Pray for strategic decisions being made this week
4am. Wide awake.
Chris sighs. Jet-lag. It certainly isn’t the first time. He is from New Zealand after all.
Abandoning the idea of getting any more sleep, he drags himself out of bed. At least the extra hours will give him a chance to pray for the demanding day ahead before turning on his laptop. The meetings start at 9am, and will go on for almost six days, but there’s still a lot to do before then…
Big questions
Chris Collins is the Chair of the IFES Board. He leads the group of 13 members as they discuss and decide on strategies and policies for the organisation. They meet this week in Canada to discuss all sorts of questions like:
Is IFES heading in the right direction?
What should our strategic priorities be in the years ahead?
Is this pioneering movement ready to affiliate to IFES?
Are we being responsible stewards of the resources God has given us?
Synergy
The members of the Board come from all over the world. Among them are students, CEOs, pastors, businessmen and government ministers. Different cultures, different backgrounds, different opinions: the diversity of the Board is its strength, as well as its biggest challenge.
The Board meet together physically about once a year. This time they might be missing one of their members. He’s still waiting for his visa. In the current global climate, it’s an increasingly common problem.
The Board is the body responsible for making sure movements steward resources well and maintain doctrinal integrity. It provides oversight to ensure that in five years, in fifty years, and in 100 years, there is still a thriving, indigenous Christian witness in universities across the world.
Wisdom from God
“We often comment at these meetings that it’s not just a matter of human endeavour and activity, good administration or good meeting practice. The most important thing is that God guides and directs us.”
Chris asked us to pray for them as they meet this week:
- Pray for effective communication, especially for those operating in a second language.
- Pray for stamina and alertness for each member for the six days of meetings, especially for those coping with tiredness due to long journeys or jet-lag.
- Pray for wisdom and insight in discussions and decision-making, particularly regarding new movement affiliations and the General Secretary recruitment process.
Thanks for praying with us!