God created us with the ability to think. So, I've decided to take time to think and plan the development of my ministry at Kiev. (God to give me vision) 1. We prepare and evaluate the area of our ministry. We determine our target audience and its leaders. We organize a powerful prayer movement for this area and these people. We establish contact and relationships with influential people of the area. On the basis of info received during this first stage, we plan our further actions (meeting the head of the university or his deputy, the person responsible for the dorms, etc.) This stage should take several weeks. During this time, we also need to prepare a foundation for the development of our movement: a team of people and materials. We need to count our financial and material resources because we don't want to be like the unwise builder who began his work without calculating the cost and was not able to finish. 2. At the second stage we sow broadly and abundantly in the area we have chosen (our target audience). On campus we pass out Freshman magazines, organize large events and attract students by interesting projects and conferences ("conference" does not sound very interesting - we need to find a better name). We emphasize reaching natural leaders - those students who already lead people in other directions: study group leaders, resident assistants, leaders of some interest groups. Then, after sowing broadly, we look for those people in whom God works. We organize small groups for students who want to know more about Christ. We place special emphasis on meeting with these students one on one. It helps us to learn more about their life, fears and aspirations and to show them how Jesus can satisfy all their needs. Then, among these people, we choose faithful and teachable disciples. These students will be the foundation for the future successful growth of our movement. |
|
At this stage we also need to spend a lot of time in prayer and fellowship with God, the way we did before starting the ministry, to choose our disciples well. We need to observe them carefully and spend a lot of time talking to them to know their heart. It is preferable to choose people with strong personality, able to lead others. After deciding who will become my disciples, I will be spending a lot of time with them: ministry, going to church, fun activities and even my leisure time. They need to see how Jesus is vital in everyday life. I will try to involve them in ministry as much as possible so that they can see their importance to the existence and growth of the student movement. It's very important for young people to feel that they are needed, valued and significant. Their new Christian worldview should be based on the Bible and their personal relationship with God. We also need to help develop in our disciples a sense of unity with the movement and the church. This stage takes 3-4 months before our winter conference. 3. This is the stage when students who joined us in September or October begin to go witnessing and their hearts begin to burn with the desire to lead other students in ministry. As a result of their witnessing in the dorms and their study groups, they find their own disciples. During this time, we need to be especially careful not to leave them alone. As never before, during this period they need a discipler. I cannot switch to finding new disciples for myself. My focus should be on helping these people find and raise strong disciples of their own. I need to help them become good leaders, as well as teach them to use easily transferable materials and skills. We also should continue to develop in these disciples the sense of belonging to our movement by involving them in planning and execution of different events and projects. We need to make sure they go on a summer project and have some responsibility there. It would be the best if at the project they could help their disciple or any other student. This stage continues for 6 to 7 months, from February till September. |
|
4. The fourth stage starts in September. With new strength we continue the work of the first three stages. By this time, my disciples and disciples of other staff members become an integral part of the ministry. It becomes very important to strengthen and expand the core leadership group by adding new disciples who participate in the process of spiritual multiplication. We need to teach our students to create conditions when: - every student on campus has many attractive opportunities to hear the Gospel - every new Christian has opportunities for growth and involvement in ministry - every student in the movement can see his/her prospects of becoming a leader and changing the lives of other students. 5. At this stage we continue building the student movement. During all stages, a lot of the work is done by students. They plan and conduct events, and the staff members coordinate their activities. The staff also try to determine weak aspects of the movement and to improve the situation in them. By now, more people are prepared to do the ministry than we need for our target audience, and we can look for new ministry areas. Our movement will send people out to organize a new student ministry on another campus. The five stage process of building a movement will enter its new cycle and will continue until The Great Commission is fulfilled!!!!! If you don't have a dream, you won't see it fulfilled! When you have a plan how to make your dream reality, it becomes your goal. Having a goal in life inspires desire. And desire gives life to dry bones that become covered with flesh and start moving. Movement is life. And life is Jesus. So, to have a dream is to have Jesus! He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life!" The way is building the movement. The truth is how to build it. The life is to desire and thirst for it, and then Jesus will come. When He comes, the life will come. |
