus--not just a vision for the group
itself. Your vision for the campus helps build a solid foundation.
These two sections will then help you know where to go next. In the
Vision section is a case study (3.05) that explains how to use a planning cycle
that fl ows from a chapter's vision. As you think about which triangle you
need to work on in order to see increased growth on your campus, you could
refer to this case study. It is a useful tool for discerning new goals in prayer,
leadership, small groups, large groups, NSO and strategic evangelism as well.
You could work through each of the other sections in the manual according
to your goals for any given semester or year. Just as seeing the walls and
rooms being built in a house is the exciting part of the building process,
watching the results of a good planning process is the fun stuff in chapter
building. Once you know where to go and have a good sense of what needs
to be different you can begin working towards change.
Some of us have been building a chapter on the same campus for many
years and may be disappointed with the results we have seen so far. You
may feel you have been chapter building according to the Chapter Building
Pyramid, but to no avail. The basic things are in place but may not be
working quite the way they are supposed to. Allow this manual to offer
some help in re-wiring the house you have been building. This resource
could help you discern which fuses have burned out or what walls need to
be torn down and rebuilt so that you can update the wiring.
Ultimately Jesus wants us to put his words into practice so that as his
followers we would live lives that would bring him the most glory. This is
true for chapter building as well. May God grant us his grace as we build
chapters that refl ect Jesus in all his glory and become conduits of grace for
the rest of the campus.
--Val Gordon, for the Chapter Building Steering Committee
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 Introduction
1.02 How do chapters grow?
1.06 Growth is good
1.08 Chapter building game (introduction & summary)
1.10 Preparing for growth: 2 Kings 4:1-7
02 Analysis
2.02 Analysis: introduction
2.03 Campus analysis
2.06 AFR analysis for dummies
2.10 Chapter builder's assessment tool
03 God-directed vision for the campus and fellowship growth
3.02 How to get from vision to goals to plans
3.04 The Planning Cycle Diagram
3.05 Case example: using the planning cycle
3.08 How to lead students into a chapter building vision
3.15 Making vision stick
3.18 Casting vision: be prepared
04 Leadership development and training toward the vision
4.02 Leadership development and training
toward the vision: an introduction
4.03 Leadership selection: recognizing and awakening
missional Christians
4.08 Leadership selection: forming a good team
4.10 Developing leaders: how to develop leaders for the mission
4.14 Developing leaders:
situational leadership pipeline
4.17 Developing leaders emotionally and spiritually
4.19 Leadership structure: build for expansion
4.22 Resources:
Sketches of Leadership
05 Worship and concerted prayer toward the vision
5.02 Worship and concerted prayer toward the vision:
an introduction
5.03 Missional (visional) prayer: what is it?
5.05 Tuning up a boring prayer meeting
5.08 Planning the prayer gathering
5.10 Common mistakes in leading corporate prayer
5.13 Resources for planning prayer
06 Missional small groups
6.02 Missional small groups
6.06 Stages of development for missional small groups
6.08 Identifying and developing leaders in a small group
6.10 Missional small group evaluation tool
6.12 Small group leaders game (version 4)
07 Quality Large Group
7.02 Large group meetings: purpose and function
7.03 Crafting a large group meeting
7.05 Size does matter: contextualizing your large group
to the number of people in the room
7.07 Worship at large group meetings
7.09 Large group diagnostic tool
7.12 Leading a great large group meeting
08 Attractive New Student Outreach
8.02 Why new student outreach (nso)?
8.05 NSO pyramid
8.10 NSO event planning guide
8.11 New student outreach calendar
8.13 Follow-up suggestions
8.14 NSO attitude
09 Strategic Evangelism
9.02 Strategic evangelism: introduction
9.03 Fellowship evangelism assessment tool
9.05 Developing a comprehensive evangelism plan
9.06 Suggestions for using the conversion continuum chart
9.10 Conversion continuum chart
9.12 Calling students to follow Jesus as Savior & Lord
9.18 Evangelism resources (9.23--Last Page)
Graphic design and production: 2100 productions, with special thanks to Grete Bauder
Editor: Jeff Yourison, Campus Web Ministries, jyourison@intervarsity.org
This manual is available online at: http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/7145
© 2008 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
InterVarsity staff employees are granted permission to print and distribute copies of this manual for use with
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/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 profi t.
0 1 I N T R O D U C T I O N
INTRODUCTION
ANALYSIS
VISION
Strategic
Evangelism
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
Attractive
NSO
WORSHIP &
Missional
Quality
PRAYER
Small Groups
Large Group
SMALL GROUPS
God-Directed Vision for the
Campus & Fellowship
LARGE GROUP
Growth
NSO
Worship & Concerted
Leadership Development
Prayer toward the Vision
& Training toward the Vision
EVANGELISM
1.01
H O W D O C H A P T E R S G R O W ?
R i c h L a m b a n d C a m A n d e r s o n
INTRODUCTION
The Chapter Building Task Force met in October 2004 and in January
2005 to understand and describe the essential components of growing
ANALYSIS
InterVarsity fellowships. Each of the participants had seen substantial
growth in their campus fellowships and was recognized in their regions as a
VISION
chapter builder. We focused on chapters that began at the median chapter
size and experienced rapid growth. We began with open-ended discussions
of the most significant factors contributing to chapter growth and found
LEADERSHIP
much agreement and common emphasis.
DEVELOPMENT
Our goal of growing the work is built on four foundational perspectives,
each partly an answer to an objection to our focus on numerical growth:
WORSHIP &
PRAYER
·
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
SMALL GROUPS
work, and doing this as effectively as possible.
·
Context: We share a commitment to take each campus context seriously.
LARGE GROUP
This is not a one-size-fits-all blueprint for how InterVarsity ministry should
be undertaken, and the principles stressed here will need to be pursued
in different ways for different kinds of campus settings and populations.
NSO
·
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
EVANGELISM
develops deeper disciples than one that is stagnant at 25.
·
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.
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
fellowships. 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 only be likely to be visible to the leadership team
or an especially attentive fellowship observer. (See the diagram at the end
of this summary.)
1.02
Fundamental Disciplines
·
God-Directed Vision for the Campus and Fellowship Growth:
For a fellowship to grow, someone must have a specific vision for growth
INTRODUCTION
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
ANALYSIS
picture of God (directed toward God). The vision's source and destination
is God himself. A staff or someone must have a specific vision of what
the fellowship would look like when it has grown in size and depth. This
VISION
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
LEADERSHIP
assessment of the demographic opportunities and challenges of the
DEVELOPMENT
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
WORSHIP &
vision, though initially that of an individual or small cadre of leaders, must
PRAYER
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
SMALL GROUPS
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
LARGE GROUP
or the ministry assignments of students, but they are the means by which
the vision is accomplished.
NSO
·
Worship and Concerted Prayer toward the Vision:
This has long been viewed as the fundamental backbone of a growing
EVANGELISM
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 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
1.03
the leadership team to grow. As well, the number and types of leadership
roles will expand over time to contribute toward the accomplishment of
the vision. Beyond small group leaders, the worship team and the exec
INTRODUCTION
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
ANALYSIS
focusing there) bring more students into the ministry in meaningful and
developmental ways. Each task role needs to be served and given direction
VISION
and partnership, but leadership training can focus on the influence role,
the values and vision of which are common to everyone serving on the
LEADERSHIP
leadership team. Growing fellowships have a deep commitment to ongoing
on-campus training, even though they often also have a consistently high
DEVELOPMENT
involvement in chapter camps and other kinds of off-campus and periodic
training opportunities as well. If cross-cultural mission is integrated into
WORSHIP &
the ministry strategy of the fellowship, then urban and global missions
PRAYER
project and team participation serve to deepen the leadership experience of
students and develop the fellowship toward the mission.
SMALL GROUPS
Concrete Activities
LARGE GROUP
·
Missional Small Groups: We highlighted two things: 1) this ministry
focuses student leaders around the pastoral needs of the fellowship; and 2)
NSO
it involves target audiences, populations on the campus with whom leaders
take initiative and for whom they pray (dorms, Greeks, I-students, ethnic
groups, athletes, other identifiable groups). This is specifically in contrast to
EVANGELISM
groups organized around "all people who signed up at large group for the
Monday night small group."
·
Quality Large Group: The emphasis here was 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.
·
Strategic Evangelism: 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 bringing in seekers who
are genuinely curious as well as Christians who are interested in evangelism.
1.04
·
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
INTRODUCTION
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
ANALYSIS
small but growing fellowship to look bigger and more developed than it in
fact is. NSO is completed when new members are fully incorporated into
VISION
the mission and vision of the fellowship, completing the cycle.
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
WORSHIP &
PRAYER
Strategic
Evangelism
SMALL GROUPS
Attractive
LARGE GROUP
NSO
Missional
Quality
NSO
Small Groups
Large Group
EVANGELISM
God-Directed Vision for the
Campus & Fellowship
Growth
Worship & Concerted
Leadership Development
Prayer toward the Vision
& Training toward the Vision
Fundamental Components of Growing Chapters
(
Revised Summary, June 2006, edited March 2008)
1.05
G R O W T H I S G O O D !
A n a p o l o g e t i c f o r b u i l d i n g b i g g e r c h a p t e r s
INTRODUCTION
J a y A n d e r s o n
ANALYSIS
In any discussion about chapter building--with staff or with students and
faculty--inevitably, a concern is raised about putting so much time and
energy into talking about growth. To many, it seems unspiritual to have a
VISION
focus on growing our ministry. And, to be fair, there are some legitimate
reasons for concern. This article addresses some of those concerns, and
LEADERSHIP
lays out several reasons why talking about and planning for growth is both
DEVELOPMENT
biblically and spiritually sound.
