Vision and Continuity

Yesterday night, as I went through my bookshelves looking for a book to read, I stumbled upon a booklet which I had read quite a while ago. This booklet, entitled ‘Vision and Continuity’, was given to me by Annette. Though only 30 pages long, it is a treasure chest full of gems and insights into what student ministry really means and why it is so vital in the world today. It contains a series of essays and interviews in which pioneers and forerunners of student movements all over the world share their visions and dreams as well as their insights on student ministry.

Reading through the booklet for a second time, I felt a stirring in my heart again today. It is the same stirring that I had felt more than a year ago; the same stirring that had moved me to decide to serve God in FES and be part of what God is doing among university students. I could sense a sort of connection with the authors of the essays in that we shared similar passions and similar visions, though theirs was of a more regional and global scale. Though my concerns a year ago were more local and limited to the CF in MMU, I could understand and identify with their cry for a new generation of leaders who would have the same clear vision as its founders, yet are sensitive to what the Spirit is doing in their own generation; leaders who would hold on to the foundations that their predecessors held on to, yet are able to adapt to face new times and new challenges. Their cry for the vision of the forerunners to be passed on, as well as continuity, is echoed by my own heart as I look at the CF today.

An article written by Professor Samuel Escobar impacted me so much that I feel I should type a portion of it in here:

One of the great dangers of student work, as of many other aspects of Christian activity, is that it may become an institution in which the vision is lost and new generations continue with the motions but without the spirit of the movement. There is a name, there is financial support, there is a program, but people are not possessed by the same vision of the founders. They simply keep a tradition driven more by inertia than by a fresh sense of direction and the compulsion of the Spirit of God. Eventually discouragement sets in, impetus is lost and the movement confronts a crisis or what is worse, extinction.

It is people who have vision. A vision is contagious, and it is transmitted by people to people. While vision can be articulated on paper or tape, transmitting it will always involve people, because a vision becomes something that possesses you, a dream in which you believe with all your heart and strength. It is people who embody visions. Transmission of vision involves people discipling other people. Opportunities in which the leaders and the pioneers can have in-depth encounters with the new generations should be sought.

Learn to see student work as part of a wider reality: God’s people and God’s kingdom. This gives us a sense of history and makes us humble. There is always the danger of seeing only our corner of God’s work as the most important, strategic and worth of attention and support. That is only one step away from sectarianism.

Within the larger framework of God’s kingdom, we have to grasp clearly the specific responsibility of our own generation. When a movement grows and succeeds, it is because some people grasped God’s eternal purpose and saw how it could become an operative reality in their own day, time and setting. Continuity will not mean a servile mechanical repetition of the motions of the past generation, but a grasping of a large vision and an awareness of the particular moment in which each generation lives.

I have always wondered if my desire to be involved in student work was borne of God or if it was just a passing whim. Back then, I had prayed that God would make a way for me if that was what He was calling me to do. When my parents opposed my decision strongly, I began to have doubts. Now I am not sure. After hearing what God has to say to me recently, I would think that there is a possibility that it could be real; that maybe God IS calling me into student ministry, but probably not in the way that I thought it would be.

I am fully aware and convinced that the students will always be the workers in the front lines, and it will always be the students who will be leading the CF and making decisions. If that is the case, what role will graduates and university staff play in the student movement? If God is calling me to be a part of His work in MMU, for now at least, then what role do I have to play here? Has He already given me that task - the Bible study group on Thursdays? Or is there more to come?

In light of recent events in which some of the current leaders and members have come to me to ask for suggestions and opinions, many other questions have popped up in my mind. How involved should I get in the CF activities? In what way will the lessons that God has taught me in the CF be of help to the CF members? Do they need my help at all? How much influence will I have on the students in CF? Should I even try to influence anyone at all? How can I serve them? In what way can I be an example to them? Where do I draw the line regarding my involvement? Where do I draw the line regarding what I do in the CF and what I say to the leaders, so that the role of students as the frontline workers, leaders and decision makers will not be compromised?

I have this gut feeling that I should bring all these questions to Annette when I have an opportunity. I believe that maybe God has something to say to me through her, with her God-given wisdom and her years of experience in student ministry. As I am writing this, a passing thought just came to me – why did Annette pass that booklet to me in the first place?