Campus Fellowship Guideline For Established Groups

Transcription

1 Campus Fellwship Guideline Fr Established Grups OVERVIEW A campus fellwship prvides a way fr church members wh attend the same university r live in the vicinity f the university t help ne anther pursue spiritual edificatin and grwth. Then thse wh gladly received his wrd were baptized; and that day abut three thusand suls were added t them. And they cntinued steadfastly in the apstles dctrine and fellwship, in the breaking f bread, and in prayers praising Gd and having favr with all the peple. And the Lrd added t the church daily thse wh were being saved (Acts 2:41-42, 47). A campus fellwship can mdel itself after the apstlic church. The early members cnvened ften t study the Wrd, have fellwship, share in spiritual feasts, pray, and bear witness f the lve f Jesus Christ. Likewise, a campus fellwship prvides the pprtunity fr its members t study biblical teachings, draw clser t Gd and t each ther, intercede fr ne anther, and evangelize. This guideline is apprpriate fr mre established campus fellwships (usually existing fr mre than tw years) and discusses the fllwing main tpics: Understanding the fur essential aspects f a campus fellwship Maintaining a campus fellwship frm an administrative standpint Surveying the cmmn challenges that a campus fellwship may face OBJECTIVES The bjectives f an established campus fellwship are tw-fld: T prvide spiritual cultivatin fr its members T bear witness fr Jesus Christ ESSENCE This sectin deals with the essential aspects f the campus fellwship, which mirrr the aspects utlined in Acts 2:41-42 and 47. They are Bible study, fellwship, prayer, and evangelism. 1. Bible Study And they cntinued steadfastly in the apstles dctrine Studying the Wrd f Gd is essential t building up ne s faith and cultivating neself spiritually. Bible study is an effective methd fr studying the Wrd f Gd because it encurages mutual sharing n biblical tpics. Befre the beginning f each term, the campus fellwship shuld pray tgether t determine its needs as a whle and the tpics t study in the Bible. Organizatin Guideline Series Page 1 January 2009

2 Campus Fellwship Guideline Fr Established Grups Fr instance, if a campus fellwship feels as a result f prayer that it needs t fcus mre n campus evangelism, it can study Acts t understand the struggles and triumphs f Peter, Paul, and ther apstlic wrkers. Put tgether a quarterly schedule that lists the tpics and their crrespnding dates. Different methds f Bible study include, but are nt limited t: Bk by bk Thematic/tpical (e.g. miracles f Jesus, parables) Character studies Life applicatin thrugh special tpics and wrkshps A gd methd f addressing specific issues in members spiritual life, family life r wrk/schl life is t have special tpics r wrkshp sessins peridically. It is beneficial fr guest speakers (e.g. ministers, church cuncil r experienced members) t share their experiences with the fellwship r hld wrkshps regarding: Schl/career (chsing a majr, finding a jb) Peer pressure Finding Gd Praying fr the fullness f the Hly Spirit Life issues (such as serius illness, marriage, interpersnal relatinships, time management, stress) Serving the Lrd (such as evangelism, pastral wrk, cunseling) Special tpic sessins and wrkshps can equip members with the attitude, tls and skills necessary fr serving the Lrd. Prir t the Bible study sessin, a hymn/praise sessin can prepare the hearts f the campus fellwship members. During the Bible study sessin, time can be alltted fr testimnies, sharing, and reflectins relevant t the tpic f study. 2. Fellwship And they cntinued steadfastly in the apstles fellwship This sectin cvers the fellwship and the mutual caring aspect amng the members. Whether it invlves members wh have been inactive r have distanced themselves frm the fellwship, there is a need t care fr the sheep in the flck. As recrded in Jhn 21:15, Jesus tld Peter t feed [His] lambs, which means caring fr and retaining the members f the campus fellwship. Pastral supprt activities include, but are nt limited t: Making care packages Visiting friends in their drmitries Taking care f members when they are sick The life f a fellwship depends n the spiritual cultivatin f the grup at large. All the members f the campus fellwship grup are f the same bdy f Christ s everyne shuld help each ther t grw spiritually. It is imprtant fr members t have grup cultivatin by praying and studying the Bible tgether. Jesus lve is the essence f a fellwship. It is imprtant fr members t be spiritually accuntable fr each ther in rder t prvide genuine lve and care. When a member experiences a prblem, the rest f the fellwship can treat the prblem as its wn. Individual cultivatin is equally imprtant. An individual must still cncentrate n his/her spirituality by being determined t spiritually cultivate thrugh prayer and reading the Bible utside f the fellwship. Organizatin Guideline Series Page 2 January 2009