If we were to pose the question, "Is bigger better when it comes to
WORSHIP &
ministry?" we would no doubt get a variety of answers, depending on
PRAYER
the temperaments and experiences of the individuals asked. Some people
might take issue with the whole idea of trying to build something big,
SMALL GROUPS
saying, "After all, Jesus didn't build a big ministry. He only had twelve
disciples!" Some might say, "One of the reasons I joined InterVarsity was
because it was smaller." This is a very real and valid concern. A large
LARGE GROUP
chapter means that no one person can know everyone. There is a loss of
that sense of intimacy that a smaller chapter of 20 to 25 can have.
NSO
Others would point to the story of King David's census in 1 Chronicles
21:1-18 as proof that a focus on numbers and counting is not only
EVANGELISM
unspiritual, but also sinful. While it is clear that David sinned by counting
the armies, it is not made clear in the text what was sinful about his act.
It could be that his only sin was failing to take up the offering that was to
accompany any census, as prescribed in Exodus 30:12. More likely, David's
sin was a prideful dependence on the size and strength of his army, instead
of relying on God for his military victories.
In the Scriptures, positive examples of counting and numbering are much
more numerous than negative ones. Moses takes not one, but two censuses
in the book of Numbers. Gideon is told to count the number of his men so
that God can reduce the size of his army! Nehemiah makes extensive lists
of those who worked on the wall project. Ezra not only lists and counts the
people who returned to Jerusalem, but also the horses, mules, camels and
donkeys. The disciples count many things, including the number of people
miraculously fed, the number of pigs on a hillside, and even the number of
fish caught in John 21, after Jesus' resurrection. So, it seems that when the
attitude is one of prideful self-reliance, a focus on counting and numbers
could be bad. But when the reason for counting is to lead God's people more
effectively or to manage his resources more wisely, or to record the extent of
a miracle so that God may receive the glory, counting seems to be not only
tolerated, but commanded (Mark 9:19-20).
1.06
Perhaps most relevant to the discussion, there are several instances in the
book of Acts where the phenomenal growth of the early church is recorded.
Throughout the entire Acts narrative, numerical growth seems to be viewed
INTRODUCTION
very favorably, as a tangible demonstration of the expansion of the kingdom.
Many of the parables about the kingdom similarly show an expectation of
growth, either in size or extent or number. Growth is a characteristic of all
ANALYSIS
healthy living organisms. If our chapters are healthy and vibrant, they should
be growing. Conversely, then, if our chapters are not growing, it suggests
VISION
that something is amiss. Regularly and accurately counting some reliable
benchmarks of chapter size and strength can go a long way towards helping
LEADERSHIP
us assess the relative health and vitality of a given InterVarsity chapter.
DEVELOPMENT
Now, numbers don't tell you everything, but they do tell you something. For
instance, impact and influence of a group on campus is often proportional
WORSHIP &
to its overall size. A chapter of 150 on a campus of 1100 students is much
PRAYER
more likely to be making an impact than a group of 20 on a campus of
25,000. That is not to say that a smaller chapter can't make an impact,
SMALL GROUPS
or can't reach people for the gospel. But, if we are to take seriously our
mandate to reach the entire campus with the gospel, we probably will need
to "raise up more laborers for the harvest," especially at larger schools.
LARGE GROUP
That seems to be the most compelling argument for growth. Sure, there are
a lot of practical reasons to want our chapters to grow--there is something
NSO
exciting about being a part of a growing fellowship, momentum begets
momentum, anonymity is easier in a larger group so it is easier for people
EVANGELISM
who aren't Christians to investigate the faith, etc., etc. But our primary reason
for wanting our chapters to grow is so that we can maximize the impact of
the gospel--to extend the kingdom of God on campus and beyond. Let's
face it, to fully accomplish all the objectives of our Purpose Statement , it
is necessary to have a chapter with a fairly sizable critical mass. Where we
have a large and vibrant chapter, we can have a much greater evangelistic
impact. Even on campuses where we have big chapters, there are still literally
thousands and thousands of lost, unreached students and faculty. And, as
has already been mentioned, larger chapters allow for greater influence on
campus issues, culture, policies, etc. Finally, larger chapters also provide more
opportunities for leadership, service, and personal growth. Part of our vision
is to develop world-changers, to expand the number of Christian students
and faculty exposed to our ethos and values and prepared for a lifetime of
witness and service in the Kingdom. We can't hope to shape, influence, teach
and disciple students who are not in our chapters.
For the sake of the lost on campus, the advancement of the gospel and
the expansion of the kingdom, it is our solemn duty to do everything
within our power to grow the InterVarsity chapters under our care.
Growth is good, and glorifies God!
1.07
C H A P T E R B U I L D I N G G A M E
The chapter building game is a great game to play with staff teams to
INTRODUCTION
help staff hone their thinking about their staffwork as it relates to chapter
building. It is fun and engaging, yet it also teaches and reinforces some
very valuable chapter-building principles. Great for area, divisional or
ANALYSIS
regional team meetings, or for training new staff. This document is an
introduction and summary of the game. A link follows for downloading
VISION
and printing the camp sheets and cards.
Game summary:
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
1. Assume your chapter size is 40 students and one campus staff member.
2. Each team or individual represents a campus staff member.
WORSHIP &
3. Each staff member works 48 hours in a work week.
PRAYER
4. Each staff member must decide how to allocate those 48 hours and
periodically will have to reallocate hours.
SMALL GROUPS
5. Strategic staff time investment will result in more students getting
involved in the chapter and growth in the overall size of the chapter.
LARGE GROUP
Poor choices will be costly.
6. The winner is the staff member with the largest chapter after three years.
NSO
Setting up the game:
1. Print tally sheets and game cards. (Print the game cards on double sided
EVANGELISM
paper, ideally card stock or heavier paper.)
2. Cut up game cards and give one set of cards to each team or individual
playing separately.
3. Spread out the cards with the blue text face up. Instruct each team
not to turn the cards over or read the text on the opposite face of the
card. Indicate that the months on the cards only indicate the order in
which the cards will be turned over, and do not indicate that the time
investment only happens during those months.
4. Give each player/team one die. (Or, a deck of cards can be used instead:
use the sets of the Ace through six cards from each suit and shuffle after
each card is picked.)
5. Give each player/team tally sheet
Playing the game:
Can play as individual players. For more learning and fun,
teams of three or four are recommended.
1.08
Part 1: 20 minutes:
· Each team distributes hours (with poker chips or on paper) amongst the
various activities. Begin with the September fund development card--
INTRODUCTION
an initial roll of the die will determine your initial fund development
level, which will determine how many hours must be allocated to
FD (according to the policy). After that roll of the die, allocate your
ANALYSIS
remaining hours.
· The tally sheet serves as the place to record distribution. If the game
VISION
play doesn't involve poker chips, each team must ensure that their
hour tally is exactly 48.
LEADERSHIP
Part 2: 20 minutes (or longer if desired):
DEVELOPMENT
· Follow the order of the tally sheet to turn over each card and follow
instructions (many will require a roll of the die to determine the return).
WORSHIP &
If several teams are playing, this can be done at the same time so
PRAYER
everyone sees every other team's decisions and outcomes.
· When a time reallocation is needed, the player or team must reallocate
SMALL GROUPS
time from or to activities that haven't been evaluated yet, that are later in
the year than the month of the current card being played.
So for example, if an October card requires four more hours of fund
LARGE GROUP
development, that time will need to come from cards labeled November
through May. You cannot take hours from months already passed.
NSO
· Record one year and three year payoffs on the tally sheet.
(If there is a three year pay off it will clearly say so on the card, otherwise
the return on investment is in the next year)
EVANGELISM
· Game ends when time is up or when the school year is up
and results are tabulated.
· Compare final scores and announce the winning team.
Part 3: Debrief afterwards:
1. How did you feel?
2. What chapter growth principles emerged?
3. How was this true to Staff life?
4. What was unrealistic about the simulation?
5. What did you learn?
Downloading the Game:
Chapter Building Game (instructions): http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/5018/
Chapter Building Game (game cards): http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/5017/
Contact Andrea Thomas if you find problems with the game. This game has
been modified by Rich Lamb, Jay Anderson and the Chapter Building Task Force.
1.09
P R E P A R I N G F O R G R O W T H
S k e t c h e s o f L e a d e r s h i p # 2 6
INTRODUCTION
2 Kings 4:1-7
ANALYSIS
Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets cried to Elisha,
"Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared
VISION
the LORD, but a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves." 2
Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in
LEADERSHIP
the house?" She answered, "Your servant has nothing in the house, except
DEVELOPMENT
a jar of oil." 3 He said, "Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors,
empty vessels and not just a few. 4 Then go in, and shut the door behind
WORSHIP &
you and your children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each
PRAYER
is full, set it aside." 5 So she left him and shut the door behind her and her
children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. 6 When
SMALL GROUPS
the vessels were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." But he
said to her, "There are no more." Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came
LARGE GROUP
and told the man of God, and he said, "Go sell the oil and pay your debts,
and you and your children can live on the rest."
NSO
SMART Goals for growth:
What principles can we learn from this
EVANGELISM
· Specific
passage regarding preparing for growth?
· Measurable
1. The woman came to Elisha in a state of
· Attainable
desperation. Do we have a sense of godly
dissatisfaction with the meager results we
· Relevant
have been seeing in our ministry?
· Time-bound
2. Elisha works with what the widow
already had in her house. What can we
have faith to believe God can work with
to bring growth in our midst?
3. The pursuit of the goal involved the
whole community.
4. We cannot make growth happen, but we
can make space for God to bring growth.
1.10
We want to see our fellowships grow. Of course, we cannot make growth
happen; what we can do, though, is create space for growth to happen.
Like the widow who collected the jars and trusted God to fill them, we can
INTRODUCTION
make room for growth in our fellowships and trust God to bring that growth.
Following are some steps to take in order to put out jars for God to fill.
ANALYSIS
Survey the landscape of your fellowship:
· What are the first impressions small group, large group, and your other
VISION
fellowship activities make on newcomers?
· What are some things that probably couldn't work the same way if
your fellowship were one size larger? These could be simple cosmetics,
LEADERSHIP
room sizes, etc. They could be leadership structures, or patterns of
DEVELOPMENT
communication. They could be community values.
· How could you change these things to make room for growth? How
WORSHIP &
long would it take to make the transition?
PRAYER
What vision-casting would it take?
· Commit to making the change in order for growth to happen,
SMALL GROUPS
not when growth happens.
Strategize about welcoming new people:
LARGE GROUP
· Who do you want to be welcoming?
· Where do you want to greet new people? What do you have to do to
NSO
make it welcoming to many new people?
· Where do you want to keep new people?
What has to change for that to happen?
EVANGELISM
· What new partners do you need in order for these things to happen?
Assess the risks:
What would the costs of these changes be?
· The time it would take
· The things people would miss
· The people who would be alienated
· The other things that would not be done
In your opinion, are the changes worth the price? If not, how can the costs
be minimized or redistributed?
Keep working until you come up with a growth plan
that is workable and desirable.
Dedicate your plans for growth to God.
1.11
0 2 A N A L Y S I S
INTRODUCTION
ANALYSIS
VISION
Strategic
Evangelism
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
Attractive
NSO
WORSHIP &
Missional
Quality
PRAYER
Small Groups
Large Group
SMALL GROUPS
God-Directed Vision for the
Campus & Fellowship
LARGE GROUP
Growth
NSO
Worship & Concerted
Leadership Development
Prayer toward the Vision
& Training toward the Vision
EVANGELISM
2.01
A N A L Y S I S : I N T R O D U C T I O N
Va l G o r d o n
INTRODUCTION
Analysis is critical in chapter building because it helps us answer the
question, "Where we are now?" Often in our attempt to get a direction for
ANALYSIS
the fellowship for the next year, we skip ahead too quickly. We try to come
up with a vision for growth or change before we understand where the
VISION
campus and fellowship are at currently.
In this section we are proposing three tools for analysis:
LEADERSHIP
1. Campus analysis
DEVELOPMENT
2. AFR analysis
WORSHIP &
3. Chapter analysis
PRAYER
The campus analysis helps you understand your campus from a broader
lens. It may highlight whole populations of students and faculty that
SMALL GROUPS
your fellowship overlooks. It may help you understand the key questions
or issues that students wrestle with. It may give you a sense of natural
LARGE GROUP
opportunities for ministry that you might have missed. It may also highlight
the key threats to seeing your ministry thrive and help you come up with a
plan to turn these threats into opportunities.
NSO
The AFR (Annual Field Report) analysis will help you better use the data you are
collecting each year about your fellowship. The AFR data can highlight where
EVANGELISM
the fellowship is strong and where it may be weak. This can also help determine
where you want to go in regards to vision and goals for the next year.
The chapter analysis helps you look at your chapter through the lens of
the chapter building pyramid. It will highlight the key questions you need
to answer with students to understand how the fellowship functions day
to day. In which of the pyramid's triangles are your fellowship's current
strengths and weaknesses? Which triangles represent priorities for you?
Ultimately we want to answer these questions that will help grow our chapters:
· Where are we going?
· How are we going to get there?
· Who will help us get there?
These are good questions to answer, but let's start with where we are now.
The answer to this question will pave the way for us to answer the key
growth questions that follow.
2.02
C A M P U S A N A L Y S I S
J i m m y L o n g
INTRODUCTION
Name of School __________________________
ANALYSIS
1.
Overview
VISION
_____# of undergraduate students
_____# of graduate students
LEADERSHIP
_____# of commuters
DEVELOPMENT
____day
students
WORSHIP &
____evening
students
PRAYER
_____# of part-time students
SMALL GROUPS
_____# of international students
_____# of African American students
LARGE GROUP
_____# of Asian American students
_____# of Latino students
NSO
_____# of students in sororities
EVANGELISM
_____# of students in fraternities
2.
Life on Campus
_____# of students living in apartments
_____# of students living in dorms
_____# of students living at home
_____# of students living in Greek houses
2.03
3.
General Questions
a. What adjectives would students use to describe this school?
INTRODUCTION
ANALYSIS
b. What are the top three major issues at the school?
VISION
LEADERSHIP
c. What are the top three major student organizations or groups that
DEVELOPMENT
influence this school?
WORSHIP &
PRAYER
SMALL GROUPS
d. What attitude(s) does the campus have toward the various ethnic
groupings? International students? Greek students?
LARGE GROUP
NSO
e. What is the campus' attitude toward religious groups in general?
EVANGELISM
i. Toward Christian groups in particular?
f. What are the major religious groups on campus? What are their size,
objectives and effectiveness?
g. What are the campus's and other religious groups' attitudes toward
InterVarsity?
2.04
4.
InterVarsity-Specific Questions
a. What ideas/persons/groups influence the attitudes/actions of
InterVarsity students?
INTRODUCTION
ANALYSIS
b. On a map, locate where InterVarsity students live. What do you
VISION
observe about the location where InterVarsity students live in
comparison with other students?
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
WORSHIP &
c. _____# of students in InterVarsity?
PRAYER
_____# of students in core?
SMALL GROUPS
_____# of students in periphery?
LARGE GROUP
d. _____# of students by class?
_____# of freshmen
NSO
_____# of sophomores
_____# of juniors
EVANGELISM
_____# of seniors
_____# of graduate students
e. _____# of students who became Christians in college?
f. _____# of students who only attend small groups?
g. _____# of students who only attend large groups?
h. _____# of students who attend both?
i. What are the InterVarsity students' attitudes toward the campus in
general and to the purpose or role of InterVarsity on the campus?
2.05
A F R A N A L Y S I S F O R D U M M I E S
J a y A n d e r s o n
INTRODUCTION
What is your honest reaction when you hear the acronym AFR? For some,
it merely adds to an already confusing array of InterVarsity acronyms. AFR
stands for "Annual Field Report," a yearly numerical assessment of the
ANALYSIS
relative size and health of an InterVarsity chapter. This article looks at ways
to use AFR data to gain insights for chapter analysis and growth.
VISION
For some staff, the AFR is another annoying administrative task that your
supervisor gets on your case about for not turning in on time. For others,
LEADERSHIP
the mere mention of the AFR induces fear and guilt, or even self-loathing. It
DEVELOPMENT
is a painful reminder of a whole year--or perhaps several years--of ministry
struggle and failure. For still others, it feels like an appraisal of their value as
WORSHIP &
a staffworker.
PRAYER
You can dismiss any notions that the AFR measures your worth as a
staffworker. Though your staffwork, over time, will have a bearing on the
SMALL GROUPS
AFR numbers, more often than not the numbers that you currently have
are a complex interplay of campus size and demographics, the relative
LARGE GROUP
health of the chapter you inherited, the number of and size of other
campus ministries at your school, and quite often, your funding level, not
to mention a whole host of other factors too numerous to list. So, what's
NSO
the point then? The Annual Field Report is a useful tool for assessing and
evaluating the relative health and vitality of a chapter, especially when used
EVANGELISM
over time to track trends and tendencies.
This paper is an introduction to using your AFR as a tool, and is geared
especially towards those who are unfamiliar with the use of AFR data, or
even a little freaked out by numerical analysis itself. Rich Lamb has written a
much more thorough and comprehensive paper on the subject called "AFR
Analysis for Ministry Growth" which is available at http://www.intervarsity.
org/mx/item/5104. Consider this a 101 Level course, and Rich's paper a
301, or even grad level course.
If you're freaked out by numbers, let me give you some reassurance before I
launch into the analysis: AFR data is actually your friend, in the same way that
the gauges and indicator lights in your car are your friend. They can warn you
of impending disaster, like a temperature gauge that warns you before your
car overheats. Or they can help you the diagnose problem if you're stuck--
like a gas gauge on empty, or a dead battery light. Or, they can tell you that
everything is just fine: oil pressure is steady, gas tank is full, and the "check
engine" light isn't even on! Gauges and indicator lights are our friends. They
are on our side. They are trying to help us. We don't need to fear them.
Likewise, our AFR numbers can tell us valuable information about the current
status of our chapter, and how to make it run more smoothly in the future.
2.06
If, after you've come to the end of this paper, you are still intimidated
by AFR numbers, or unsure of how you could use the data, talk to an
expert. When one of my little indicator lights goes on in my car, I take it
INTRODUCTION
to a mechanic that I trust. Since I know next to nothing about cars, he is
invaluable in interpreting the data for me. Or, I talk to some of the "car
guys" in my Bible study group at my church. Likewise, let me suggest that
ANALYSIS
if you're still a little lost, talk to your supervisor, or to someone you trust,
or someone who has a reputation in your area as a "chapter builder." He
VISION
or she would be delighted to help you. And, if they're not, give me a call. I
would love to be of assistance.
