Post date: Nov 15, 2012 12:21:38 AM
Had a talk about working together with LCF.
IV and His House working proposal DRAFT
Tim and Lyndsey met before the year started to discuss His House coming to LU. At Tim's invitation, Lyndsey and Katy have participated in the LCF faculty lunch discussion and have observed regularly at the LCF LG. Several LCF leaders have also spoken with Katy and Lyndsey as they have been learning about Lawrence. We have had discussions, prayed together, and built trust and common understanding this last term. Katy and Lyndsey have offered to serve LCF as they continue to learn about Lawrence and discern God's call for them here. As time has gone on, we have come to consider a more permanent partnership.
This draft proposal is not intended to be a detailed or exhaustive account of a working relationship. Instead it summarizes some of our discussion and attempts to highlight areas that we want to bring to our respective leaders. We've discussed the following motivations and concerns:
LU's small size can make it difficult for multiple campus ministries to work without competing for students and student leaders, appearing to present a divided Christianity to the campus, or "bumping into" each other in various ways -- we would all like to avoid those problems
We seem to share a similar view of campus ministry and have common goals, and at this point see no strong rationale for two distinct campus groups
The needs and opportunities within LCF could easily accommodate additional campus ministry staff (a matter of expressed need and strategic planning for IV)
Tim would like to help Katy and Lyndsey, would welcome their help in LCF, and feels conflicted about the need for multiple ministries at LU
Katy and Lyndsey are committed to avoid recruiting students from LCF or using LCF as a launching pad for a separate Christian group
We want any partnership to be built with the knowledge and blessing of our leaders in the respective organizations, as well as the agreement and cooperation of student leaders
The following is a list of potential partnership issues and solutions.
Funding. K&L are adequately funded and do not need to raise funds from LCF alum. We will need to work out a plan down the road for approaching LCF alum for support if the need arises.
Conferences. We currently see no conflict between IV and HH conference offerings. K&L are comfortable supporting recruitment to IV conferences. Tim is comfortable with supporting HH summer missions opportunities and HH missions conferences in off-Urbana years. We will have to work out a plan if K&H participate in or help staff IV conferences.
K&H would have full access to students, student lists, etc. as partnering staff with Tim. Plans on serving students would be worked out together
K&H would be entering into an established ministry in the IV tradition, with its ethos of student leadership, discipleship, prayer, evangelism, small group ministry, student ministry and training, etc. They need to learn more about that tradition, but much of it is common with evangelical Christianity more broadly and HH in particular.
We may need an "exit strategy" to avoid a chapter split if HH eventually establishes a separate group.
We have not discussed any reporting or accountability to either HH or IV beyond what individual staff do already to their own organizations.
We have also discussed some particulars of a working relationship, such as good communication, regular meetings and prayer together. T has detailed some particular areas of need to give K&H and idea of how we might proceed. We are available to work out more details in December.
This seems like an opportune time to implement a working partnership. It would meet needs in LCF and make for an easier "on ramp" for K&H into student ministry at LU. From an IV point of view, I suppose this sort of arrangement looks like it risks disruption in a long-standing ministry (should the relationship sour), but it does meet a strategic ministry need in the Fox Valley (or at least LU). From an HH point of view, this partnership would mean that HH has a ministry presence but no student group with an HH identity. I (Tim) don't really know how to assess this disadvantage for HH (in IV a sort of collective momentum is important in a number of respects, such as the quality of multi-school conferences).