I – Independence
Every university ministry I know is struggling with the same problem.
It is the problem of how to help their graduates transition into fruitful Christian outreach once they enter the work force.
Students who have had great ministries on their university campus get caught up in the many demands of post-university life. They stop sharing their faith. Some stop reading their Bibles. Some stop going to church. And some even turn against the faith they demonstrated during university.
Let’s face it, the transition is hard. They are entering into a new mission field.
I’ve seen the same struggle with people who move from one city to another. In the old city they had a church that was reaching out. They knew how to be a part of that outreach program and were quite fruitful. But transfer to a new city without the support structures and they stop reaching out.
The people who are most successful in making these transitions have five things going for them.
They have:
- a Kingdom Vision: something so big that they can not accomplish it by themselves
- a Team: people who work together toward that vision
- a Plan: steps the team is committed to taking which will lead them toward their vision
- Ongoing Equipping: so that they can become more effective.
- a Coach: someone to help them overcome obstacles
The letter I stands for Independence. You need to prepare the people you are discipling to be successful once they leave you and the structures and culture you have helped create. Make sure they understand their need for the five things I’ve listed above. This video might help you in your training.
Talking about ongoing equipping, you might want to check out MyFriends Training. Our next set of courses start the week of April 30. The ad is focused on Australians, but the training is open to anyone who can make the Australian times.
Next week I’ll tell you how to download this entire series in a format that you can share with your friends and introduce our next topic.
Have a great week talking with people about Jesus.