LEADERSHIP
So, what are the key gauges or indicator lights to keep your eyes on? There
DEVELOPMENT
are seven that are especially important to track--and to monitor from year
to year, so you can compare how you are doing relative to prior years.
WORSHIP &
Here's a list with some thoughts on why they are important:
PRAYER
Total number of members (OVERALL)
SMALL GROUPS
The overall number is a quick and easy assessment of the size and health
of a chapter. It doesn't tell you everything, but it does tell you something.
LARGE GROUP
A chapter of over a hundred is probably doing a lot of things right. A
chapter of less than 25 on a campus of the same size probably has room
for improvement.
NSO
Total number of leaders (LEADERS)
EVANGELISM
The total number of leaders relative to your overall chapter size tells you
whether or not you are poised for growth. Typically, a chapter has about
one leader for every four members. So, if your chapter is 100, and you
only have 10 leaders, you are probably in trouble--an indicator light just
went off! But, if your chapter is 40, and you have 25 leaders (or potential
leaders!), your gas tank is full, and you are ready to roll.
Number of small groups (SG)
I think the key limiting factor in chapter size is the number of quality small
groups. The quickest way to grow your chapter is to field more small
groups this coming fall than you did last year. Want to double the size
of your chapter? Double the number of capable small group leaders you
have on board with the vision, and then turn them loose during NSO to do
outreach and follow-up.
Number of small group members (SGM)
This number tells you the relative health of your chapter. For instance, if
your overall number is 80, and your large group attendance averages 60
to 70, but you only have 25 small group members, your chapter probably
2.07
doesn't feel like a community, and is probably losing a lot of members "out
the back door." Without the strong relational connections that a healthy
small group network forges, people often disappear after a semester or
INTRODUCTION
two--and, because they were not connected relationally to anyone, no one
even notices. Ouch!
ANALYSIS
Number of students followed up after NSO (FOLLOWED UP)
Individual, personal follow-up is probably the most critical aspect of New
VISION
Student Outreach. If you have great publicity, great events, and a great first
large group meeting, but fail to ensure that people are getting personal
LEADERSHIP
follow-up, you are squandering all the time and effort and money that you've
DEVELOPMENT
spent on NSO. Better to scale back a bit and individually and personally
follow up on everyone within 48 hours of the NSO events you do have.
WORSHIP &
Freshmen/First-year undergrads (FROSH)
PRAYER
Freshmen are the future of your chapter. If the number of freshmen is less
SMALL GROUPS
that 20% of your overall number, you could be in for trouble down the
road. Conversely, if your FROSH number is 33% or higher, congratulations!
You've done a great job with NSO and follow-up. Now you just need to
LARGE GROUP
develop these future leaders into fellow laborers, who will join with you in
the mission and vision, reaching the next generation of freshmen.
NSO
Graduating seniors (SENIORS)
EVANGELISM
This number is also the future of your chapter, but in a different way. Is
your number low relative to overall group size? If freshmen don't stick
around to be leaders and, eventually, leaders of leaders, the chapter suffers.
First, there are no veteran leaders to carry and to model the vision. Vision
is more often "caught" than "taught," and so if no seniors are around to
model the vision, freshmen are going to have a hard time internalizing it.
Secondly, it means that you are not fully able to leverage your leadership
as a staff. If you are always operating at the "leader" level, and never the
"leader of leaders" level, or, better yet, the "leader of leader leaders"
level, your chapter is probably not likely to grow. Finally, and perhaps just
as importantly, if there are no graduating seniors who are challenged to
continue their involvement in the chapter as alumni who give financial
support, the financial footing of the chapter is undercut, and the very
future of the chapter could be jeopardized. Since I serve at a campus where
it takes most people five years to graduate, I'm happy with a graduating
seniors rate of about one in five, or 20%.
2.08
In addition to those numbers, you can also keep track of conference
attendance, particularly the number of freshmen who attend each of our
major events. That can often give an early indication--long before you fill
INTRODUCTION
out the AFR--of how the chapter is doing, particularly with attracting and
retaining freshmen. So, for instance, if the number of freshman at your
fall chapter retreat is up, that is good and bodes well for the future. On
ANALYSIS
the other hand, if you have a record attendance from the chapter for your
statewide Fall Conference, but your number of freshmen is half of what
VISION
it was the year previous, that tells you that you may have a problem. Or,
if you had a great turn-out of freshmen at Fall Conference, but didn't get
LEADERSHIP
many of them to join you at Chapter Camp, something is amiss.
DEVELOPMENT
AFR data doesn't necessarily tell you exactly what the problem is, but it
does tell you where to start looking. Just as a mechanic knows to check
WORSHIP &
a car's cooling system if the temperature gauge is indicating the engine
PRAYER
is running too hot, AFR data may point out potential problems in New
Student Outreach, your chapter's small group network, your leadership
SMALL GROUPS
development pipeline or some other area. Paying close attention to your
AFR indicator lights and gauges can help keep your chapter running
smoothly down the road for years to come!
LARGE GROUP
NSO
EVANGELISM
2.09
C H A P T E R B U I L D E R ' S A S S E S S M E N T T O O L
J a y A n d e r s o n
INTRODUCTION
This tool is designed to help facilitate both private reflection and group
discussion among staff. Most of the questions would work in a discussion
among core student "leaders of leaders" as well.
ANALYSIS
Instilling vision among the leaders
VISION
· Would you say your chapter has a clear, compelling vision?
LEADERSHIP
· Can you articulate it in a short simple sentence,
and explain it in a minute or less?
DEVELOPMENT
· What percentage of the student leaders and faculty know the vision?
WORSHIP &
· How many are living it out themselves and calling others to do the same?
PRAYER
Focusing prayer on the vision
SMALL GROUPS
· What are your chapter prayer meetings like (if they happen at all)?
· Do students gather to pray for the vision of the chapter?
LARGE GROUP
Or just their tests and ailing aunts?
· What is your own prayer life like?
NSO
· Who can you recruit to pray regularly and specifically for you and the chapter?
EVANGELISM
Developing high-caliber student leaders
· How many leaders does the chapter currently have?
· Does the present structure allow for expansion of the number of leaders?
· Would past leaders characterize their experience in leadership
as positive or negative?
· What (if anything) is being done to nurture, train and develop future
and current leaders?
Expanding the small group network
· How many small groups and small group leaders do you have at present?
· How might you be able to free up more of your best people to be small
group leaders?
· What are the best "target" locations and groups for missional small
groups on your campus? Dorms? Departments? People groups?
Affinity groups?
· How are your small group leaders being trained, nurtured,
and encouraged?
2.10
Ensuring high-quality large group meetings
· What would a first time visitor think of your typical large group meeting?
· Is your meeting room warm and welcoming, suitably sized
INTRODUCTION
and centrally located?
· Are your MC's and worship leaders confident, competent and enthusiastic?
ANALYSIS
· Do you have great speakers? If not, how can you go about finding more?
VISION
Executing a successful NSO
· Typically, how many people do you have on board to help
LEADERSHIP
with your NSO efforts?
DEVELOPMENT
· Do you generally have good publicity and at least a couple
of good NSO events?
WORSHIP &
· Do you have a system in place that ensures every contact
PRAYER
is followed up within 48 hours?
· Is the follow-up that is being done personal,
SMALL GROUPS
with the intent of building a relationship?
· Are contacts being successfully steered into involvement in
LARGE GROUP
a small group Bible study?
NSO
Spurring on evangelism and outreach
· Would you say that your chapter has an outreach mindset?
Or more of an inward focus?
EVANGELISM
· Who is "leading the charge" in evangelism and keeping it in the
forefront of people's minds?
· What evangelism strategies will you pursue? Friendship evangelism?
GIGs? Seeker meetings? Harvest events? Proxe stations?
· Where will you provide regular training and ongoing motivation
for evangelism?
2.11
0 3 G O D - D I R E C T E D V I S I O N FOR THE CAMPUS
INTRODUCTION
AND FELLOWSHIP GROWTH
ANALYSIS
VISION
LEADERSHIP
Strategic
Evangelism
DEVELOPMENT
Attractive
WORSHIP &
NSO
PRAYER
Missional
Quality
SMALL GROUPS
Small Groups
Large Group
LARGE GROUP
God-Directed Vision for the
Campus & Fellowship
Growth
NSO
EVANGELISM
Worship & Concerted
Leadership Development
Prayer toward the Vision
& Training toward the Vision
3.01
HOW TO GET FROM VISION TO GOAL S TO PL ANS
A l N o r b y a n d Va l G o r d o n
INTRODUCTION
This article defines "vision" and how to develop a contextualized, working
vision statement for your chapter. It also describes how a clear vision
ANALYSIS
can help determine specific strategies and action plans that lead toward
fulfilling the vision.
VISION
Developing vision
Vision is important because it seeks to close the gap between what we
LEADERSHIP
really value and what we think we're "supposed" to be doing. A good
DEVELOPMENT
vision helps us understand our fellowship's purpose. Vision helps us know
how to define success. We know we have been successful when we have
WORSHIP &
achieved the vision. Goals, plans and strategies become critical components
PRAYER
in order for the vision to become a reality.
