Perspectives from Bobby, May 2015

Though many of you continue your ministry on campus throughout the summer, I want to offer a few updates and reflections for your encouragement.

GFM Leadership Team Meeting

Earlier this month the GFMLT met in Atlanta. We opened our four days by reflecting on Psalm 91, which begins:

We wanted to entrust ourselves (and any anxieties) to the Lord as we entered into our work as stewards of the GFM mission. How apt these words proved to be as the last thing we did together was to join a conference call to hear Alec disclose his illness and decision to step down as our president. We are all united in our prayers for Alec (and Mary) as they face this great trial and in our trust that God will provide for InterVarsity.

In our meeting, we reviewed our progress at the two-year point of our five-year strategic plan. So much to be thankful for! You have worked diligently and God has been gracious. Let’s celebrate some of the good results: 

• 9 new witnessing communities launched
• 10 new campus staff appointed
• 4 Evangelism Champions in place, ready to function as a learning/leadership team for GFM
• 84 students/faculty became Jesus-followers this year
• Growing use of the Five Thresholds evangelism training resource designed by/for GFM
• 3-year plans finalized for International Student Ministry (Michael Gehrling) and Women in the Academy & Professions (Karen Guzman)
• Believers in Business conference grew to 293 (+33%)
• “New Faculty Outreach” introduced as an innovative outreach strategy with welcome gifts now available from the staff store
• Scholars Compass launched as a new on-line devotional resource for faculty/emerging scholars
• An inspiring Mundelein conference on shalom

Multi-ethnic Growth

We have committed ourselves to a growth pathway over the next years in light of our multi-ethnic aspirations for GFM. We want to increase our effectiveness in serving the full range of ethnic and cultural diversity among students and faculty on our campuses. To that end, we are all seeking to grow in our cross-cultural dexterity, we are cultivating teams that will be hospitable to a diversity of members, we are prayerfully recruiting more ethnic minority staff to join our ranks and we are weaving ethnic awareness into our resources and strategies.

We are already reaping fruit from our focus at the Mundelein conference in 2014 and our individual and team work over this past year. At this year’s Mundelein, I sensed that we were further down the path as we joyfully engaged in multi-ethnic worship, learned from a multiplicity of voices, heard inspiring stories from Lisa Liou and Hank Tarlton and extended warm hospitality to one another and our guests. But I was especially encouraged by the impromptu list of “steps of learning or action” taken this past year by so many of you that we gathered for our “wall of shalom.” I am attaching an edited list of these for your inspiration!

Looking Ahead

Although I am a bit tired as I head toward the June 30th finish line (like many of you, I have some MPD work left to do), I am already excited as I think ahead to next year. I am pleased to begin working with Kathy Tuan-MacLean as the new Associate Director of GFM. I am looking forward to what we will learn in evangelism, not only from the E-champs and their pilot projects, but also from many of you as you innovate outreach strategies. I am interested in what we will discover about “chapter growth” as each region experiments with fresh strategies and coaching. I am thrilled that in partnership with Learning & Talent and MEM, we will offer GFM staff directors a high-level course on Managing and Leading Ethnic Diversity in September. I am eager to hire a Communications & Web Director and to fill more of our empty Area Director slots. Just to name a few things. So much good work to do. Let’s continue to trust in the One who says to those who love him: