{"id":43215,"date":"2024-11-07T09:10:48","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T09:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/?post_type=conexion&p=43215"},"modified":"2024-11-07T09:10:49","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T09:10:49","slug":"student-led-ministry","status":"publish","type":"conexion","link":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/blog\/student-led-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"AMATEURS IN CHARGE?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You wouldn\u2019t expect an amateur actor to direct a Hollywood blockbuster. You wouldn\u2019t let an amateur chef prepare a presidential dinner. So, why should ordinary students without theological qualifications lead campus Bible studies? Why let young, impressionable adults take charge of Christian witness and ministry at university?\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In this Conexi\u00f3n blog, we\u2019re considering the case for student-led ministry.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It\u2019s a core value of IFES<\/a>: \u201cWe are a ministry of students reaching students and we believe in students taking the initiative in all aspects of witness to the university.\u201d<\/strong> But why take the risk? Why put \u201camateurs\u201d in charge? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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When reading through the Gospels, you might ask the same questions of Jesus. Matthew has barely left his tax collector\u2019s desk (Matthew 9), when Jesus sends him and other spiritual rookies to help confront evil and heal sickness among the \u201charassed and helpless\u201d (Matthew 10). Yet Jesus\u2019s risky trust in his ‘students\u2019 yields clear rewards \u2013 for the helpless and the helpers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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By looking at that passage in the light of past and present IFES ministry, we can see six compelling reasons for championing student initiative. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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1. THE STUDENT WORLD: A PLENTIFUL HARVEST<\/strong> <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The trigger for Jesus sending out his students was not their need for spiritual growth. This mission was not designed as a \u2018discipleship program\u2019. Primarily, it expressed Jesus\u2019s loving response to a vast need (Matthew 9:35-38). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Of course, the disciples did learn much (see below). But here we find an important caveat for all that follows: Jesus entrusts his followers with ministry because of the \u201cplentiful harvest\u201d \u2013 and the need for \u201cworkers\u201d to gather it in. Through his disciples, the multitudes could be touched.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Ten years ago, it was a similar sense of need and calling that caused four students to sail for nine days on an open boat up the Lualaba river.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Albert, Patrice, Dieudonn\u00e9, and Venance, from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), were students in the GBU DRC group in Kisangani. When they heard that two provinces in their country lacked any GBU presence, they felt burdened and decided to act.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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After much prayer and fasting, they sailed for the University of Kindu \u2013 in a province dominated by Islam and folk religions. There, they met students, talked to them about Christ, and introduced the basics of the IFES vision. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The four pioneering students from Kisangani passed on Bible study skills and led prayer and worship. When they left a month later, nine students had taken responsibility for the new group.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The need has not changed. In fact, over the last ten years, the number of students enrolled in higher education worldwide has skyrocketed. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Today, it stands at around 250 million \u2013 a vast harvest field.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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2. STUDENT-LED: STUDENTS REACHING STUDENTS<\/strong> <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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To gather in the plentiful harvest, Jesus told his students to spend time in the field. When they entered a town, they were to stay in people\u2019s homes (Matthew 10:11). We\u2019re not told how long the whole mission lasted \u2013 it certainly wasn\u2019t the typical 3-5 years that higher education takes. However, the principle remains: they spent time among the \u201clost sheep\u201d, chatting in their homes, eating around their tables, winning their trust and witnessing their needs. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In the same way, university students who are disciples of Jesus are best placed to reach students who are lost, \u201charassed and helpless\u201d. For they are already in the harvest field, chatting with them on campus, sharing meals together, and encountering their needs.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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This is why staff in IFES and staff workers in its national movements encourage and equip students to do the harvesting. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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As a student in SIUCF<\/a> (Solomon Islands), Amelia was involved in the ministry on her campus. But, when she became a staff worker, she learned a hard lesson. She realised how she needed to step back \u2013 to do less hands-on ministry so that students could do more. In a recent Prayerline<\/a>, she shares:  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cThe dynamics of student ministry are very different from how I\u2019m used to serving within our church youth fellowship. Regional support from IFES has equipped me to grow SIUCF ministry by training up the students.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Consequently, some campuses now have students running Bible study groups in several dorms. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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3. STUDENT-LED: EXPERIENCING GOD AT WORK <\/strong> <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Jesus\u2019s first disciples saw him heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, and drive out demons (Matthew 8-9). They saw God at work through Jesus. Then, Jesus gave them authority to do exactly the same (10:8) \u2013 and they experienced God work through<\/em> them.<\/em> Luke tells us how thrilling this was for Jesus\u2019 students (Luke 10:17). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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For more than 75 years, this has been the experience of students in IFES movements. The prospect of leading an outreach event, prayer time, or campus Bible study can feel deeply daunting. Yet, when the time comes, it is often a thrilling opportunity to see God at work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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That was Samuel\u2019s story<\/a>. As a student at Polytechnique Montr\u00e9al, he joined his campus GBUC Canada<\/a> group. That term, students were taking turns to lead studies in Nehemiah. But he\u2019d never led a Bible study before. So, when his turn came, he wasn\u2019t sure what to expect.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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He recalls it was a thrilling experience: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cJust preparing the study was enjoyable. But when I led it, I realised how it wasn\u2019t so much me leading as the Lord \u2013 he was able, through me, to give what was needed.\u201d<\/em>  <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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4. STUDENT-LED: DEEPENING RELIANCE ON GOD<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Like Samuel in Canada, before Jesus\u2019 students could experience God at work through them, they needed to step out in faith. They needed to depend on God not only to use them but also to meet their needs (10:9). And their mission was to be a precursor to future times when they\u2019d need to rely on the Holy Spirit to give them the right words to say (10:20).  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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By leading his GBU<\/a> group in Vila Real (Portugal), Wirlley learned exactly that<\/a>. He\u2019d been praying for an opportunity to serve the university. One day, while they were discussing how the closure of a campus bus stop was negatively impacting the student community, they realised how they could serve: by mobilising a petition. With the help of others, Wirlley and his GBU group gathered over 1,700 signatures. The bus stop was reopened.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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However, such student initiative hadn\u2019t gone unnoticed by the university authorities \u2013 not least because GBU was a faith-based group on a secular campus. Some weeks later, high-ranking university officials summoned Wirlley to a meeting to explain his actions. He shares about his deepened reliance on God: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cYou can\u2019t believe how nervous I was! Pacing up and down the room, I was thinking, \u2018Oh wow! Oh no, oh no!\u2019 But I was also in prayer. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, I was able to calmly speak.\u201d<\/em> <\/em>  <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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5.<\/strong> STUDENT-LED: LEARNING MINISTRY SKILLS<\/strong> <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Discipleship is apprenticeship \u2013 it\u2019s about learning on the job. Nowhere is that clearer than in Mathew 10. As students of Jesus, the disciples had shadowed their \u201cmaster\u201d at work. Now it was time for them to become practitioners \u2013 to go and \u2018do\u2019, offering healing, life, restoration, and liberation (10:8). They were to learn ministry by ministering. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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When Natalie launched a fellowship group in her faculty at the University of Panama, she faced numerous challenges.<\/a> But with support from peers and her national movement (CEC),<\/a> as well as last year\u2019s faith-building trip to IFES World Assembly, she has been continuing to practise her faith. In recent months, Natalie has been learning more about the ministry of prayer \u2013 by ministering:  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cBefore one of our exams, some classmates suggested praying together for the exam and they asked me to lead the prayer. While I was praying, the whole classroom went silent until I finished. The rest is a long story, but I can say that God answered that prayer in a miraculous way because we all passed that subject. My classmates said \u2018Wow! Your prayer really worked!\u2019, and I just said something like \u2018It was all God\u2019. \u201cSome of us stayed to pray in thanksgiving for what happened, and we invited the lecturer to join us \u2013 and he did! So, we also prayed over him and talked with him a bit more about God. That was an amazing day! God showed me how much he can do with a little obedience and faithfulness from us.\u201d<\/em> <\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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6.<\/strong> STUDENT-LED: DEVELOPING AS FUTURE LEADERS<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Finally, as \u201cthe twelve\u201d practised the ministry of Jesus, dependent on the Father, open to the Spirit\u2019s work, these \u201cdisciples\u201d (10:1) became \u201capostles\u201d (10:2). They were turning into future pioneers and leaders for the church.   <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Serving God in student-led ministry has been the seedbed out of which many godly and influential leaders have grown \u2013 for the church and society.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In the 1970s, when Chad had one of the world\u2019s weakest economies, many would have thought it impossible that one of its students could become the leader of an international organisation. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Yet, by God\u2019s grace, it was possible \u2013 through Daniel Bourdann\u00e9, former IFES General Secretary<\/strong>, to whom we recently paid tribute<\/a>. His journey to global leadership started with student-led ministry in Chad and Togo. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Around the world, many students have been shaped for prominent roles in society by encountering Christ and learning to serve God through their national movement. In chapter five of Shining Like Stars<\/em><\/a>, Lindsay Brown illustrates this with testimonies, like those of Fanny Bejarano who secured a senior judiciary role in Argentina and Procel DaSilva Armando who gained an influential government role in Guinea-Bissau. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It can often be in the \u2018small things\u2019, like organising student prayer meetings, that student initiative becomes a gateway to discovering gifts and calling. In a recent podcast<\/a>, Isabelle Veldhuizen shares how her humble experience in a small group in GBU France<\/a> led to her involvement with IFES Europe and her participation in the Global Leadership Initiative<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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STUDENT INITIATIVE: A REWARDING RISK<\/strong> <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Entrusting students with ministry feels risky: Albert, Patrice, Dieudonn\u00e9, and Venance heading up the river; Wirlley standing before the university administration; Natalie guiding her whole class in prayer; Samuel leading his first Bible study with peers; Amelia stepping back as staff so that more students could step up.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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But hasn\u2019t it always been God\u2019s way to use \u2018amateurs\u2019 \u2013 with a wavering Abram, a young David, and a virgin Mary? And with Jesus giving authority to his new apprentices? Yet, we\u2019ve seen that the \u2018risk\u2019 Jesus took was vindicated by the harvesting of lives \u2013 and the growth of his disciples.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The examples above show that the rewards of student-led ministry are no less impressive: the growth of new campus groups, the meeting of needs, a deeper knowledge of the Spirit\u2019s enabling, faith-building experiences of answered prayer, and the germination of future leaders. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\"Chile,<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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 Through its national movements, regional initiatives, and global ministries, IFES seeks to empower students \u2013 with fellowship, training, and resources \u2013 so that the harvest can be gathered in. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cWe are a ministry of students reaching students and we believe in students taking the initiative in all aspects of witness to the university.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Amen.<\/em><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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BELIEVE IN GOD\u2019S RISK: INCREASE THE REWARD<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Have you been inspired by the idea and impact of student-led ministry?\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Then support students today!\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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STUDENTS IN ACTION<\/strong> <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Watch students share and speak from Scripture at IFES World Assembly 2023.\u00a0<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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