Church & Para-Church

Today I had a great meeting with Mike Duncan who will be running the Journey's college ministry next year. Intervarsity is a "para-church" organization. According to the wikipedia, a parachurch is "a vehicle by which evangelical Christians work collaboratively both outside and across their denominations to engage with the world in mission, social welfare and evangelism." which is more or less true. I think of my role with Intervarsity as a missionary sent to a college campus. There's often a lot of confusion that goes on between Church and Parachurch boundries in that the Church doesn't like the "fact" that parachurches are "stealing their college students" and the parachurch doesn't like the "fact" that Churches "aren't reaching the college campus / raising up real followers of Christ vs. 'sunday believers' ".
Truth be told we're both working toward the same mission and in service of the same God. The end goal of Intervarsity's work IS NOT to be a safe-haven / hang-out for Christian students BUT it's to see students learning how to witness to their friends while discovering & embracing the calling that God places upon their lives. This is, I believe, the same mission the Journey works toward if in a restricted context (college campus vs. everywhere). I look forward to partnering with the Journey in the future to ensure that students are getting the message that we need to be living our lives for God as a witnessing community vs. a personal sanctuary. Mike and I have committed to meeting at least monthly to look for opportunities to partner together in our work. Please keep us in your prayers.

Intervarsity's Church Partnership Website - about

Intervarsity's Community Impact:
-Jimmy Lee: Intervarsity alumni @ U of I is now serving on the president's council on Asian & Pacific Island initiatives
-Stuart Holt, IV alumni, started his own marketing company and serves now as director of The Evangelism Institute; training people to share their faith with others.
-Mark Charles, IV alumni, now serves as a missionary reaching the Navajo people

Intervarsity Church Relations:
-Vintage21: a new Church planted by some ex-Intervarsity staff
-City Lights: a missions project partnership between Intervarsity & New City Fellowship
-Memorial Presb. Church in STL: pastored by intervarsity almuni
-The Pink House: a center for urban ministry training


*picture from "The Journey - How to Respond to the World: sermon"