Back to campus

This week, having finished up our Winter Conference, and with the imminent start of classes at most schools, it has been time to put things into motion for the next term.

So what does that mean?

I have had some time to think over the fall term, and I have decided on a few adjustments here and there around the city that will hopefully allow ministry to progress. Some examples:

More direction for the staff team: I really don't like being told what to do. I usually thrive when given expectations and an example, and then left to figure it out myself and ask questions as I need to. I am learning as a leader that most people hate that. I have left my team feeling a little scattered because I have left things too open-ended for them. So, to remedy that, I have been working on giving the team very specific responsibilities.

Greater training focus: Related to the previous one. My desire is to see the staff team better equipped to do the things I will ask them to do.

Better team unity: Our team of 10 is not too small, but we are scattered all over the city. This can become unhealthy as people are on their own too much; the feeling of isolation becomes very tiresome and leads to burnout. I hope to see more frequent team times so we can approach ministry as a cohesive unit and not as a collection of individuals.

A focus on our student leaders: We walk with a constant tension between opening new locations and building solidly into existing ones. Our currently opened schools each have some pretty obvious needs unique to each school. Whether that need is a greater identity with CCC, or better training of the leaders there, or assistance from volunteers, or just encouragement from the staff team, we need to spend some time focusing on those needs in order to build strong leaders and strengthen their successors for coming years.

An ethnic focus: We will be out and about looking for students and church partners with the desire to reach students of ethnicity. "White-guy ministries" reach such a limited scope of students. The alternative is to find people that would lead ministries focused on students of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Please pray for these things, and more. God continues to move in Portland, and we want to be good stewards of what he is doing.