UPs Achieve InterVarsity's Purpose

“To establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty …”

Over the last 10 years, Urban Program (UP) Directors have been diligent to establish and flesh out the link between UPs and the evolving purpose statements of the national movement. Directors have dedicated time at national consultations to demonstrate how UP’s help the movement live out it’s commitment to the Four Loves (see InterVarsity Urban Programs and the IVCF Purpose Statement) and more recently to the mission statement, i.e., The Main Thing (see Urban Programs and the Main Thing of InterVarsity).

Directors have now updated and focused aspects of these documents, highlighting and developing the ways that UPs help us achieve the first part of our purpose, “To establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty …”

1. Church Relations. Campus ministries exist because of community and church support. Yet many IVCF staff operate with only cursory relationships with the local church they attend, and very little relationship with other churches. Some staff even fear that if their students get involved in a local church college group they will lose them. Some local churches fear the competition that IVCF represents. UPs build vital links between InterVarsity staff & students and local churches.

   1. A reciprocal, mutually beneficial relationship is formed as students serve church programs during the program (30% go on serving at the church/agency after the program ends).

   2. Local ethnic minority pastors connected to UPs are invited to speak to chapter events, building a strong partnership.

   3. Urban programs demonstrate to local ethnic minority churches that InterVarsity is serious about community issues, and about pastoring students of color, helping them succeed in college. Our chapters become more diverse as a result.

2. Funding. Campus ministries are funded through a combination of individual, church, and community/foundation giving. Because of UPs, InterVarsity becomes known as a grass-roots, community-oriented ministry committed to civic involvement and transformation, This garners widespread respect. Urban Programs help Area and Regional Directors present compelling evidence of InterVarsity's contribution to civic transformation to potential funders. (More than $2,000,000 has been raised in Fresno alone over the last ten years, motivated purely by our urban emphasis.)

3. Branding/Recruitment. The work urban programs often do with inner-city teens constitutes an early recruitment strategy for future college students. When they begin life as a college student they recognize the InterVarsity "brand," from our presence in the community, which contributes to chapter growth. In addition, InterVarsity's UP presence in urban poor neighborhoods increases its credibility among students who come from those neighborhoods.

4. Evangelism. Urban programs provide a powerful, non-cerebral apologetic for the gospel. Socially minded, non-Christian students have signed up for programs, and have come to faith as a result of attending one. Urban programs plug-in to the growing trend of social volunteerism, and provide another tool in the arsenal of direct evangelism strategies practiced by whole chapters (community witness rather than merely individual witness).

5. Evangelism training. Urban programs represent an additional evangelism training strategy. Program directors have affirmed a National Urban Program Evangelism Self Test, including four questions Directors ask themselves: 1) Does this urban program provide opportunities for both the proclamation and the demonstration of the gospel? 2) Is there an attempt to attract non-Christian students to participate in this urban program? 3) In our program orientation, do we train students in ways to invite their peers and members of the community to follow Christ? 4) Does this urban program provide a mechanism for follow-up of those who respond to the gospel message?

6. Leadership training. Urban programs provide leadership training for exec members, including:

   1. team development that is built upon in a campus context

   2. reconciliation, diversity and skills in relating across differences, all essential to chapter life.

   3. risk-taking

   4. planning

   5. evangelism (as already noted)

   6. how to identify and mobilize around justice issues

   7. the experience of incarnational ministry, which is practiced back on campus in dorms, fraternities and sororities, etc.

7. Distinctiveness. Urban programs help distinguish InterVarsity from other Christian campus organizations in its distinctive emphasis on justice, racial solidarity and community transformation, and provide connections to faculty in those disciplines.

8. Staff Recruitment. Urban programs help us recruit campus staff, including staff of color.

Campuses do not exist in a vacuum. Most often they exist in cities, and are in profound, organic relationships with their city. They contribute to research and development of technology and industry. They generate civic leaders and prepare an educated work force. They influence media and add to the local economy. And they benefit from the trust of the community.

InterVarsity chapters do not exist in a vacuum either. The quality of our witness among students and faculty and the viability of our missionwill be affected in the ways we have enumerated if we ensure that our chapters stay connected to the issues, challenges, opportunities and key players of the city. We will be regarded as adding value to the community, will be a welcome guest on campus, will be seen by students as making an authentic difference, and will be regarded by the local church and philanthropic entities as a fund-worthy ally.