3 Campus Fellwship Guideline Fr Established Grups 3. Prayer And they cntinued steadfastly in prayers Just as the apstles spent cuntless time in prayer, fellwship members must als rely n the pwer f the Hly Spirit fr guidance, directin, and pwer. It is imprtant t remember that prayer is the fundatin f the campus fellwship. The Hly Spirit can unify the fellwship s that all may wrk tgether in ne Spirit and ne mind t encurage ne anther, spread the gspel, and serve the Lrd. If a campus fellwship becmes rted in prayer, serving the fellwship and evangelizing t the public will naturally cme frm a heart f willingness. In additin t each member praying n his/her wn, the fellwship needs t spend time t pray tgether as a whle. Establish a prayer time and day where the members can pray in Spirit. Cmpile a list f prayer requests and update regularly t reflect the current needs f each fellwship member. Implement a prayer netwrk t help keep each ther in check. 4. Evangelism And the Lrd added t the church daily thse wh were being saved The reasn fr evangelical utreach effrts Befre ascensin, Jesus entrusted us with the Great Cmmissin t preach the precius gspel t the ends f the earth. G therefre and make disciples f all the natins, baptizing them in the name f the Father and f the Sn and f the Hly Spirit, teaching them t bserve all things that I have cmmanded yu; and l, I am with yu always, even t the end f the age. (Mt 28:19) As a member f a mre seasned campus fellwship, it is imprtant t fcus n the elements f spreading the gspel and cultivating the members within the fellwship. Althugh a starting campus fellwship can have the same heart, it culd be that it needs t wrk mre n internal issues befre it can truly fcus n the rle f evangelism. Ways t evangelize Wrd f muth Testify abut the wrd f Gd thrugh persnal testimnies, reading, and quting frm the Scriptures. Infrm yur friends f the basic beliefs f the church. Psting/distributing flyers Advertise campus fellwship meeting times and special events t the university cmmunity. These may be psted in public areas such as n bulletin bards and bus stps. This can draw a wide and diverse pl f peple. Distribute the flyers t randm peple usually in public areas. In sme universities, registered grups can request t set up a table fr distributin f flyers at anytime during the schl year. Cllege Newsletter/Newspaper Advertisement Advertise campus fellwship meeting times and special events in yur schl newsletter r newspaper. Organizatin Guideline Series Page 3 January 2009

4 Campus Fellwship Guideline Fr Established Grups This allws peple frm all walks f life t cme in cntact with the advertisement. External Website Declares and explains the basic beliefs f the church Presents the details f yur campus fellwship such as Bible study meeting place and times Preparatin fr rganizing an evangelical service There needs t be an effrt t establish an infrmal r frmal type f evangelical service in which friends can be invited t cme, learn, and reflect n the wrd f Gd. The first step is t decide the frmat f yur campus fellwship s evangelical service. The frmat can range frm casual t frmal depending n the needs f the audience and the fellwship grup. The service usually is held at smene s huse r apartment. Determine the theme and title t the evangelical service. Discuss the frmat frm the intrductin t the main event t the cnclusin. The main event can cnsist f thematic discussins, skits, a shrt mvie intrducing the beliefs f ur church, r a musical presentatin. Ask fr vlunteers r perhaps pass arund a sign-up sheet fr different wrk teams such as fd preparatin, praise sessin team, discussin leaders, etc. The leader f each wrk team may assign actin items t each team member t be fllwed up n. Figure ut the budget fr the event and hw the finances will be cvered either thrugh the spnsrship f a lcal church r campus fellwship fferings. Plan t keep in cntact with the friends that attend (i.e. making a cntact card that the visitrs can fill ut, sending s regarding any upcming special events). Mst imprtantly, pray, pray, and pray! ADMINISTRATION This sectin fcuses n the administrative prtin f the campus fellwship, which can als be separated int tw parts, external and internal. The external prtin refers t varius administrative tasks that must be taken care f with the university s rganizatinal guidelines. The internal prtin refers t three imprtant elements within the campus fellwship: structural rganizatin, website, and financial resurces. External Cntact the clubs/rganizatins department f yur university. Obtain the frms and dcuments fr setting up an fficial rganizatin. Reserve a rm fr the fellwship if the grup decides t meet n campus. Verify the rganizatinal status f the fellwship. If necessary, fill ut the names f the peple wh are t be crdinatrs fr the term. Prvide cntact infrmatin fr the fficers. If necessary, revise yur fellwship s existing cnstitutin, which utlines the gals, bjectives, and prgram frmat f the campus fellwship. Organizatin Guideline Series Page 4 January 2009

