College Union

By Julie Robertson

Compartmentalization. It is a problem for all Christians, but especially those engaged in full-time ministry. We have a tendency to view our lives in categories. Family. Devotions. Work. Play. All have become things we mark “done” on our real or imagined “to do” lists. We compartmentalize everything. We don’t mean to do it, but it seems more…manageable that way.

We look at spiritual formation, board development and fundraising in the same way. We view them as three mutually exclusive areas of our ministry. Each one is certainly crucial in its own way, but only minimally related to the other.

I think this is a (growing) problem.

The lack of overlap in these three areas of ministry affects the health of the whole ministry. If we view board development, fundraising, and spiritual formation as three very different, distinct areas of our ministry, we are going to create more problems than we solve. These areas, alike in their cruciality to any thriving ministry, ought to be deeply interconnected.

Board Development and Fundraising are difficult parts of any ministry. Both are important, but exhausting if approached from the wrong angle. Enter spiritual formation. This is the key to developing and sustaining a healthy board and to determining fundraising techniques for operations and missions. If we begin with spiritual formation, we are already ahead of the game in both areas.

In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster writes, “Joy is the keynote of all the Disciplines. The purpose of the Disciplines is liberation from the stifling slavery to self-interest and fear.” One might add that once spiritual formation is at the forefront of every area of our ministry, then real transformation takes place. A revolution of sorts starts to happen. Board Meetings are no longer dull and tedious. Fundraising is nothing to fear. Life change is real and is pervading the whole ministry.

It is tempting to write you a “prescription” today on just how to create more overlap in these three areas of your ministry. The perfectionist part of me wants to offer you a precise list of what to do to make that happen in your ministry. But those never work because every ministry is different.

However, we do have this in common. The Lord has told us that if we “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” we will find that everything else will take care of itself (Matthew 6:33). It is also significant to note that it is in this same chapter (Matthew 6) that the Lord teaches us how to pray. More reliance, less independence is what the Lord desires of us.

While I won’t leave you with an airtight framework for how to create more overlap these three key areas of your ministry, I will leave you with a handful of suggestions.

1) Pray. This may seem an obvious suggestion, but make prayer an integral part of your board meetings and your fundraising events. Commit to pray for individuals involved in these (and all areas) of your ministry on a regular basis. Make it personal by connecting board members with students or with each other as prayer partners. Take time to write a note or an e-mail to these people to let them know you have set aside a regular time each week to pray for them.
2) Worship. Set-aside a time each quarter just to worship together. You might invite your board members and fundraisers to attend your regular worship gathering, create a worship service just for them (led by students), or take a field trip to a vibrant church in the area. Another idea would be to make this a part of your regular meetings.
3) Celebrate. This discipline is often over-looked. Celebrate with your board members, fundraisers, and students. A celebration dinner at least once each year is a great way to say thank you to your board members, fundraisers, and students. Testimonies from students who have benefited from fundraisers and board participation are great ways to remind the weary that they are making a difference. As always, words of affirmation and encouragement throughout the year through cards, e-mails, and phone calls are also helpful.

Begin working on your own new framework today. Stop compartmentalizing your ministry (and your life!) and collaborate. It won’t be easy at first, but I promise the results will be well worth it!

Julie Robertson is the College Pastor at Central UMC in Fayetteville, AK.

Categories: Nurturing the Soul of the Campus Minister
Tags: board development, fundraising, spiritual formation