We are not starting with a blank slate as we think about vision. Two key
SMALL GROUPS
national InterVarsity statements are our purpose statement and our vision
statement (see p. 5.03 ). The purpose statement answers the question,
LARGE GROUP
"Why do we exist?" InterVarsity exists to "establish and advance witnessing
communities at colleges and universities." InterVarsity's vision statement--
NSO
how we define success--is seeing "students and faculty transformed,
campuses renewed and world changers developed." This is a vision where
success will sometimes be seen in one year, but is more often measured
EVANGELISM
over the course of many years. Our national purpose and vision statements
were birthed out of much prayer and scripture study.
As we think about vision for our campuses, we may use this statement. Or
our campus vision may reflect a local regional or area vision that highlights
part of our national vision statement. Or we may develop our own campus
vision that reflects our national vision statement but is contextualized to fit
our fellowship's values in that place. In many ways this is a personal choice
for staff and students to decide, as long as we remain true to our national
purposes. One non-negotiable is that prayer and scripture are our guiding
influences. In addition, vision needs to clarify what we are about, unify the
group, and challenge our chapters to be greater than what they are right
now. The vision must be large enough and inspiring enough to empower
student ownership and leadership toward desirable results that could be
happening but aren't yet.
3.02
Working with student leaders and faculty in developing vision:
The following outline offers some areas for group discussion with core
student leaders who you may identify as being missional (see the next
INTRODUCTION
section of this manual) or at least teachable and who have a desire to
understand more about InterVarsity's purposes and national vision.
ANALYSIS
A. How have you seen vision clarify, unify, challenge and/or inspire toward
shared success? (at work, church, school, etc.)
VISION
B. What are the core values of your chapter now?
LEADERSHIP
(as seen in chapter disciplines/traditions/practices, chapter nuances/
DEVELOPMENT
characteristics or language; any recent shifts in these?)
WORSHIP &
1. Where did your group's values come from?
PRAYER
2. Any values you wish were different? Any missing?
SMALL GROUPS
3. Any insight as to why your chapter doesn't look the way it could?
LARGE GROUP
4. Does the group embody its values? Do the leaders?
NSO
5. Does the group have Kingdom-minded values?
(Are you passionate about advancing God's kingdom through the chapter
EVANGELISM
or about bringing the transforming power of the gospel to the campus?)
C. Talk about your campus culture (see the campus analysis on p. 2.03).
When your chapter has been successful (i.e., you have fulfilled your
purpose while contextually manifesting your core values) what
characteristics and qualities have you seen already? "When we
succeed I see . . ."
D. Are there expectations (actual or perceived) that keep us from living out
what really matters to us?
E. Who will rally with change and who might get in the way?
F. Begin visualizing in your wildest dreams what life in your chapter and on
campus could like when your chapter succeeds. What do you see around
you as you imagine this?
3.03
T H E P L A N N I N G C Y C L E
V I S I O N
INTRODUCTION
E V A L U A T I O N
G O A L S
ANALYSIS
VISION
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
E X E C U T I O N
S T R A T E G I E S /
P L A N S
WORSHIP &
PRAYER
SMALL GROUPS
T R A I N I N G /
LARGE GROUP
C O A C H I N G
NSO
U S I N G T H E P L A N N I N G C Y C L E
EVANGELISM
V I S I O N
clarifies
E V A L U A T I O N
G O A L S
course corr
ections
ends with
affect
E X E C U T I O N
S T R A T E G I E S /
P L A N S
aid
T R A I N I N G /
require
C O A C H I N G
3.04
C A S E E X A M P L E : U S I N G T H E P L A N N I N G C Y C L E
This article demonstrates the use of the planning cycle shown on the
INTRODUCTION
previous page. It walks through the various parts of the cycle using example
goals and plans, offering reasons why those goals and plans were chosen.
ANALYSIS
Our universal vision for all InterVarsity fellowships is not just that our fellowships
would grow, but that they would grow through conversions. We exist on
VISION
campus to see lives transformed and we can't meet that vision unless we are
seeing people who are not yet Christians make decision to follow Jesus.
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
Vision: to grow through conversion (a subset of InterVarsity's national vision)
How will we know when this vision is successful? By conversions--
WORSHIP &
conversions where students identify themselves as having made a decision
PRAYER
to follow Jesus. You will need to come up with a number that represents
what success will look like in your case. If your chapter has never seen a
SMALL GROUPS
conversion, then it may be that your goal is one student. If two to three
people make decisions on any given year, then a goal that stretches
LARGE GROUP
the chapter would be double or triple that. Pick a number goal that is
measurable and attainable, but not something that will happen anyway
without driving the chapter to its knees and causing students to have to
NSO
open their mouths in conversation with friends.
EVANGELISM
Goal: to see eight (8) conversions this year.
If this is our goal, it will affect what our plans and strategies are for the
year. How will we see eight students come to faith this year? You and
your leaders will be working on plans and strategies to ensure that there
are opportunities for students to make decisions to follow Christ. You
may decide to have GIGs, "harvest" events (see definition in evangelism
section), prayer meetings specifically praying for conversions of students by
name, a large group series geared toward helping students come to know
Jesus, or perhaps a spring break project that appeals to not-yet-Christians
and helps to build relationships with students outside the fellowship. There
are many strategies and plans you could choose. The key is leading toward
strategies and plans that are effective in your context and then making
them a priority.
Plans/Strategies:
1. Our four small groups each launch at least one GIG.
2. One prayer meeting a month is geared toward praying for conversions.
3.05
3. We plan a Habitat for Humanity spring break project and every person
in the fellowship who wants to come invites at least one non-Christian
friend to come with them.
INTRODUCTION
4. One large group meeting per month will have a call to faith to invite
students to make a decision to follow Jesus.
ANALYSIS
You will know if your plans and goals are a priority by how much training
and coaching you are doing to achieve successful execution toward your
desired outcome.
VISION
Training/Coaching needs:
LEADERSHIP
1. Students in small groups will need to be trained in how to lead a
DEVELOPMENT
GIG and invite students to come, as well receive on-going coaching
to monitor how each GIG is going and what to do at the end
WORSHIP &
of the 3 - 5 weeks.
PRAYER
2. The prayer coordinator will need some training and coaching in
how to lead a monthly prayer gathering that is specifically for
SMALL GROUPS
conversions and how to keep that prayer event fresh.
3. Students will need training in how to invite their non-Christian
friends to the Habitat spring break project. Staff and students will
LARGE GROUP
need to think about curriculum for the week that could help not-
yet-Christians understand the reasons we serve others in order to
promote conversation during the Habitat project.
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4. Staff and students will need to know how to make an effective
call to faith. What are creative ways to invite students to make
EVANGELISM
decisions? What kind of language should we use?
The training and coaching will help with the execution of our plans and
strategies and evaluation will help us know how we are doing. Plans and
strategies should be evaluated often enough to make changes, but not so
often that we never have a chance to see if what we are doing is working.
Evaluation questions:
1. How many students have made decisions this month?
2. How many SG's have launched GIGs?
3. How many non-Christian students are connected to the fellowship or
friends of students in the fellowship?
4. How many students come to the monthly prayer gathering? Are they
praying confidently for their friends to come to faith?
5. How many InterVarsity students are committed to going on the
Habitat project? How many friends are considering going?
6. How did the first call to faith go? Any responses? Could it have gone
better? What could we do next month?
3.06
Evaluation helps you to make changes in your strategies and plans. For
instance, if you realize that you only have four non-Christians connected
to the fellowship, then it is not likely your goal of eight decisions will be
INTRODUCTION
met. How will you help the students in the fellowship befriend not-yet-
Christians? Why don't they have more friends who are not believers? Or if
you have done GIG training, but none of the small groups have launched a
ANALYSIS
GIG, then you know there are some barriers that are keeping students from
doing GIGs. What might those barriers be? Who in each small group has
VISION
evangelistic gifts? How could you rally these key people?
As you can see, the vision and goals you set affect the plans and strategies
LEADERSHIP
that involve and affect the other triangles in the pyramid. Using a planning
DEVELOPMENT
cycle like this begins to narrow which triangles you will focus on in any
given year. Hopefully this will help set your chapter on a course toward
WORSHIP &
embracing its values, developing a vision and achieving your goals.
PRAYER
"Vision without action is a daydream.
SMALL GROUPS
Action without vision is a nightmare."
-- Japanese Proverb
LARGE GROUP
NSO
EVANGELISM
3.07
HOW TO LEAD STUDENTS INTO A CHAPTER BUILDING VISION
S c o t t H a l l
INTRODUCTION
Moving a chapter from one that is small, stagnant or has reached a plateau
toward one that is healthy and growing involves leading that chapter through
ANALYSIS
organizational change. This article explores a change process adapted from
one taught by Fuller Theological Seminary Professor Doug McConnell.
VISION
Introduction
LEADERSHIP
When I came to USC in 1995, the InterVarsity chapter was made up of 30
DEVELOPMENT
to 40 students, pretty small. But as Jesus says in Mark 4, the kingdom of
heaven is like a mustard seed that starts really small but grows to become
WORSHIP &
huge. I had expected--over the next several years--to see God grow our
PRAYER
chapter into a huge tree, one that made Jesus' presence felt throughout the
entire USC campus, but that didn't happen. Sure, we grew. At one point
SMALL GROUPS
we swelled to just over 100 students. But we ebbed and flowed at about
75 students for several years. And, more importantly, the pool of students
that we were engaging with the gospel had remained about the same.
LARGE GROUP
After six years on the same campus, that lack of growth bothered me.
My disappointment in ministry tilled the soil of my heart, something God
NSO
seemed to have been waiting for to make his move: to plant a mustard-
seed of new faith in me.
