Chapter planting in the Graduate Student and Faculty Ministry context - Ministry Exchange (MX)

Chapter Planting in the Graduate Student and Faculty Ministry Context

Graduate student, professional student and faculty ministries present some
unique challenges to planting new fellowships. However, we believe that the
current chapter planting model is applicable in these contexts. There are
four distinct groups of people to consider when planting in the GFM
context:

. Ph.D. programs in Arts, Science and Engineering (3-8 years) . Masters programs (1-2) years . Professionals Programs (MBA, Law, MFA, MD, etc.) . Faculty

Fellowships with at least 50 percent Ph.D. students adapt most easily to
this model. The most notable difference for this group is that the time-
line may be extended where each stage may take up to a year to complete. A
second difference is that weekly large group meetings will probably not be
the goal. There are a number of different models for what a graduate
fellowship may look like, and time should be spent considering which model
will be most appropriate for the particular campus to which the planter is
assigned. A third difference is that the number of students involved may
look more comparable to an undergraduate commuter campus than a four year
residential campus. Much of this depends upon the number of graduate
students on a given campus and the number of Ph.D. students versus masters
students.

One-year masters programs are generally very intensive-so much so that
students do not have time to help build a fellowship. Additionally it is
often difficult to identify leaders who can get plugged in before they
finish their program. Hence, inordinate amounts of time ought not to be
spent in developing a group around these students. Rather, invite them to
already existing fellowships. In a given year there may be enough people
from a particular program to sustain a program-specific small group, but it
may be difficult to sustain such a group over multiple years.

Two-year masters programs have greater potential for sustaining a
fellowship as long as there is careful attention to leadership selection. A
group is always one year away from extinction. Whenever possible it is best
to combine masters students with Ph.D. students in a single fellowship.
When this is not possible, the planter will primarily be the one who
identifies and invites students into leadership. It also tends to work
better if leadership terms run from January to January at semester schools
and April to April for
quarter schools. The implication of this is that leaders must be identified
quickly and given opportunities to show leadership potential early in their
programs.

Each professional school program has its own set of opportunities and
challenges. Faculty groups may develop less quickly than graduate student
chapters. Two reasons for this are, first, the challenge of finding out who
the Christian faculty are on a campus and, second, the difficulty of
setting up appointments with faculty members. Finding Christian faculty
often involves meeting with local pastors, administrators or other campus
ministers who know someone who may know a faculty member. It also may take
much longer to identify faculty who are missional and willing to take on
leadership responsibilities. Early on, the planter may need to take on most
leadership responsibilities and then provide opportunities for faculty to
lead. One additional way to identify Christian faculty is by holding well
publicized one-day symposiums.

Number of core students needed by stage and type of group

Stage 1*	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Core Group	Preview	Chapter	Mission
Gathering	Gathering	Launch	Launch
Graduate	10-20	20-30	30-40	40-60
Students
MBA
Law
Medical
Faculty	5-10	10-15	15-20	20-25
2 or 4 Year	10-20	20-30	30-40	40-60
Commuter
4 Year	10-20	20-30	40-60	60-80
Residential

Note each stage may take up to 1 year in the GFM context.

Specific Questions to Ask at each Stage in the GFM context

Spying out the Land

In the GFM context planters need ask, “Where is God at work on this
campus?” On larger campuses with many graduate programs there is potential
for multiple GFM chapters. But these often cannot be planted
simultaneously. Hence, asking where God is already at work and where
planting should begin is a critical question.

Additional questions to consider in the GFM context:

. How many masters students are there? How long are their programs? Which programs are the largest? . How many Ph.D. students are there? Which programs are the largest? . Are most of the students full-time? Are they working full-time and taking evening classes? . Are there any churches or other campus ministries targeting graduate students? . How many faculty are there? Are there any Christian faculty gatherings on campus already? . What professional programs are on this campus? How many students in each? Are there other professional school ministries in existence? . Are there particular churches that seem to attract more faculty and graduate students? . Is there any graduate student or faculty housing on campus? . Where do my gifts best fit with where God is already working? . What GFM model of ministry will best fit this campus and my gifts?

Stage 1: Gathering the Core

Part of the reason the time-line is expanded is that it is difficult to
identify new students throughout the semester or quarter. This makes the
month before and the month after classes commence a critical time in the
life of the plant. It is important to keep track of all contacts and to
follow up quickly with a phone call or a face-to-face meeting, if possible
(these do not need to be a one-on-one meeting). E-mail should not be the
only form of follow-up, as it is very easy to ignore. It is strategic to
follow-up contacts who do not become involved in the first semester or
quarter in the second semester, quarter or even in the second year. In some
programs, the first year can be so demanding that new graduate students may
hesitate to commit. But students maybe more open to commit after they see
that they can maintain their workload. It is also important to find ways to
connect with the friends and colleagues of students who become involved.
One successful way to do this is to ask a student if you may host lunch
with her and one of her colleagues. A simple sack lunch may open the door
to deeper conversations.

The best time and place to meet graduate students is in the beginning of
the year at the new graduate student orientation. Many campuses sponsor
these events a couple of weeks before the semester or quarter begins and
allow groups to set up tables at or near these events. Another event to
consider is a picnic for new graduate students and local pastors. Churches
that have a vision for ministry to the campus are often excited to
participate and may even help supply the food. It is a great way to
emphasize the importance of the local church to students and highlight to
pastors InterVarsity’s commitment to the local church.

. How do we serve non-missional Christians and potential missional Christians we meet? . How do we help not-yet missional Christians become missional?

Stage 2: Preview Gatherings

. How often should preview gatherings be held? What are we previewing? (These may only happen once in a semester.) . What does relevant evangelism look like in this context? How do we develop this value in our leaders? . Do we have natural inviters in our group? How do we develop this skill in the more introverted members? . If stage one takes one year, then NSO will take place in stage 2 for graduate fellowships. . Are there faculty events that can be used to attract new faculty members to the fellowship?

Stage 3: Chapter Launch

. How often will our gathering events happen? What is their purpose? . What does a gathering event look like in the faculty context? How often should these events take place? . How are leaders being developed in faculty ministry?

Stage 4: Mission Launch

. Where is the best place for evangelism to take place in the graduate student and faculty context? How can Veritas Conversations and Forums be used for evangelistic purposes? . What mission/urban projects are appropriate in the graduate and faculty contexts? . In the faculty context how do make our group known on campus?

Planting is a challenging endeavor in any context. But the fruit of
building witnessing communities in places that never had them is
everlasting.

Lynn Gill
June 2008