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Here's a rough outline of what was discussed at the Feb 12 postgrad ministry day. Please email me at (ardlouis@theor.ch.cam.ac.uk) with comments. About 50 people attended from Bath, Bournemouth, Bradford, Cambridge, Exeter, Goldsmiths, Leeds, Loughborough, Nottingham (Sutton Bonington campus), Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Surrey, Norwich & University of East Anglia, and University College London.
Session I: Envisioning on Postgrad and I-student Ministry a talk by Bartow Wylie: The purpose of the day was to catch a vision, for specific learning, and hopefully also to create synergy between the different participants. Bartow focussed on the importance of being ``neighbourly'', which for postgrads means being Christians where they are at, i.e. the postgrad world. This is more important than the details of how we organise ourselves. For example, when the early church in Jerusalem was scattered because of persecution (Acts 8), the people who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went (Acts 8:4). The church spread not through a well defined strategy, but through being ``neighbourly'', and reaching those who were around them.
Session II: Models of Postgrad and International
Ministry
II.1) Background to Models of Ministry a talk by Ard Louis: The purpose of this talk was mainly to set some language and give a broad framework for later discussions. II.1.A) Who is My Neighbour?
What comprises the oikos of a typical postgrad or postdoc?
Many postgrads have virtually no contact with those outside of their academic circles. A minority of postgrads may treat their studies as something more like a job, and may want to specifically integrate with their local communities. This is more likely to occur with British and/or married postgrads.
II.1.B.) What are the Felt Needs of Postgrads? Felt Need : a need or desire consciously or subconsciously felt and often acted on; can be an entry point to contact and ministry. If we are to effectively minister to postgrads we need to reach out to their felt needs, but we must also reach out to their primary needs, which for a Christian are to grow in Christ, and for a non-Christian to find Christ. (from Helen Eaton's summary): The following needs are often felt by Christian and non-Christian postgrads alike:
which we use in CGS to help delineate who we're trying to reach. Of course the boundaries are somewhat loose, but we like to think of the categories as follows: Whereas evangelism is geared directly at reaching the lost for Christ, outreach may be more broadly defined as also reaching those from nominal Christian backgrounds who would benefit greatly from e.g. learning to study the Bible, while nurture may be broadly defined as support for Christians postgrads. In CGS we focus on the first two, and often find that we are most successful with those who's needs are best met by ``outreach''. Christian postgrads who mainly want nurture from CGS are passed on to local churches if possible. But perhaps the best way to nurture Christian postgrads is to empower them to reach their community! A multitude of laymen today are in serious danger.
It is positively perilous for them to hear more sermons, attend more Bible
classes and open forums and read more religious and ethical works, unless
accompanying it all there be afforded day by day an adequate outlet for
their new-found truth - John R. Mott
US Model: response to felt and primary needs InterVarsity in the USA established a focussed ministry to postgrad and professional students in 1988. Today, nearly 3,000 students are active participants in Graduate Christian Fellowships at over 90 of the leading secular universities in the United States. More than 50 campus staff members serve these groups. Initially the GradIV focussed on those schools that produced the largest number of faculty members, partially with the strategy to influence the university through potential Christian faculty. Their ministry commitments are nicely summarized in the logo below:
Our Ministry Commitments God is at work among graduate students and faculty at every college and university, drawing many to Himself. Our goal is to see every Christian faculty member and each Christian graduate student share the following four ministry commitments: Spiritual Formation We desire to be conformed to the image of Christ. To achieve this, we cultivate habits that deepen our spiritual lives such as regular prayer, rigorous Bible study, and other foundational disciplines. Community We choose to gather regularly as a community of faculty and/or graduate students to learn and worship, to challenge and care for each other, and to serve as a welcoming place for both believers and seekers. Faith, Learning and Practice Because the God whom we worship is Creator of all, we seek a unity of truth and practice in the university and all institutions and believe that the integrity of this pursuit will be a witness to the university and professional world. Evangelism and Service As a community, we demonstrate
and proclaim the gospel to the university so that Jesus Christ is esteemed
over all else. Believing that God is at work to initiate people into His
kingdom, we pray and work with expectation for their conversion. We also
seek to authenticate this witness in our service, especially to the poor
and the oppressed.
