Category: Reflect Actively (Page 3 of 8)

“We have tremendous unity in our need for a good shepherd.”

As we gathered leaders overseeing InterVarsity’s work across the colleges and universities in the U.S., we focused together on our call to be sheep and shepherds in this tumultuous season.

Instead of in person gathering in San Antonio, we engaged together over video conference, processing the experience of schools and InterVarsity groups moving online and called out together to God for his shepherding of us.

One of the leaders shared the quote above about our unity around need. In these days it deepened our engagement in prayer and with each other. I am so grateful for these resilient and creative leaders who press forward in their roles as sheep and shepherds.

At InterVarsity’s triennial national staff conference this month, we came together to hear stories of hope: new campuses reached, students coming to Christ and leading others to faith.  We also heard stories from what God is doing abroad, especially in our sister movement in Ethiopia.  We rededicated ourselves to the vision of establishing a witnessing community on every campus by the year 2030.  And we were reminded that revival starts with our own intimacy with Jesus.  Praise God for meeting us in this gathering and join me in praying that we would take our posture of longing back with us to campuses around the United States.

There is something compelling about finding puzzle pieces align and putting them together.

Last week I led a team of 10 staff through findings from our discovery interviews to identify practices and principles of leading movements that impact every corner of a campus.

During our time we put pieces together that we can pilot with ministers around the country. Pray for our continued work of clarifying these groupings and identifying campuses to partner with in the next season.

InterVarsity’s 2030 Calling directs us to see our campus mission field with fresh eyes, focusing on unreached corners and campuses. This calling is compelled by a holy discontent—thousands of students and faculty have little or no gospel-centered witnessing community on their campuses. It also is fueled by a holy longing—a yearning for campuses to experience a season of breakthroughs in word, deed, and power that usher in a new normal of kingdom experience and fruitfulness.

This is longing for revival.

At InterVarsity’s Staff Conference 20 in January we will seek the Lord for kingdom breakthroughs in our own lives and every corner of every campus. We will give our attention to preparing for revival, renewing our calling, and thriving together. We will meet the Lord in Scripture through John 13–17, Jesus’ Upper Room Discourse. And we will worship with our brothers and sisters gathered from across the fellowship.

Would you pray for the final preparations for this conference, God’s protection over our gathering, and that God would meet us in profound ways as a community? Thank you!