More Semler

Over the last few years I have felt that our the divisions we have in Staffed Campus, Catalytic and Ethnic Student Ministries have created a tribal cultures that do not allow us to maximize our effectiveness.  In some places these divisions have lead to isolation and views of status (or lack of it) that do not allow us to fully engage with each other to accomplish the mission.  In the name of ministry philosophy, we have gravitated into camps – even though each ‘strategy’ has proven to be quite effective with good leadership.  In some locations there has been a very healthy shift in which leaders borrow from each camp in order to get the job done.  Dan Allan, a very gifted and godly leader, is such a case in St. Louis.  Dan and his team approach Washington University (small elite liberal arts school) very much like a staffed campus situation.  If memory serves me, a handful of interns run the show at Wash U as their primary focus.  The rest of Dan’s team focuses on the whole city by accessing the best of all strategies and inventing many of their own.  Dan leads from a deep heart and pursues a deep wallet to get the job done.  As he looks macro, he is able to release people to function in ministry to the best of their gifting.

Semler talks about the results of tribal thinking.  “It’s not a perfect world.  We know that some strife among different groups will occur.  But we’re willing to accept that and open ourselves to diversity . . . We’ve found that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.  Cliques, sects and clubs that reinforce tribal affiliations in harmful ways can be easily dismantled when employees manage themselves.  What’s more, the overall tribal bonding mechanism loses traction.

In this age of movements everywhere (whatever it takes!) we need to move more toward a synergistic effort in making it happen.  In light of this reality, I see no reason for CAT/SC/ESM grouping to every meet, strategize, dream and plan apart from being deeply bonded to each other.  There is little reason why we should not do this all together!   Every leader has something to gain from good leadership in each category.  Movement building cannot be the domain of only staffed campus because we must all know how to help a plant grow.  And everyone must know how to initially plant in any soil.  The divisions represent volume geography and people focus – we must all learn to take advantage of the best in each category.

In Ethnic Student Ministries we need to learn how to see movements grown and flourish under the leadership of students.  I am sure Catalytic schools can benefit from this as well.  In staffed campus, the ability to plant a new work is HUGE!  This is something that our CAT brothers do often and well, and they have learned that false starts, poor leadership and experimentation are all part of the growth equation.  Staffed Campus needs to see this as a positive reality as well.  Not every location was Philippi – Paul wandered into Athens as well – but the Philippi's made the Athens experience seem just part of the routine of a new work.  Let us lead together for a better future!

(Staffed Campus is a team focusing on one major university (UCLA), Catalytic is a team overseeing numerous universities over a broad geographic area (Chicago Metro), and Ethnic Student Ministries is just what it sounds like)