California State University

��ñ��'s Most Effective Evangelism Project

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 13:20:09 +0000

Gordon Govier

��ñ��'s Most Effective Evangelism Project

��ñ��’s best evangelism project should no longer be a well-kept secret. “Zero conversion coaching is our most successful and most fruitful project,” said Evangelism Director Doug Schaupp. “I don’t have any other tool that has worked 100 percent of the time. It always produces conversions.”

Conversion to life in Christ is one of ��ñ��’s best metrics, and we’ve seen incredible growth in recent years. Decisions to follow Jesus surpassed 4,500 last year, up by 130 percent from ten years ago. “That includes 10 new believers a day for the past four years,” Doug said. But the increase is not consistent across the board. “Many chapters saw zero conversions last year.”

Melissa Montecuollo inherited one of those zero conversion chapters. After teaching middle school English for several years, she longed for a job that allowed for more spiritual conversations and transformative opportunities. It was difficult to have conversations with middle schoolers in public school about how they could improve their lives.

She considered joining ��ñ�� staff. “When I heard about Northridge not having any staff at the time, I just knew I had to be there,” she said. California State University—Northridge was close to where she grew up. “I knew that was a place where God wanted to do something.”

Melissa’s arrival at Northridge brought stability to the chapter, and she enjoyed investing in the students’ lives. “With ��ñ��, I could have real conversations with students about God and faith, and about their hopes and dreams for their future,” she said.

And yet transformation didn’t seem to be happening as she had hoped it would. “We kind of knew what to do but we didn’t know how to cultivate a culture of students who were ready to say yes to Jesus in some way.”

Melissa was thrilled to find out that the Evangelism Department had started offering zero conversion coaching for chapters like hers. After four years at Northridge, she was ready to sign up.

Zero conversion coaching was created by Bryan Enderle, a part-time staff member who is also a very popular chemistry lecturer at the University of California—Davis. Bryan has been an ��ñ�� staff member for 16 years, and for the past three years he’s been an evangelism coach. Learning about so many chapters without conversions compelled him to respond and develop a coaching plan.

“The most common problem in zero conversion chapters is not doing an ask,” Bryan said. “They don't ask people to believe.” Doug quotes James 4:2, “You do not have because you do not ask.”

Other common problems are looking only for first time believers and not nominal Christians who are Christian in name only, and using Scripture passages and wording that doesn’t resonate with listeners. And, sometimes, the answer to the zero conversion problem is as simple as helping a chapter recognize when someone actually has made a decision to follow Jesus.

Melissa’s coach at Northridge was Leslie Jonan (now Leslie Kearsley), from the University of California—Los Angeles. Leslie and Melissa had been interns together and both had been on staff for about four years. But Leslie’s experience at one of ��ñ��’s top ten conversion campuses helped her give Melissa a new perspective.

“They just need someone who is checking in with them, giving them application steps, being outside eyes, and helping them move forward,” Bryan said. The coach doesn’t necessarily have all the answers; sometimes they are just somebody to talk with and answer questions. The coaching is done by phone or video, and entails one 90-minute call per month for nine months.

Working together, Melissa and Leslie both had ideas that they were able to discuss and evaluate. Melissa changed the way invitations to faith were given at large group meetings and began collecting written records on decisions that were made. Leslie also helped her with ideas on how to invite students to Fall Conference. “That was really helpful for getting students there who were ready to make decisions,” Melissa said.

With Leslie’s coaching assistance, Melissa saw a culture change at Northridge last year. The theme of the year was, “What does it mean to say yes to Jesus?” There were 25 first-time conversions or returns to faith. “We are providing opportunities for people to say yes to Jesus,” Melissa said. “If we help create the culture where that’s the norm, then the choice is there to say yes to Jesus or not, and we don’t have to worry about that.”

Doug is pleased that all of the chapters who have participated in coaching for the full nine months have seen new faith decisions. “This includes West Coast, Midwest, and East Coast chapters, state schools, private schools, and community colleges, plus International Student Ministry and Black Campus Ministry,” he said. “Even student leaders are signing up for our coaching.”

