The Plea for National Synergy

Hi.  I am going to offer you an abridged report I wrote for our Fellowship in which I review our history and make the case for national synergy.  Quite simply, we need each other and we are better together.  One would think this is a no-brainer.  Well, for most people it is. They see it. They get it. For a minority... well, not so much. Tribalism and provincialism ( figuratively) die hard.  

So, this blog covers a fair bit of ground. Some history is in order, here. And then ( good) reasons why Campus Mission Canada exists to distill and advance what God is doing on the campuses of our nation. I encourage you to hang in there. It will be worth the read..

• We didn't start from the top down. Nor do we operate that way.  Consider the following highlights ( which only begin to tell the story).

We have been planting and innovating campus ministries across the country for over thirty years ( this is a one sentence summary of two pages of text :) ).  .

Over the past decade, efforts were made to network these ministries and develop an emerging consensus of who and what we are and how we do what God is calling us collectively to do. This began in the formation of Campus Guiding Groups where some of the key players in campus ministry met to share their insight and experience in developing something on a national scale. It is this cooperation and partnership that gives Campus Mission Canada (CMC) its multi-dimensional approach to campus ministry.

This led to an “AHA!!” moment. The various ministries each promoted their own views and methods. But then they saw that they could celebrate and  embrace what the other regional ministries were doing, and even use them to augment and enhance their own ministries.  As a result, there was a recognition at the time that there were three viable models that not only could “work” but which could profoundly impact the campus. 

Namely: Clubs.  Campus Churches and Chaplaincies. 

In 2009, Robb Powell took on the national role of Coordinator of campus ministries for Mission Canada. One of the first things he did was to attempt to inventory what was going on in our campuses and to distill models and best practices.  He added two more models to the mix: Church- based outreach on a campus), such as Red Frogs,  and Creative ventures ( such as the Greenbean Café in Windsor or The House in Kelowna ).

So, putting it together..

	·         Clubs                                              ·         Campus Churches                                                  ·         Chaplaincies                          ·         Church-based ministries                                      ·         Creative ventures

C5  expresses both the diversity and unity of our approach to campus ministry. We recognize there is simply no one size fits all model. Our ministries employ different models and many of them employ more than one. C5 enables us to distill and communicate what we do on the campuses of our nation in a way that utilizes our history and strength as a Fellowship. 

What is the Role of Campus Mission Canada?

For the sake of simplicity, let’s narrow it down to four points.

1.    Support.  Getting the right resources to the right people. Being there for them. Understanding them.

2.    Envision.  Keep our vision to reach the campus clear. Distill and communicate our values and our best practices. Ensure that the Fellowship knows what we are about and that our aims are understood.

3.    Extend.  . Either we come alongside of ministries, churches and districts to help them fulfill their vision for the particular campus or we act as catalysts to bring together the right people and resources to bring about the right result.  Either way, God is served.

4.    Network.  We work to create forums for campus ministers to connect. Further, we desire to connect campus ministers with local churches, and regional and district ministries. The hope is to bring people together and to ensure that communication lines are open.

Let's make a distinction, here.  

Mission Canada is a missions agency. It recognizes gaps in Canadian culture that needs missionaries and it deploys them.   However, Campus Mission Canada, while part of Mission Canada, is a Network. It is " a coalition of the willing".  We connect dots and create synergies. 

A Plea for National Synergy

CMC does not replace what happens at the District level. It looks to be a catalyst to support and augment the District efforts and look for genuine synergies. While they ought to be self-apparent,  consider the following points ( each of which are really subtitles

o   The loss of the emerging ( goodbye) generation is a national (international) issue.  It transcends regions, districts, provinces and nations.

o   Collectively, it will take more than our best efforts to address it.

o   We are better together.  When campus practitioners gather they inspire and challenge each other to create and adapt.

o   In spite of their diversity, campus ministers “get” each other and derive enormous benefit from networking – both online and in person.

o   We can celebrate the strengths of the various models from the various regions without being limited to them.

o   We can leverage the strengths of the various ministries. It is an opportunity to both give and receive.

o   We do not have to keep reinventing the wheel. We can provide information and resources that will enable the new ministries to springboard off of our shoulders.

o   In many ways, if one were to look at the quality and diversity of PAOC campus ministries across the country, it becomes apparent that we are the “Research and Development” arm for the Fellowship.

o   Uniquely, as a Fellowship, we have a multifaceted approach to the campus and the formation of campus ministries.

o   The university is a powerful and multi-layered institution. We can reach it at many levels.

o   We have made ( or adapted :) ) in Canada solutions to Canadian realities. 

o   Across the country, we have some of the finest young leaders in the nation. They “get” the campus and the opportunities and challenges of operating in what can be similar to a foreign field right on our own doorstep.

o   Given the size of our country and the mobility of the emerging generation, we need to be connected in order to serve our constituency well.  

o   We know where the political boundaries are ( Yonge Street, Lloydminster…) . The weather ignores them. So does the flow of students and information.

o   We are able to leverage the experience of our American counterparts – who have also been well served by integrating at a national level. 

o   We are finding that reaching the campus is a key international  missional strategy for reaching a city, a region and a country.  We can offer and receive value by sharing our knowledge and resources internationally.

o   By having a consistent voice speaking for our campus ministries, it increases recognition and partnership with the local churches and the districts.

o   It also offers support, resources and quality control for the ministers.

o   Our campuses need Spirit-filled communities that embody the gospel with Power, Love and Wisdom

Actually, the list goes on.  We have every reason to work together in collaboration.                                   We have every reason to share resources and experience.

We collectively need each other. No district, church or individual is an island.  

We do not operate in silos.

And let us make this clear. This is true at a larger level, as well. As we learn how to integrate as a movement, we can both contribute to and learn from a larger conversation as we co-labor with other groups who serve the same Master - and who also seek to see Him known and glorified. 

Can we learn from each other?  Can we grow together?
We have to...

We can if we choose to.

The world awaits.