Project Renovation

 Project Renovation  - Our Vision

 

Our Vision - "Creating a passion for spiritual formation in the lives of future and present Student Ministry leaders."

Our Distinctives - Missional – Relational – Transformational

 

      In ministry, some things must never change, while other things must be constantly changing.  God's four purposes for the church are non-negotiable.  If we as a church fail to win the lost (secular & religious), build up the believer (in worship, word, fellowship, & prayer), equip the saints (skills for ministry), and lastly multiply shepherds, it is no longer a church.  It is merely a social club.  In a culture where change is happening so fast, we can't really imagine the world of our parents, and we really can't imagine what will be our children's world.  We live in a world where a new Web page is designed every two seconds, a new product every thirty seconds.  World knowledge now doubles every eighteen months, with more new information having been produced in the last thirty years than in the previous five thousand.  Can we afford not to change?

    Project Renovation arose out of a challenge that was placed in front of me by Dr. Robert Ferris at Columbia Biblical Seminary.  Dr. Ferris said, "if our churches in North America are spiritually dead, and the pastors who run them are leading the way, we have no one to blame but ourselves!  If the Bible Colleges and Seminaries are the ones producing such dead faith in these leaders, we need to rethink how we produce Spirit-led disciples and not just simply some one with a degree."  This led me to ask myself a question, "How do you make the classroom more than a classroom?"

   The traditional program in Seminaries and Bible Colleges has emphasized the knowledge and practice of the Word.  However, knowledge often dominates over practice in an academic and knowledge based system.  The past two years have been an experiment in renovation.  This renovation has included academics and heart surgery.  Mainly, how do we produce Spirit-led fully devoted followers of God in an academic setting?  The traditional mindset is to teach in class (mostly lecture based) and leave the practical application up to the student's internships and practicums.  It is known that students tend to learn best when in a mentoring relationship.  Life on life!!!  Outside of relationships these concepts are mear facts.  A new way of thinking is needed.  This would be two fold.  One, the classroom becomes a student ministry setting.  Worship, prayer, community, teaching, and academics all become one.  If you will, a mini congregation is formed to model and teach what we are asking these very disciples to go do with others (2 Timothy 2:2).

    Secondly, relationships with like-minded mentoring student ministries will need to be built.  This would break down the old gap between academics and internships.  No longer would a student have to randomly choose a ministry not knowing what they were going to receive in turn.  These relationships provide stability and accountability to the mentoring process.  Lancaster Bible College would be investing in their ministries, and they in turn would be investing in ours.  This relationship would be mutual.  Mentoring student ministry shepherds would be used in the classroom as guest speakers, special illustrations, and as case studies to be observed and to walk alongside.  This would provide our students with the understanding that there is a team of shepherds mentoring students who care about them becoming fully renovated and equipped in the area of Spirit-led student ministry.  These shepherds would be individuals who are being murtured through our retreats, prayer encounters, and personal interaction with the LBC Student Ministry Program.

"Initial Project Levels"

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Level 1 - Investing in local Student Ministry Leaders through relational servant led interaction (one on one)

Example - counseling, listening to key issues, meeting to pray, sharing in appropriate class times, & providing connections to our students as well as other resources

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Level 2 - Investing through spiritual formation retreats offered in small group intimate settings (ten to twelve)

Example - using the Rhoads' cabin for small intimate retreats focussing on the disciplines of the faith (prayer, journaling, silence-solitude, scripture reading, & rest)

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Level 3 - Investing by offering retreat weekends on specific ministry isssues pertinent to the health of student ministry leaders (eighty to one hundred)

Example - Using a camp like Kenbrook Retreat Center for a retreat on purity within the ministry.  Another potential is offering a weekend retreat for the Pastor of student ministries and his wife.

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Level 4 - Investing through equipping seminars held here at LBC for ministry leaders and their staffs (the masses - 200-300 in number, or more)

Example - Becoming the hub for the North East Area in equipping Pastor's of Student Ministries and their staffs, through effective disciple making conferences.

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€ - Creating the classroom to become a mini church
€ - Teaching students through experiences in the Word, worship, community and prayer
€ - Providing one on one discipleship
€ - Offering a holistic disciplemaking curriculum which includes (Foundations of Education & Discipleship, Teaching Skills, Student Development & Culture, Foundations of Student Ministry, Student & Family Counseling, and Discipleship & Prayer)

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Strategy #2 includes investing in local & regional student ministries by: