This past week I wrote my GFM Annual Report for 2017-18 for Jason Thomas. Let me share a few excerpts for your awareness and encouragement.
Our 192 witnessing communities fall into three categories: 80 grad fellowships (including 16 international), 57 professional school groups, and 54 faculty communities. These communities represent 111 campuses.
Total participation in GFM campus communities declined by 275 to a total of 4,283 (3,454 grad students, 829 faculty).
In addition, we actively served at least 361 faculty who are not members of an associated fellowship, bringing the number receiving ministry from GFM to a total 1,190 faculty and administrators. Altogether, GFM directly ministered to total 4,644 on campus:
Grad students in groups: 3,454
Faculty in groups: 829
Faculty served individually: 361
Total 4,644
Of grad student participants: 39.5% were white, 37% international, 23.5% ethnic minority.
Of faculty fellowship participants: 70% white, 5% international, 25% ethnic minority.
GFM overall participants, then, entails 55% people of color.
We reported 52 decisions to follow Christ, a disappointing drop from 83 and 87 in the previous two years.
New Campuses and Corners: We planted (reported for first time) 15 new fellowships, adding 127 participants: 6 grad fellowships, 3 professional groups (Law, MBA, Architecture), 5 faculty communities. Of these, 5 are new campuses for GFM, 2 are recovering campuses where we had been recently inactive, and 8 were new corners. Four of these are new campuses for InterVarsity (Ohio U, Princeton, Emporia State, U Colorado—Denver)
Inactive groups: Ten groups went inactive, accounting for 51 faculty and 60 grad students: Seven were due to staff departures with no replacements ready; 3 were dropped by SDs who were covering tiny groups.
Last year was the final one for our five-year strategic plan, which contained ten major goals under five initiatives. We made good progress on every front: Growth, Evangelism, Discipleship, Leadership, and Organizational Strength. A few examples:
planted over 70 witnessing communities- hired over 55 new CSMs
- innovated new evangelism training and outreach strategies
- increased staff of color and gave attention GFM-wide to cross-cultural competence
- expanded our focused ministries: ISM, BSAP, WAP, MBA, Faculty, ESN
- filled more than a dozen leadership positions for the first time
- strengthened the administrative leadership and support across GFM
- raised over $1.6 m in strategic funds
Digesting the AFR indications and reading the RD narratives on the year gives me at least a partial sense of progress in our mission. For last year overall, I am mostly pleased. We held steady in our ministry reach. We added capacity at the leadership level. We are building momentum for a new season of growth in response to the 2030 Calling. My biggest disappointment is in the decline in reported decisions to follow Christ. I know many of you have been eager to learn and try new things and I know many of us have been praying, but I (we) don’t know why the fruit did not increase. Let’s not lose hope or flag in faithful effort with our students and faculty.
Writing my report, more than anything, makes me grateful for each one of you and your part in pursuing our mission. As always, thank you and may God continue to supply grace.
Bobby