The secret is getting out. Coaching is accelerating ��ñ��’s mission on campus.

^{Photo of CSU--Northridge students by Melissa Montecuollo.}

News Keywords

Evangelism

California State University

Northridge

coaching

Staff Life Is a Journey

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 15:47:58 +0000

News

Gordon Govier

Staff Life Is a Journey

Five colleges in four years meant that once Gent Grush finally settled at San Diego State University (SDSU) as a student it took him an extra year to get his psychology degree. But those two final years at SDSU also solidly grounded him in his faith.

Gent (who is named after his great-grandfather) had a very practical reason for checking out all of the SDSU Christian fellowships when he arrived: he needed to find a roommate. Three of the leaders of ��ñ�� happened to be looking for a fourth, and so he found a home in ��ñ�� at SDSU. “��ñ�� proved to be the perfect place to grow my faith,” he said.

Gent’s three roommates were Asian American, and it wasn’t long before he began to be confronted with his own ethnicity—a journey that continues today. He is thankful that his roommates understood how to deal with ethnic differences in a helpful way, starting with food and other aspects of their culture that opened up avenues of conversation. “That was a great on-ramp for a White guy from Colorado,” he said.

His last year at SDSU he discovered he was on another on-ramp, this one toward joining ��ñ�� staff. He became a Resident Assistant (RA) in one of the largest dorms on campus. That opened a door that had been closed to dorm-based Bible studies, which he then began to invest a lot of time leading. ��ñ�� staff members at the time also needed to shore up lagging ministry support, so they concentrated on that, turning over all of the chapter leadership to student leaders such as Gent.

“I always had a desire for ministry, so this seemed like the right first step,” he said. The SDSU chapter was thriving, having doubled in size from 40 to about 80 between the time he first began participating and the time he graduated. Gent joined ��ñ�� staff upon graduation and continued the work that he enjoyed: discipleship training and leadership development.

However, someone who really loves ministry can easily get burnt out. And after three years that’s what happened to Gent. “I thought my staff career might be over,” he said. “I needed a vacation.” But what he got was something even better, even though it didn’t look that way at first.

The SDSU staff team wanted to send their student leaders to the Los Angeles Urban Program (LAUP) for the summer. And because the other team members had families, Gent was the obvious choice to lead them. “In my opinion the last thing I needed was an Urban Program,” he said. “But God did a miracle.”

Gent’s ethnic journey, which had begun five years earlier with his three Asian American roommates, took another giant step forward during his first LAUP summer. As he participated along with his students, the urban experiences challenged many of his social assumptions, and reading Bible texts that were new to him challenged his theological assumptions. When his group traveled to Tijuana and spent a night in a homeless shelter, for example, he understood better the fear experienced by many in the immigrant community.

LAUP required Gent to be closer to God than he had been all year long. It exposed him to God’s concern for justice and God’s care for the vulnerable and the exploited in a way that refreshed his soul. He knew that he would not have experienced the same renewal had he taken an ordinary vacation, as he had hoped to do that summer.

Gent returned to SDSU refreshed but soon found himself being drawn back to Los Angeles. The staff team at SDSU was changing, the woman who would soon become his wife lived in LA, and there was a staff vacancy at the ��ñ�� chapter at California State University, Los Angeles.

He arrived at Cal State LA in the fall of 2013, just as the California State University System implemented a system-wide policy requiring recognized student groups to accept any student as a potential leader, which conflicted with ��ñ��’s requirement that all chapter leaders affirm ��ñ��’s Doctrinal Basis. Implementation of the policy varied widely from one campus to another in the 23-school system. Gent found a professor who attended the same church he did, who would reserve a room for ��ñ��. The chapter was able to keep meeting with few problems.

The student population at Cal State LA provided another cross-cultural ministry opportunity for Gent. As he mentored the Black and Latino women who made up the leadership team, he realized their experiences and discipleship needs were far different from students he had worked with elsewhere. Once again he was confronted with the contrast between the assumptions he was used to and the ways other Christians responded to the gospel message.

Last year Gent made another transition. He became director of LAUP. He was ready for a change but the change became a challenge. He discovered that although LAUP works well for students who, like Gent, come to college with little exposure to ethnic and cultural differences, it’s not the same experience for those whose lives have included cultural displacement, poverty, and injustice, like many of the students at Cal State LA.

Over its 36-year history LAUP, has been transformative for many students and staff. But Gent believes LAUP must change if it’s to be effective for every student. “LAUP’s responsibility is to disciple all students properly,” he said.

Tom Allen, ��ñ��’s regional director for Southern California, marvels at how Gent faces ministry challenges with courage, humility, and conviction. “I praise God for the way Gent’s leadership is forming student disciples who love God deeply, care for their neighbor compassionately, and engage our complex world thoughtfully,” he said. “Rather than despairing over the challenges of LAUP, he sought the Lord with a deepened humility and greater confidence in a God who can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. I am eager to see what Gent re-imagines for LAUP and how our big God multiplies that vision to something more than Gent even imagined.”

Gent doesn’t know yet how LAUP will change. But using what ��ñ�� has taught him about how God values justice, he believes it will become better. He is trusting in God’s faithfulness to help him meet this new challenge.

News Keywords

San Diego State University

Cal State LA

LAUP

Los Angeles Urban Program

California State University

CSU

��ñ�� Chapters Return to CSU

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 19:16:40 +0000

Press Room

��ñ�� Chapters Return to CSU

_{For Immediate Release}

(Madison, WI) -- ��ñ��’s 23 chapters on 19 of the California State University (CSU) campuses will once again be recognized student groups, according to CSU and ��ñ��. ��ñ�� chapters were not recognized at CSU campuses for the 2014-2015 academic year.

“Following substantive and cordial ongoing conversations, CSU clarified the intent and reach of Executive Order 1068,” said ��ñ�� president Jim Lundgren. “We are confident we can choose leaders who are qualified to lead ��ñ��’s witnessing communities throughout the Cal State system. “

Both CSU and ��ñ�� affirm the importance of all students having the choice to participate in campus organizations.

“��ñ��’s Christian faith compels us to welcome all people,” Lundgren said. “We support CSU in its commitment to serve the diversity of students on its campuses. In fact, ��ñ�� communities are some of the most diverse groups on Cal State’s campuses. At the same time, we maintain our commitment to provide campus communities that are clearly Christian, where all students can experience and learn more about Christian community, theology, and practice. We’re grateful for this development and are looking forward to continued ministry on CSU campuses.”

While this agreement covers chapters at California State University, the largest public university system in the U.S., ��ñ�� continues to face challenges to student chapters on campuses at other locations in California, New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Maine, Iowa, and Florida.

“In a time where much of the public discourse is polarized, ��ñ�� and CSU remained engaged, honest, and respectful throughout the negotiations," Lundgren added. "While we are grateful to have resolved the issue with CSU, ��ñ�� continues to believe that all-comers policies will result in the exclusion, rather than inclusion, of diverse students from campus.”

��ñ�� has a total of 985 chapters on 649 campuses and has been active on U.S. college and university campuses for more than 74 years. ��ñ�� is a charter affiliate of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), and is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

^{For more information:}
^{Gordon Govier}
^{ggovier@intervarsity.org}
^608/443-3688

News Keywords

Campus Access

California State University

Creating College Opportunities

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:35:45 +0000

Alumni Profile

News

Gordon Govier

Creating College Opportunities

Not every graduate of Sacramento High School (Sac High) chooses to attend California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State). But because of people like Sacramento State alumnus Ed Manansala, Sac High students now have a much better chance of getting a college education.

A dozen years ago Sac High was a failing public school. In 2003 it was actually closed by the school board but it reopened later that year as a charter school, operated by a new organization, St. Hope Public Schools. Over the last ten years the rate of Sac High students attending college has grown from 20 percent to 93 percent. Ed was one of the key educators responsible for the turnaround.

