At the foundation of the InterVarsity Faculty Ministry vision is the formation of witnessing communities of faculty within the institutions of higher education. Other aspects of our Vision and Mission are far less likely to be fulfilled in the absence of vibrant, Christian communities of faculty. Individuals acting alone are almost never able to sustain the kinds of involvement we envision. Indeed, it is not good for a person to be alone. Christian community has been the seedbed and foundation of Christian mission since the foundation of the world Christian movement recorded in the pages of Scripture.
If gathering witnessing communities is foundational, it is also hard work. It involves dead ends, missed appointment, false starts, disappointments, opposition, and conflict. Just a cursory reading of the letters of Paul, the New Testaments’ premier cross cultural gatherer of witnessing communities, should disabuse us of the notion that this is easy work. And we would be remiss not to note that gathering witnessing communities of faculty in the contemporary academy is a tougher assignment than most. Indeed, some have suggested that Faculty Ministry should not even attempt this effort, given its rigors. To us, this seems un-Biblical, un-Gospel, unbelieving. Make no mistake, this work is a glorious work, wonderful for the grace it displays, wonderful for the relationships it builds and that we come to enjoy, wonderful for the way it advances the Kingdom of God, wonderful for the way it brings glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, One God! Why would we want to rob faculty of the joy and privilege of life and mission in witnessing communities because we find the challenges daunting and difficult?
Assuming, then, that you have faced the challenges, counted the cost of this ministry, and seen the grace and glory in gathering witnessing communities of faculty, how should we proceed?
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