EVANGELISM
I started out knowing very little about how to lead with vision, but through
mentors, reflection, and research I have acquired some paradigms and
principles for managing helpful change. I hope this will help you lead more
effectively as well.
The "Change Dynamics" model
The model I would like to share with you was created by Professor
Doug McConnell of Fuller Theological Seminary. In his course, "Change
Dynamics," he presents a model for leading organizations through healthy
change. My supervisor, Doug Schaupp, had just finished taking Professor
McConnell's course, and passed on some of what he learned there to me.
I found the material supremely helpful, and attribute many of the good
decisions I made to the wisdom that came from it.
Moving a chapter from one that is small, stagnant, or has reached a plateau
into one that is healthy and growing involves leading that chapter through
organizational change. This is what leaders do, and this is what more
InterVarsity staff should be doing. From the most dysfunctional chapter to
the healthiest, because God is a dynamic God, because our world is always
3.08
changing, and because people's sin is always tarnishing the kingdom of
God, Christian leaders need to be leaders who can lead their organizations
through healthy change.
INTRODUCTION
ANALYSIS
C H A N G E D Y N A M I C S M O D E L
VISION
S T E P 1 : G O D L Y
LEADERSHIP
D I S S A T I S F A C T I O N
DEVELOPMENT
WORSHIP &
S T E P 5 :
catalyst
S T E P 2 :
PRAYER
I M P L E M E N T A T I O N process helper
researcher
O W N E R S H I P
SMALL GROUPS
LARGE GROUP
S T E P 4 :
S T E P 3 :
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S O L U T I O N S
D I A G N O S I S
EVANGELISM
Step 1: Godly dissatisfaction
The first stage of a healthy change process involves experiencing godly
dissatisfaction. In order to do this, someone needs to play the role of
the "catalyst": the person or team willing to feel and vocalize godly
dissatisfaction. If everyone feels fine about the way things are in an
organization, no one will be motivated to change. Even if people do harbor
deeper hopes that are unrealized, if these aren't brought to the surface of
consciousness, no change will occur. Only when a catalyst stirs up the pot
of godly dissatisfaction in many individuals within the organization will the
climate become receptive to change.
I played the role of catalyst at USC as God stirred dissatisfaction within
me. That was difficult--as the staff team leader, I had a lot to lose by
admitting my dissatisfaction, including admitting that I hadn't led our
chapter as I'd wanted to. But as I allowed God to stir my spirit, I found new
hope as I began to envision what our group could become. Many of the
dreams of faith I'd had which brought me onto staff were resurrected as I
3.09
pictured a room full of students of every ethnicity, who were all engaged
in evangelism with every student on the campus. My own shame melted
away as I allowed God to put a picture of his kingdom at USC into my
INTRODUCTION
heart. I didn't know how we were going to become what God wanted,
but that wasn't important yet. In fact, it was essential--in order to preserve
the purity of the picture God wanted to give me--not to get caught up in
ANALYSIS
the "how to's" of the vision. God wanted to plant a picture in my heart
that would not stop bothering me until it was realized. How would it be
VISION
realized? That was God's problem, for him to show me once we got there.
It isn't easy to be the catalyst. Catalysts create problems for people, and the
LEADERSHIP
problems are too big for the catalysts to fix by themselves. People consciously
DEVELOPMENT
and sub-consciously resist catalysts, and generally prefer them to shut their
mouths. But without catalysts, the godly dissatisfaction pregnant in people's
WORSHIP &
spirits never gets born. InterVarsity staff often need to serve as catalysts to
PRAYER
their chapters and also to be hospitable to the catalysts within their chapters.
Only when the catalysts speak out will our chapters cease to be static and
SMALL GROUPS
stagnant, and have the opportunity to step into being alive and relevant.
Step 2: Ownership
LARGE GROUP
Once the catalyst has expressed godly dissatisfaction with the current state
of the ministry, the members of that community need to be helped to own
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that dissatisfaction. It isn't enough for one person to be disturbed and
motivated to change: if real and healthy change is going to stand a chance,
EVANGELISM
everyone involved must come to feel dissatisfied with the current state of
things and must feel compelled to work toward change. This is one of the
most important transactions of a new idea: to go from one person who
has been stirred to a group of people who will likewise be motivated to do
whatever it takes to see necessary change advance.
While I initially played the role of the catalyst at USC, I also needed to act
as a "process helper," to help the rest of the chapter have that experience
for themselves. I began with the two other staff on my team. I shared
the process God had taken me through, and asked them to share any
ways they could identify with my dissatisfaction, or were inspired by the
new picture I was describing. They identified with the dissatisfaction and
elaborated on it. They added to the new picture and gave it more detail.
They joined me as fellow catalysts.
From there, we hand-picked a dozen key students and led them through
the same process through which I had led the staff. As these students
considered the limitations of our ministry and were given opportunity to
speak into the vision of what could be, they too came to feel inspired to
seek God for a change. They too became catalysts in sparking change in
the community. Over time, through word of mouth, and eventually through
3.10
a paper describing my desire to seek change, this process of sharing the
vision and helping people into ownership continued all the way out to
every member of the community. It was then that we were primed to move
INTRODUCTION
forward into something new.
ANALYSIS
Step 3: Diagnosis
Once corporate ownership of the need for change is achieved, it's tempting
VISION
to move ahead boldly into implementing new ideas. Because people are
motivated and inspired to move forward, it is natural to want to cut them
loose to run with the first new idea that comes along, and--because
LEADERSHIP
people are motivated--it is very possible; they are ready to run. However, to
DEVELOPMENT
lead a healthy and wise change process, an accurate diagnosis of the core
problem in the current situation is essential in making sure that the new
WORSHIP &
direction of the change is the right direction. This is another essential role of
PRAYER
the "process helper."
At USC, I pursued diagnosis by asking a lot of questions of students and
SMALL GROUPS
staff. One particular interaction with a junior in the chapter, named Jason,
made a deep impact on me. As I spoke with him, he shared how wonderful
LARGE GROUP
his freshman year had been--everything InterVarsity offered was fresh
and challenging, and he was deeply helped and nurtured in ways that fit
him well. Since that time, he'd felt like InterVarsity had increasingly less to
NSO
offer him. Rather that react defensively, I listened. As he shared more about
his experience, it became clear that Jason was an apostolic, innovative
EVANGELISM
leader, who had spent his sophomore and junior year confined within the
limitations of an inflexible structure of leadership development. If Jason
had been content to follow the "standard path" of a growing leader
in our chapter, he would have been asked to reach out to students his
sophomore year, and then move into a freshman dorm his junior year to
lead a small-group Bible study. But this path of growth--which had been
tried and true for so many that had come before him--left him feeling
bored and uninspired. Asking questions and listening to Jason share about
his experience helped me diagnose one of the limitations to our growth
as a chapter: our structure smothered innovative, apostolic leaders. Jason's
insightful sharing caused us to create a new structure that freed young
leaders with vision and motivation to innovate on campus. Jason spent his
senior year launching a brand-new ministry to international students that
continues to this day.
The godly dissatisfaction that the catalyst feels and articulates comes from
somewhere. But just because catalysts feel the dissatisfaction does not mean
that they understand why it's there. Accurate diagnosis is an easy step to skip
in the change process. To skip it and move full-steam ahead in the change
process is like high-stakes gambling on the roulette wheel. You might get
3.11
lucky and happen to put your money on the right number. But if you want
to lead your community into success, accurate diagnosis will make your
leadership less like gambling, and more like careful common sense.
INTRODUCTION
Step 4: Solutions
ANALYSIS
Once the problems of a community have been well diagnosed, it is important
to consider a range of potential solutions which will effectively correct the
VISION
problem. The "researcher" is willing to network with other successful leaders
and learn from them some of the secrets of their success. Those who lead the
best change processes are not necessarily the smartest leaders, but the ones
LEADERSHIP
who can learn from others and end up with a range of solutions.
DEVELOPMENT
I try to cultivate the habit of learning from other successful leaders and
familiarizing myself with some of their fruitful ideas. The way I sought solutions
WORSHIP &
for the USC ministry was primarily to create time and space for highly creative
PRAYER
brainstorming with my staff team. Since I have a highly creative team, the
solutions that we generated ended up being fairly successful.
SMALL GROUPS
Over a month and a half, we met for more than 40 hours, read leadership
and management literature, and made the choice not to shoot down any
LARGE GROUP
ideas that any of us threw out. This created a collaborative environment,
stimulated by the wisdom of the business literature, which formed the
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cauldron out of which our solutions came. Our primary solution was to
modify our leadership structure to encourage apostolic innovation in
students, and to create a new team of leaders, with administrative and
EVANGELISM
helps gifting, to develop the infrastructure of the community to handle the
growth we were anticipating.
Over succeeding years, I've tried to cultivate a leadership climate that is
hospitable to innovation and creative thinking. I've also paid closer attention
to other successful ministries that I encounter, and often take notes on
what I can learn from them. I have become increasingly shameless about
"borrowing" other people's ideas, and implementing them in my context.
Accurate diagnosis is no good without creative, relevant solutions. Creating
a climate that is hospitable to learning, and even appointing someone you
know as a ministry idea researcher, are steps that can help offer a range of
solutions and wise direction as you guide a change process.
Step 5: Implementation
Once a community has gone through the previous four steps, it is essential
to pay close attention to turning ideas into reality. The "process helper"
plays a major role here, as in earlier steps of the change process, in bringing
the hard work of generating a relevant plan for change into fruition.