��ñ�� Shaped His Career

Ed was introduced to the Oak Park neighborhood that surrounds Sac High as a college student, during an ��ñ�� Urban Plunge. ��ñ�� Bible studies also shaped his concern for the underprivileged, so after he graduated he moved to Oak Park. A friend told him that the best way to help the children of Oak Park was to get involved in either the juvenile justice system or education. He chose education.

When Sac High reopened as a charter high school Ed was in the right place at the right time. Kevin Johnson, the founder of St. Hope Public Schools, knew he needed leaders with vision, tenacious dedication, and tireless energy to turn around the school. Ed became one of the school’s co-principals and later superintendent of St. Hope Public Schools.

"We believe that being a leader is putting others before self and service before others; that's the motto of Sac High and Ed lived that," said Kevin, the former NBA star who has since become mayor of Sacramento. “That consistency and authenticity gave kids a sense of possibility, a belief that anything was possible."

Students Who Benefitted

Antoinette Bailey-Weathington was confused and felt lost as a Sac High student. College seemed out of reach. Even graduating from Sac High looked unlikely after she was the victim of a shooting at a party and later became pregnant.

Ed began mentoring her, not only in school but after school. "This was a person who not only loved me as a student, he loved me as a family member," she said. Now, after graduation from Sac High, Antoinette is working two jobs, taking classes, and caring for her family. She is focused on earning a degree in early childhood education from Sacramento State.

“He expects a lot from you but you know that's good,” said Ashley Leach, another student who benefitted from Ed’s leadership at Sac High. “He's someone you know you can go to for help.” Ashley is now active in the ��ñ�� chapter at UCLA.

Relying on Prayer

As an ��ñ�� student at Sacramento State, Ed participated in the daily noon prayer meeting on campus. It helped him become more sensitive to what God was doing around him. It was good preparation for his future role at Sac High. "Prayer was central for me personally, to be able to be effective professionally,” he said. "I depended on God not by the hour but by the minute."

Today Ed serves as deputy superintendent in the Education Services department in the El Dorado County Office of Education. His commitment to serve children in urban setting continues. "A quality education creates an opportunity to break cycles of poverty,” he said. “I sensed a clear call and commission to this community and to my educational role." Students past and present – who have achieved more than they ever dreamed – are glad he obeyed that call.

News Keywords

Sacramento

��ñ�� alumni

California State University

A Day of Prayer for Campus Access

gordon.govier@intervarsity.org — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 14:40:14 +0000

News

A Day of Prayer for Campus Access

A Day of Prayer was declared on Monday, July 14, 2014, by ��ñ�� President Alec Hill to focus on campus access challenges which limit the freedom of ��ñ�� and other campus ministries to proclaim the gospel. In particular, we are concerned about the status of ��ñ�� chapters on California State University campuses.

In 2012 the outgoing chancellor of the California State University system issued a new policy that requires recognized student groups to accept all students as potential leaders. While we applaud inclusivity, and welcome all students to our chapter activities, we believe that faith-based communities like ours can only be led by people who clearly affirm the historic doctrines of their faith.

The new policy exempts sororities and fraternities from gender discrimination; we believe there should be a similar provision for creedal communities. Earlier this year, ��ñ�� Campus Staff Member Liz Thrasher Wheatley shared at ��ñ��’s national staff conference her chapter’s experience with derecognization at California State University, Chico. Listen or download her six and a half minute presentation.

Last August the new chancellor, Timothy White, graciously granted religious groups a one-year exemption for the 2013-14 school year. That time period is rapidly coming to a close. For more information on how to pray for this situation, please go to our prayer page: http://intervarsity.org/page/call-prayer-california-state-university-system

The California State University system is the largest four-year public university system in the United States. ��ñ�� has chapters on 19 of the 23 Cal State campuses.

_{(Photo: Kendall Administration Hall at California State University, Chico, from Wikipedia)}

News Keywords

Prayer

Campus Access

California State University