II.1.C.) What are some Models of Ministry? II.1.C.i) Cultural Dominance: There is no such thing as a culturally neutral group. You can have a either a Mono-ethnic Group : where one ethnic subgroup and culture dominates. Examples with a strong postgrad contingent are ethnically or culturally oriented groups such as Chinese or African Christian fellowships. Most UK undergrad CUs are British mono-cultural groups. Or you can have a Multi-ethnic Group: where
no one ethnic subgroup and culture dominates. Usually requires commitment
from the leaders to intentionally foster multi-ethnic character.
II.1.C.ii) Possible Structures There are many possible structures, probably a lot more than what is common at the undergraduate level. Here are some examples I've come across both in the US and the UK:
II.2) Models of Ministry around the UK Participants at the workshop shared what they have been doing in their universities:
(John Lister - member of council of reference) A history of the CGS shows that its been around since the late 1980s, and doing more or less the same then as now. There have been quite significant swings in number of people on the committee and in the number of activities.
Session III: Workshops Workshop A: Starting a Group at University
II.A.1. General Issues Some things that were discussed (in no particular order) were: To start, prayer is crucial. Try to find a small group of like-minded people to fast and pray together. Look for team members who are faithful. On the other hand people will be faithful if there is something to be faithful to. Don't bite off more than you can chew at the beginning, it might be difficult if you try to reach too many people at once. Set out aims and priorities and then focus. Some models will always be good for some things but not for others. There can be difficulties if you're trying to reach British postgrads and international postgrads; they may have different needs or interests. How to address this, especially with weak or non-Christians in the group, is a difficult question. Could it be that the differences in needs are split more along British-international lines than along undergrad-postgrad lines? There are a fair number of Christian postgrads who, when they come to a new university, go to the undergrad CU, and may try to participate for a while. But often they start to feel a bit out of place and start looking for fellowship elsewhere, sometimes drifting around a bit. If a CU has a postgrad small group, those postgrads could form its initial core. ssues raised by growth: Crucial times for a group can be: 1) when it needs to split, e.g. from one to two Bible study groups, 2) when a group embedded in an undergrad group needs to move out on its own, 3) when an informal leadership structure based on pre-existing personal connections needs to be formalized a bit more and opened up to newcomers. These issues are often difficult, and it helps to have thought them through early on. church support PGs need the support from their
local church. But because some local church leaders may not have a good
overview of the postgrad world, it is important for the PG to help their
church leaders see the need. If you feel a burden to reach postgrads, share
it with your church leaders and ask for their support and also for release
into PG work. Some PGs may not be called to specific outreach to their
peers but instead to another section of the church and community. PG may
generally have fewer friends, so who can they evangelise?
III.A.2. Personal Issues What are the biggest barriers to setting something up? 1. time: The number one reason Christian postgrads don't get involved in ministry is time constraints, both real and perceived. Courses are time-consuming. Some fear that starting a group will be too much work. Some tips were to be sure to delegate, and realize that you don't have the time to do everything, set realistic targets and start with manageable events. UGs have regular holidays to recover, but PGs are around outside of term as well. PG think in terms of months and years, its less intense and PG groups may therefore be more loosely organised. 2. apathy: Need people to catch the vision of the work and commit to its cause. 3. confidence: I-students in particular may lack this being in a foreign country and struggling to fit into a new culture. 4. fears: Fear of being too involved in Christian things, fear of getting burned out. And finally, its people that matter, and not structures. Different places will have different needs. The most important thing is just to start. Its very rare that things start with a well defined plan before hand, but it the Holy Spirit is inspiring it, different people will come up with similar ideas. Usually it is someone responding to a perceived need that God has put on their heart. From there things develop.