3.12
At USC successful implementation involved both staff and students taking
responsibility to turn ideas into reality. They also came up with an effective
structure to supervise the implementation of the new vision. Initially, the
INTRODUCTION
vision was implemented by several staff who were hands-on in advancing
the most challenging parts of the plans. This was successful, but difficult to
sustain while still carrying the load of keeping the rest of the ministry going.
ANALYSIS
By the second year of implementing the vision, it became clear that our
supervision structures were ineffective in maintaining quality control of the
VISION
new innovations in ministry. As the staff needed to give more energy to
some of the more basic functions of the chapter, the implementation of the
LEADERSHIP
vision suffered. A significant turn-around came when several student leaders
DEVELOPMENT
stepped up to carry more of the weekly routine of running the ministry.
Additionally, we re-vamped our training and supervision structures to increase
WORSHIP &
quality control, keeping the vision at the forefront of our community. We
PRAYER
continue to modify our attempts at implementation on a semesterly basis.
Good implementation needs to be well thought through, and there
SMALL GROUPS
need to be many people responsible to oversee it. The degree of change
required in moving toward a new vision determines the level of energy
LARGE GROUP
and attention that needs to be given to implementation: if you're going
for a small change, you'll only need to give small additional attention to
its implementation; if you're shooting for the moon, you should expect to
NSO
invest in your implementation plan heavily, and for several years.
EVANGELISM
Recycling the wheel of change
Finally, if you look closely at the change dynamics model, you'll notice an
arrow linking "implementation" back into "godly dissatisfaction." That's
because a good change leader realizes that change is not a single event,
but an ongoing part of good leadership. The godly dissatisfaction a leader
feels today will, hopefully, be removed as they see their ministry grow
and change. But once that happens, new dissatisfactions will arise. My
experience tells me that ministries that want to be responsive to God need
to be constantly engaged in the change cycle.
At USC, for example, I spent three months leading our ministry through "vision
renewal process." Our three-yer-old "mustard seed vision" had grown a bit
stale, so I focused on training a new generation of staff to lead the chapter
through the change cycle, and, hopefully, into new growth and fruitfulness.
Conclusions
I'm grateful to my supervisor, Doug Schaupp, for his leading me into the
research of Professor Doug McConnell. I've been able to see their ideas and
leadership turn into changed lives on the campus.
3.13
Leading communities through healthy change is a complex and mysterious
process, yet such an important one. I have found the change dynamics
model incredibly helpful, and feel like I have only begun to scratch the
INTRODUCTION
surface of how to maximize it's usefulness in campus ministry.
I hope that you act on the godly dissatisfactions that God stirs in your own
ANALYSIS
heart as you lead. This has been one of the renewing experiences of my faith
life, restoring in me the thrill of taking a conviction from God, and daring to
do all I can to live it out and see what wonderful drama will unfold.
VISION
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
WORSHIP &
PRAYER
SMALL GROUPS
LARGE GROUP
NSO
EVANGELISM
3.14
M A K I N G V I S I O N S T I C K
J a y A n d e r s o n
INTRODUCTION
Andy Stanley, founding pastor of North Point Community Church in
Atlanta, Georgia, has written a very helpful book called
Making Vision Stick
ANALYSIS
(Zondervan, 2007). In it, he outlines five crucial steps for instilling the vision
and making it stick. "Vision is the lifeblood of your organization. It should
be coursing through the minds and hearts of those you lead, focusing their
VISION
creativity and galvanizing their efforts. . . But, in order for that to happen,
you've got to make your vision stick. That's your responsibility as the leader."
LEADERSHIP
This article summarizes Stanley's five steps for ensuring that vision sticks:
DEVELOPMENT
1. State the vision simply
WORSHIP &
A good vision must be short, concise and memorable. Too many
PRAYER
organizations make the mistake of trying to include everything in their
vision statement. As a result, it ends up being too long to be easily stated
SMALL GROUPS
or remembered. A simple, concise vision can be very compelling, even if
it needs some further explanation, and is much more likely to be effective
LARGE GROUP
than a longer, more complex one. In
Making Vision Stick, Stanley gives the
example of a new vision his church was developing. The initial statement
read "We envision fifty thousand people participating in weekly small
NSO
groups that are committed to multiplying." Complete and comprehensive,
yes, but hard to remember. What they eventually settled on was "5/50/10",
EVANGELISM
which was short for "five thousand small groups with fifty thousand
members by the year 2010." The short statement, though it requires some
further fleshing out, is much more concise, and therefore more likely to
stick. Ultimately, it will be more effective than the longer statement.
2. Cast the vision convincingly
Once the vision has been distilled down to a brief, concise, and memorable
form, it must be communicated in a compelling way. Stanley breaks that
process down into three steps:
1. Define the problem in a way that creates godly dissatisfaction with the
present situation in the people you work with.
2. Offer a solution to the problem that invites their response and
involvement.
3. Presenting a compelling reason why action needs to be taken,
and taken immediately.
As Stanley writes, "If you haven't defined the problem, determined a
solution, and discovered a compelling reason why now is the time to act,
you aren't ready to go public with your vision. It won't stick" (pp. 32-33).
3.15
3. Repeat the vision regularly
Leaders often make the mistake of under-communicating the vision. I heard
one leader say we tend to under-communicate the vision by a factor of
INTRODUCTION
100. If we want the vision to stick, we have to repeat it multiple times, in
multiple ways, in many different venues and forums, and in many different
ANALYSIS
forms. As Stanley writes, "Casting a vision once is not enough to make it
stick. Twice isn't enough either. Vision needs to be repeated regularly. To
make it stick, you need to find ways to build vision casting into the rhythm
VISION
of your organization . . . at times, I feel a bit guilty. I feel like I'm repeating
myself. `Surely they know this by know,' I reason. But I go right ahead and
LEADERSHIP
do it anyway. Why? Because vision doesn't stick." Mentioning your vision
DEVELOPMENT
once at the first large group meeting of the year isn't going to cut it. We
need to find ways of subtly (and not so subtly!) reinforcing the vision in not
WORSHIP &
only large groups, but in small groups, at leaders meetings, in our one-to-
PRAYER
one appointments, and at our conferences and retreats. To make vision
stick, it must be repeated often, and regularly.
SMALL GROUPS
4. Celebrate the vision systematically
LARGE GROUP
One of the best ways to reinforce the vision is to celebrate real life examples
of your vision being lived out in the real world--what Stanley calls "wins."
He says that celebrating the right things can be the single most effective
NSO
way of making vision stick. Stanley writes, "What is celebrated is repeated.
The behaviors that are celebrated are repeated. The decisions that are
EVANGELISM
celebrated are repeated. The values that are celebrated are repeated. If
you intentionally or unintentionally celebrate something that is in conflict
with your vision, the vision won't stick. Celebrations trump motivational
speeches every time." (pp. 40-41). Too often, organizations highlight and
celebrate things that conflict with the vision, or simply have nothing to do
with advancing the vision. Find ways of recognizing individuals who are
living out the vision. Find ways to celebrate even minor steps of progress
towards the vision. Systematic and enthusiastic celebration of the vision
goes a long way towards making it stick.
5. Embrace the vision personally
One leadership team I worked with had the motto, "If the leaders won't
do it, who will?" The idea was that we couldn't ask people to do things
that we weren't first committed to doing ourselves. If we wanted people
to be in small group Bible studies, all of us had to either lead or participate
in those studies. If we wanted people to attend conferences and training
events, we all had to attend those training events ourselves, and bring
people with us. If we wanted people to pray, we had to lead the way, and
be committed to prayer ourselves. If we expected people to be sharing their
3.16
faith with their non-Christian friends, we had to be modeling it for them in
our own lives. "Your willingness to embody the vision of your organization
will have a direct impact on your credibility as a leader. Living out the vision
INTRODUCTION
establishes credibility and makes you a leader worth following," writes
Stanley. ". . . When you embody the vision of your organization, people
come to believe that your job is more than just a job for you." We want our
ANALYSIS
students to embrace the vision not because we tell them to, but because
they see that it compels us to do what we do. If you are not living out the
VISION
vision yourself, you are going to have a hard time making it stick.
In the opening chapter of his book, Stanley writes, "It is the responsibility
LEADERSHIP
of the leader to ensure that people understand and embrace the vision...
DEVELOPMENT
If the followers don't get it, we probably haven't delivered the vision in a
way that makes it get-able. We are responsible for keeping the vision of
WORSHIP &
our organization at the forefront." To do that, we need to ensure that we
PRAYER
follow all five of Andy Stanley's imperatives: State the vision simply. Cast
the vision convincingly. Repeat the vision regularly. Celebrate the vision
SMALL GROUPS
systematically. Embrace the vision personally. If we are successful in casting
our vision, students will embrace it for themselves, and begin to live it out
in their daily lives, and then, God granting the increase, the gospel will be
LARGE GROUP
advanced on campus.
NSO
EVANGELISM
3.17
C A S T I N G V I S I O N : B E P R E P A R E D
R e n e a L i v i n g s t o n e
INTRODUCTION
So you want to build your group in numbers and depth. How are you going
to tell people why? This worksheet suggests a number of different ways
ANALYSIS
you can prepare yourself to communicate your vision. As you work on
articulating your vision, your vision will be refined. Articulation forces you
to think harder about what you really want to see happen, and why. If your
VISION
communication is effective, others will join you in the task and your vision
will be further refined as you learn to speak it as a group.
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
Bare naked vision: short and to the point
1. Develop a short, punchy statement--no more than a phrase or a sentence--
WORSHIP &
that communicates your vision. What do you want to see happen?