5 Campus Fellwship Guideline Fr Established Grups Student rganizatin fairs Cntact student rganizatin persnnel in rder t reserve a table fr the campus fellwship. Obtain and fill ut the prper paperwrk. Sign up fr different shifts in perating the campus fellwship table. Publicity Website The university may prvide webspace, which the campus fellwship can utilize t publicize the meeting times, lcatin, and cntact persns Internal Structural Organizatin Delegate r vte n wh will serve as the fllwing: Crdinatr(s) T prvide verall supprt t the fellwship T cllect and listen t pinins regarding pssible activities and discussin tpics T make executive decisins when needed. Treasurer T encurage and manage freewill fferings T prvide reimbursements T maintain a balance sheet fr the fellwship s financial accunt Optinal rles - Designate specific rles as needed in the fellwship such as: Prayer netwrk crdinatr Praise sessin leader Activities directr Evangelical utreach crdinatr Fr a campus fellwship that cnsists f a small grup, all members shuld be respnsible fr assisting the crdinatr in fulfilling his/her duties. Fr a campus fellwship that cnsists f a large grup, it is beneficial fr specific duties t be assigned t each persn. Members Website The purpse f a website is t prvide and update the fellwship with current infrmatin regarding (but nt limited t): Bible study schedule Class schedules f the fellwship members Edifying sharing and reflectins Fellwship pictures Cntact infrmatin f each fellwship member The website shuld prvide infrmatin abut the fellwship fr first-time visitrs. It may be beneficial t have an external website fr the public and an internal website fr the fellwship members themselves. Financial resurces Free-will ffering Have an ffering bx set up r have the treasurer cllect the mney ffered. The mney that is cllected will g tward any expenses incurred by activities within the fellwship. Church cntributin Organizatin Guideline Series Page 5 January 2009

6 Campus Fellwship Guideline Fr Established Grups Perhaps the lcal church will prvide funding fr the fellwship r fr sme specific events such as an English evangelical service. The fellwship culd make an ffering t the church. CHALLENGES This sectin invlves the many types f challenges that can arise within a campus fellwship. The types f challenges range frm timidity f members within the fellwship t thse members wh are nt mtivated t jin the fellwship. Timidity Smetimes, we are shy in trying t preach the gspel. We must pray t Gd t ask Him fr bldness in prclaiming the wrd f Gd. Lack f biblical knwledge Perhaps, we may nt be as well-versed in the Bible as we thught we wuld be. We must study the Bible diligently in case pprtunities t preach cme up. Different religius backgrund There are many categries that fall under this such as friends wh are mainstream Christians, Jews, atheists, Buddhists, etc. We must learn mre abut different religins in rder t understand these peple. Als, we must pray t Gd and seek His wisdm t say what is apprpriate t each individual belnging t a particular religius affiliatin. Dealing with members wh fr whatever reasn are nt mtivated t jin the fellwship There are members wh may have their wn persnal reasns as t why they d nt feel mtivated t jin the fellwship, but it is the campus fellwship s duty t take care f these precius sheep and bring them back t the fld. Understand the reasns why they d nt feel mtivated and help them t vercme any bstacles. Pssible reasns may include: Academics Pririty in ther clubs and rganizatins Fatigue Disinterest Persnal cnflicts within members f the fellwship ADDITIONAL POINTS Special Events/Activities Other than Bible study, it is als gd t have ther activity ideas that are mre leisurely in nature. Hlding special tpic discussins with special guest speakers Having rad trips t visit reginal church members Cking Devting time t cmmunity service Encuraging activities with ther campus fellwships Participating in campus-wide activities Organizatin Guideline Series Page 6 January 2009

7 Training Campus Fellwship Guideline Fr Established Grups These activities help t strengthen the bnd within the fellwship and allw members t participate by wrking with thers and ffering the talents that they were blessed with by Gd. Keep in mind that while these events are fun and relaxing in nature, there shuld still be a fcus n Gd. Special tpic sessins and wrkshps will equip a fellwship s members with the attitude, tls and skills necessary t serve the Lrd. Training prgrams will equip a fellwship s members with the attitude, tls, and skills necessary t serve the Lrd. Interpretatin Sermn speaking Bible study leading Evangelism Aplgetics Chir Campus fellwships that are far frm a church These campus fellwships need t implement Sabbath wrship services int their weekly schedule since keeping the Sabbath is a cmmandment. The campus fellwship can wrk with the lcal families and members t establish Sabbath services and distribute the hly wrk duties. The fellwship can lk int resurces that are available; webcast, sermn DVDs. It wuld als be beneficial t rganize rutine trips t the clsest church if pssible. Organizatin Guideline Series Page 7 January 2009