Workshop B: Balancing Needs facilitated by Bartow: (summary by Stephen Childs) Participants:
Areas of PG ministry Bartow began by presenting some possible areas of focus: Evangelism/outreach Community Study/faith integration Spiritual growth Other suggestions from the group were: Social action Support undergrad CUs (older brother role) Cultural understanding
The discussion began by asking to what extent a PG group can or should minister in all these areas. HE said that there should probably be elements of all these things. SC said that there was a need to focus on some things because of resource shortages. TT observed that it was important to take account of what was already in place - there is no point in duplicating existing ministry. DvW said that only the church as a whole can provide all these things and BW agreed, suggesting that we shouldn't try to do everything, as we are not a church. MG said that the Exeter group is doing a little in all these areas, but is still different from a church. JL asked whether members of the group were also in churches. MG said that some were, but that some don't really have any other Christian input. JL agreed that the situation is different if there are no strong local churches and the university is effectively a separate community. JO described his role as chaplain to the university and curate in a local church. He has a responsibility to build the local church, but not all PGs want to take part in this - he still has a responsibility to them as a chaplain. JL said that it was useful to distinguish between church and chaplaincy roles. BW suggested that those groups based around the chaplaincy would be more likely to resemble a church thatn those that were led solely by PGs. AB said that the resources of any group were its people and so groups should be flexible and do what people are equipped for. BW suggested JM in Oxford as an example - he focussed on F/L because it was his particular interest. BW then moved the discussion on by asking the question: On what basis do we prioritise? TT said that he felt community was a necessary starting point. HE said that you need a basis for any community, and suggested prayer as a starting point. SC said in any case prayer was necessary to build a Christian community. BW asked how it was possible to provide community if bible study groups met separately? He suggested coming together for a common meeting, and then splitting up into smaller groups. JL said that community was a means to an end: evangelism. Christians can usually find fellowship and teaching in churches. In the past prayer meetings have been more central to CGS. Faith/learning BW then asked who was actually running events on F/L? MG (Exeter) and JM (Oxford) said that they were. They had found that it can bring in those who are on the fringes and those with specific interests and problems. JM said that he viewed this as pre-evangelism and that there was not always a forum for this in the church. JL said that the reason CGS had stepped back from F/L in the past was the collapse of the committee and the resulting lack of resources (people!). Also that other groups (e.g. Christians in Science) existed. DvW suggested two reasons for the importance of F/L: 1) It's a good starting point in academic environments. 2) It meets people's needs (answers specific questions they may have). He also noted that this works better in a general group (rather than a church?) JO added that Jiancheng came to faith through thinking about his research. HP said that OGF has discussions and informal chat after their talks and that this had proved helpful. JL asked whether people ended up in church or in BSGs as a result of these events. DvW and HE said that OICCU or St. Ebbe's catered for those wishing to take the next step. MC said that it was important to know what people expected. He has often found that talks are too high-powered. He has been able to find fellowship and BS in church and student groups, whereas he sees the OGF as providing mainly apologetics and evangelism. SC added that sometimes F/L talks can miss the point of Christianity - Jesus! Making the links between apologetics and the gospel is important. JL said that they had found in the past that high-profile talks and speakers were not necessarily helpful in the long term. He said that CGS had begun some more F/L oriented talks: pudding parties with a speaker. He noted that apologetics can be more successful with Western students and that different people need different routes in to Christianity. MG said that they had had success using lecturers to give talks as students would come to hear their lecturers speak. The format of their events included both a panel discussion and discussion in smaller groups. Spiritual growth BW asked whether PGs are being encouraged in spiritual growth, and if so where? JM said that house-groups at church were good for married PGs. Co said she attended integrated (UG/PG?) groups and also was in a prayer pair. TD said that he runs a BSG for Chinese people. It is at a basic level and run on the "learning together" model. He says that Christians are growing by reaching out. Leaders