PRAYER
2. Vision is motivated by negative and positive reasons.
The negative motivation answers the question, "Why is the present
SMALL GROUPS
state unacceptable?" The positive motivation answers the question,
"Why do I think change is possible? Develop a phrase or sentence each
to communicate your negative and positive motivations.
LARGE GROUP
3. Put them all together.
NSO
How much time do i have?
You will need to talk about your vision in all kinds of situations. Sometimes you
EVANGELISM
will have 30 seconds to get things across, sometimes you may have 30 minutes.
Develop a plan to articulate your vision when you have these time frames:
1. 30 seconds
2. 5 minutes
3. 20 minutes
Hip-pocket sermons
What passages of scripture can help you explain your vision? Identify three
passages (one from the Old Testament, one from a gospel, and one from an
epistle, perhaps?) and outline a short talk (10-20 minutes) based on each,
in which you can cast your vision. Familiarize yourself with these talks so
you can pull them out whenever opportunity knocks.
1. Passage 1
2. Passage 2
3. Passage 3
3.18
It's personal
Think of a personal story that shows people why you care about this vision.
Develop a good way to tell it. (Or, develop two--one with a happy ending,
INTRODUCTION
and one that's more of a tragedy.)
ANALYSIS
Eye opener
Develop a simple visual that can serve as a sign for the vision. (If necessary,
VISION
get help from your graphically-gifted friends.)
LEADERSHIP
"Always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that you have"
DEVELOPMENT
1 Peter 3:15b, NIV
WORSHIP &
PRAYER
SMALL GROUPS
LARGE GROUP
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EVANGELISM
3.19
0 4 L E A D E R S H I P D E V E L O P M E N T
A N D T R A I N I N G T O W A R D T H E V I S I O N
INTRODUCTION
ANALYSIS
VISION
Strategic
Evangelism
LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
Attractive
NSO
WORSHIP &
Missional
Quality
PRAYER
Small Groups
Large Group
SMALL GROUPS
God-Directed Vision for the
Campus & Fellowship
LARGE GROUP
Growth
NSO
Worship & Concerted
Leadership Development
Prayer toward the Vision
& Training toward the Vision
EVANGELISM
4.01
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING TOWARD THE VISION
A n i n t r o d u c t i o n
INTRODUCTION
Va l G o r d o n
Where to begin? It seems we have more books on leadership than we
ANALYSIS
would ever have time to read. The more we read about leadership,
the more all-encompassing it can become.
VISION
InterVarsity staff alum Rich Lamb uses a definition of leadership that is
helpful as we think about leadership and chapter building:
LEADERSHIP
Leadership = Task + Influence
DEVELOPMENT
As we think about our leaders, our goal for them is to participate in the
mission God has for them on campus and to be able to do that well. But it is
WORSHIP &
not the sole thing we are after. We don't just care about how quality a job a
PRAYER
student or faculty member is doing in their task, we care about the influence
they are having as they do the task. We want our students and faculty to be
SMALL GROUPS
growing in their love for God, his Word, his people and his purposes. We
long for our students to be transformed in every part of their being to be able
to reflect Jesus to their families, friends, campus and ultimately the world.
LARGE GROUP
This is the kind of influence we want students to have as they do a variety of
leadership tasks and serve in a variety of leadership roles.
NSO
It is the combination of Task + Influence that can help us have effective
Leadership Development and Training Toward The Vision happening on
EVANGELISM
our campuses.
What follows are some words and tools to help you:
· Select leaders for a variety of tasks and look for leaders who can have
influence on the whole campus, not just a certain audience on campus
or a particular personality type of student.
· Select leaders to make good leadership teams.
· Develop in these leaders the ability to do the task well,
as well as their ability to have influence over their peers as they serve.
· Plan for a leadership structure that moves your fellowship towards growth.
Leadership is hardly a small or simple topic. Thankfully God is invested
in our becoming leaders who are able to lead student leaders. He is also
invested in students' learning and growing in their leadership. InterVarsity is
a great place for students to test their skills and gifts, as well as to develop
their inner life to set them on a path of leadership for the rest of their lives.
The journey for students, as for us, begins and ends with God. He is the
leader and so we look to him.
4.02
LEADERSHIP SELECTION: RECOGNIZING & AWAKENING
MISSIONAL CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS
INTRODUCTION
C h r i s N i c h o l s
This article attempts to address a frequent question that arises among
ANALYSIS
chapter planters and builders: How do I recognize and mobilize missional
Christians on campus? Chris offers some student profiles as examples of
VISION
missional and non-missional Christians, and also lists several characteristics
to watch for as you meet and interact with students and faculty on campus.
LEADERSHIP
If you are building an InterVarsity chapter, you know that one key to
DEVELOPMENT
developing that chapter is gathering "missional Christians." A missional
Christian is defined as a student or faculty member who is motivated by their
WORSHIP &
relationship with Jesus to advance the gospel on their campus, someone who
PRAYER
is willing to devote time, resources and take risks for Jesus' sake.
In the chapter-building framework, missional Christians are the essential
SMALL GROUPS
component. But knowing who they are isn't always obvious. Missional
Christians have certain characteristics which make them unique, and as you
LARGE GROUP
spend time with students and faculty, you begin to recognize that not every
student or faculty member is missional. So how can you recognize missional
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Christians?
We begin to understand who missional Christians are from watching Jesus
EVANGELISM
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 or faculty member 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 and 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 Bill 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.
Bill's gifts were big and so were his liabilities. Unchecked, untrained, and
4.03
unmentored he was a menace to the group. His willingness to take risks
was welcome but the randomness of his actions were not. His fearlessness
in the face of opposition and conflict meant he wasn't easily intimidated
INTRODUCTION
but it also meant he could be intimidating and cause those he was
confronting to run in the other direction.
ANALYSIS
It would have been easy to decide that Bill didn't fit our group, that he
belonged with someone else and that he didn't fit our culture. But it was
clear that Bill was a leader and would be important to us if we wanted to
VISION
see the ministry advance. He was willing to be a part of InterVarsity, and it
became my job (along with other staff) to help him not only identify his many
LEADERSHIP
gifts but also learn how to practice them on campus with love and care.
DEVELOPMENT
Sometimes that meant correcting some aspect of Bill's behavior that was
offensive. Other times it meant standing up for him and protecting him
WORSHIP &
from those who were simply offended by his willingness to be public about
PRAYER
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
SMALL GROUPS
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
LARGE GROUP
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,
NSO
a leader and an influencer wherever he goes.
Mary arrived in the group as a freshman. She was quiet and tended to
EVANGELISM
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 to determine 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 faithfully 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 Bill's, her impact for the mission was just as great.
As staff, we are watching for missional followers and as we find them,
4.04
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.
INTRODUCTION
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
ANALYSIS
are a diverse group. And because they are young, sometimes they 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
VISION
show their risk taking talents by taking the wrong risks. Their determination to
make a difference may come across as arrogance. Their fearlessness may be
LEADERSHIP
interpreted as hubris. Their eagerness to make an impact for the kingdom may
DEVELOPMENT
be experienced as disruptive to the group. Yet, they do show up on campus
and do display some common characteristics.
WORSHIP &
PRAYER
Characteristics of missional Christians
We are looking for students and faculty who:
SMALL GROUPS
·
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.
LARGE GROUP
·
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
NSO
they understand enough to engage with us in reaching out to parts of
the campus we had never impacted.
EVANGELISM
·
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 relationally, but they make significant
connections.
·
take risks. The level of risk looks different with different people, but
students and faculty 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
4.05
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
INTRODUCTION
leadership. It takes patience and lots of communication to make headway.
Searching for missional Christians
ANALYSIS
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
vision. Staff need to be dedicated to being missional themselves. Like will
attract like. Second, staff should look for opportunities to both demonstrate
LEADERSHIP
the fundamental values of the mission they are leading and practice their
DEVELOPMENT
missional skills. Where are new frontiers on campus for advancing God's
kingdom? Staff should be going there. As staff live out a missional lifestyle
WORSHIP &
on campus, they must constantly and consistently cast vision for the work
PRAYER
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
SMALL GROUPS
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, through
LARGE GROUP
meeting friends of original campus contacts. Each avenue of contact with
new students that presents itself is your opportunity to go looking for
NSO
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.
EVANGELISM
Each time you meet someone you are looking for signs. How do they
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 or faculty member, 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 fully in the ministry, invite them into leadership. 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 or faculty member 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.
4.06
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
INTRODUCTION
seemed like exactly the right person to help us move the group forward. Matt
looked like a missional leader because he had sophisticated people skills. He
knew his way around the evangelical world and knew the right language. He
ANALYSIS
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
VISION
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
LEADERSHIP
leading a group that sought to take risks in order to advance the impact
DEVELOPMENT
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
WORSHIP &
supported and encouraged one another but not engage with the secular
PRAYER
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
SMALL GROUPS
needs more fully.
Be ready to be surprised about whom God is calling. Be praying for them. Help
LARGE GROUP
them gain a biblical understanding of the their role as you work together. And
prepare for the day when you will hand the mission over to them.
NSO
Missional Christians are essential to the development of mission. May God
give us eyes to recognize those he sends!
EVANGELISM
4.07
LEADERSHIP SELECTION: FORMING A GOOD TEAM
Va l G o r d o n a n d C h r i s N i c h o l s
INTRODUCTION
As we begin the process of leadership selection, our top value should be
getting new leaders fo 
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