Building a Movement
The ingredients that lead to a growing movement are not complicated as long as you remember that when to do things is as important as what things to do. This is why the resources in this section try to follow a chronological order. This can get tricky when activities overlap, but there is room in the order and timing for flexibility. The order of activities that are suggested here provide a helpful structure from which you may choose to deviate.
Evangelistic Movements: An Outcome-Based Analysis
What is an evangelistic movement? How would you know if you have one? By using this powerful tool, you’ll be able to assess your current state of reality, allowing you...
Step 1: Funding First
It’s hard to envision building a movement with a bank
account of zero. Not that it can’t be done, but why even attempt it?
Step 2: The Planning Process
In the Campus Ministry, leaders are required to plan for the upcoming school year. The process we equip all leaders with is called the Strategic Planning Process.
Step 3: Prepare Your Team
Orienting your team to the school year is a crucial step. What is critical here is to gather together any and all members of your missional team before the school year...
Step 4: Connect With Servant Team
Most campuses refer to the core group of student leaders as the Servant Team. You may call them whatever you want, but it’s important to you need to meet with them at...
Step 5: The Leadership Retreat
We just discussed the importance of your Missional Team meeting to pray and plan, and gathering your Servant Team to do the same. With much to be discussed, it’s a...
Step 6: Planning Part 1
As you plan for the year, and bring others into that planning at the leadership retreats, it is important to map out both ‘what’ you are going to do and ‘how’...
Step 6.5: Planning Part 2
With the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ mapped out, factor into your planning the ‘when’ as well. Different times of the year are better for different ministry...
Step 7: The First Few Weeks
Weeks 1–3. The first few weeks offer a unique opportunity that will not be duplicated during any other time of the school year. What is accomplished in these weeks...
Step 8: 30-Second Surveys
Weeks 1–3. Perhaps the most significant activity of these first few weeks is the Dinner-line Survey. It allows you to gather hundreds, even thousands of filtered...
Step 9: Publicity
Weeks 1–3. Posters, flyers, surveys, rent a blimp if you need to but use every avenue of promotion available to make your ministry as visible as possible in the first...
Step 10: Gathering Bible Studies
Weeks 1–3. Gathering Bible Studies provide a critical holding-tank for students wanting to get involved. They provide an event you can publicize and invite-to, while...
Step 11: The Men’s and Women’s Overnight
Weeks 4–6. Having a Men’s/Women’s overnight between the start of the semester and the Fall Retreat provides a stutter-step of involvement: an opportunity to get to...
Step 12: Launch Small Groups
Weeks 4-6. Having gathered as many new people as possible, you now want to place them in a Bible study that will be best suited to their commitment and maturity level....
Step 13: Establish Discipleship Relationships
Weeks 4–6. Discipleship, like all mentoring, is an intensive investment of time and energy. Good stewardship demands selectivity, and as a leader it is important to...
Step 14: The Fall Retreat
Congratulations, you made it. The past weeks of ministry have been one long sprint to the Fall Retreat. The Fall Retreat is not simply one more event. It is the event...
Step 15: Time For An Outreach
Late October–Early November. Having consolidated your ministry at the Fall Retreat, the ministry’s focus must be turned outward toward the mission of reaching lost...
Step 16: Emphasis on Prayer
Late October–Early November. The impending evangelistic emphasis provides the opportunity to give lift to the student prayer movement. Take advantage of it and...
Step 17: Socials and Community Building
Late November–Early December. This time of year lends itself to holding some creative socials, holiday parties, and other special times of community building. But...
Step 18: The Christmas Conference
The Christmas Conference accelerates the growth and commitment of students, solidifies student leadership, and students return to campus ready and eager to lead, serve,...
Step 19: The Second Semester Rally
Late January–Early February. Your job at the start of the semester is to rally the ministry and bring them together as a committed community, “standing firm in one...
Step 20: Time For Another Outreach
Mid–Late February. Remember, times of building up should always be followed by times of reaching out. And so at some point in February it is a good idea to think in...
Step 21: Big Break
March. The Mid-point of second semester is a final mile-marker before the end of the year. Hang on, you’re almost there.
Step 22: Sending Focus
Last 6 Weeks. The last six weeks of the year is a good time to focus on
the “sending” component of the ministry, such as preparing Seniors for graduation,...
Step 23: Evaluating The Ministry
To wrap up this year and set the trajectory for next year, give attention to evaluation: getting honest input from student leaders and your missional team.
Success Criteria: Viewing God at Work
This article explains the biblical basis for having Success Criteria and what we mean by each criterion we evaluate.
Taking a Movement From 20 to 200
Bob Fuhs provides an extremely helpful and easy-to-follow plan for how to grow a small ministry into a thriving movement that impacts the campus.
A Movement(s) Building Model
“Movements everywhere, so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus.” That’s our goal. Updated for 2012, this document serves as the official US Campus...
The Wisdom of Building Movements
A great article to read with your team at the beginning of the year to get everyone on the same page, casting vision for how God uses movements to change lives.
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