are learning as much or more than they are teaching. BW said that being too needy for spiritual nourishment can lead to inward-looking groups. But we do need teaching - the churches should support leadership of PG groups. SC expressed his frustration with the churches lack of understanding of PG work - they really get behind UG CU leaders. HE agreed with this, and said that she had written a letter to a number of churches (some replied). She said that UG CUs were seen as the missionary wing of the local church to students and that PG groups should perform the same role for PGs. BW asked what were the things that PGs could do better that local churches. MG said that the inter-denominational nature of such groups provided richness. It also meant that people's backgrounds were not as important. BW said that PG groups could provide both evangelism (for non-Christians) and outreach (for weak/nominal Christians) as they were non-threatening. JO said that it shouldn't be church leaders doing all the work, but the whole church body. MEG said that sometimes spiritual growth can occur better in a PG group than in a church. BW said that an example of this might be if a student is in a family-oriented church that doesn't really cater for them. AB said that rotating leaders of BSGs provided a chance to participate and learn. Others agreed that this had been helpful for them. JL asked what the needs of the non-Christian community had, saying that they were not going to be reached wither by churches or UG CUs. BW suggested that a church leader might say: "Our PGs should be bringing their PG friends to our church". MC said that one church can't expect to represent a whole university. TS said it was logistically more efficient for churches to support PGs in their work and to use their own resources for other things. BW said that PGs were more effective at international outreach. Many churches are culturally very British whereas the PG community is already international and so more welcoming. HE said that people in a group should share the same aims and the same understandig of the Bible as the Word of God. This was necessary if the witness was to remain consistent over time. BW said that historical memory was useful e.g. external friends such as lecturers, ISCS workers, etc. Also that there should be an understanding that if some one was just in it for their own growth, they would be better off in a church. TT asked whether there was a need for two sets of groups. JL said that the Cambridge BSGs had a good mix of mature and not so mature Christians and that all the participants learnt from each other. AB asked whether others felt that there was an inherent limit to the depth to which a peer-peer group could go in its study. JL said that BSGs were run explicitly as Christian BSes. Non-Christians came to see Christians discussing. He added that BSGs needed to keep grounded - we shouldn't give in to the temptation to indulge ourselves on theological niceties. BW said that people must be linked to churches - eventually we hope that people will end up there. The session ended due to time running out. I'm sorry for
the fragmented nature of these notes, but I think they capture the spirit
of the discussion. If anyone feels that have been left out or misrepresented,
please let me (Stephen Childs soc20@cl.cam.ac.uk) know.
Session IV: Issues Faced by Postgrads In small groups. Some issues that were discussed and prayed over were: What are some major issues postgrads face? Loneliness, time management, financial and housing issues, workload, balancing work and leisure, work is never finished, guilt over taking time off, identity (student v.s. work) family issues (isolated spouses, marriage strains), future (jobs, stay in UK, go abroad?), relationship to supervisor, relationships with opposite sex, academic/emotional interface, competitiveness, expectations from family, perfectionism, ambition and dashed ambition; disillusionment. Moral issues, What are some issues specific to Christian postgrads?
Time management: competing tugs for time from church, work, friends etc...
Intellectual issues: how do I integrate my academic work with my faith?
May be more acutely felt by arts students. Apologetic issues: how do I
reach my friends who sometimes have very sophisticated arguments against
my faith?
Session V: Outline of a Position Paper We agreed to write a longer position paper: Ministering to Postgrads in the UK , which hopefully would be finished by the summer. The audience would be anyone who wants to minister to postgrads, i.e. Christian postgrads, Churches, Chaplains, Christians staff workers etc ... As a rough outline we proposed:
1) What is happening in the country now (participants to write up) 2) Biblical Principles for postgrad ministry (Douglas Estes) 3) What should priorities be? (David Bacon and Stephen Childs) 4) Useful resources - The day ended with a lovely meal put on by our top-class catering team: Rutsuko Ito, Soulia Pourabdi, Wendy Chan, Lizzie Inglessi and Lina Tahan - many thanks to you!!
Get the summary in different formats (rtf, Word97,postscript)
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