[This post is part of the “4 Hour Campus Plant” series. I am live blogging my attempt to plant a ministry at a new campus with only 4 hours a week. This is a continuous story that builds, so make sure to start at the beginning.]

Do you ever feel like you are at your end and you don’t know if you can keep going? Well, I think Kimy was at this point yesterday. I could just tell when we first started talking. She has a lot on her plate this summer, some personal things are coming up, and the idea of planting LBCC just seems overwhelming. If you have planted anything before, you know that feeling.

This couldn’t have been a better day for reinforcements to come and cheer her up, let her know she is not alone, and put some wind in her sails. Here is her reflection from our time together:

Today Kimy and I met up to talk about the plan for summer at LBCC. But I had a surprise up my sleeve for her!

His name is Tyler, and he is a third year at Long Beach State University. Long Beach State has a thriving InterVarsity chapter with 170 students involved and 17 small groups. But they have a heart to help plant LBCC and want to resource the campus as it gets going.

How cool is that!?

So Kimy, Tyler and I talked today about how we could partner and what God may be doing with the two groups.

The Summer Plan

While school is out for the summer I am trying to make it as easy as possible for Juan-David and Kimy. They have two tasks for this summer to keep momentum up.

• Pray every week together on campus on Friday afternoon
• Get recognized as an on campus club so we are ready for outreach in September

The awesome part is how Tyler is going to ask his summer community to help:

That would be some serious reinforcement!

 

But Wait…There’s More!

As we were ending our meeting Tyler mentioned that Tim, an InterVarsity staff from Fullerton, was discipling a student by taking him to LBCC to prayer walk today! What? Why didn’t Tim tell me about that?

So I texted Tim, and sure enough, they were heading to the campus to pray together. I was floored.

Tim made his own video of what God spoke to them today on campus! God hooked them up with a serious divine appointment.

Not sure what is up with the “broccoli and chicken wings” though…lol

But Wait…There’s More…

I also got this Facebook message a week ago from a newly hired InterVarsity staff who will be planting Orange Coast College next year.

I left Nancy’s reply off, but lets just say that she is more than open to getting together and talking and helping us. So, I think God may be bringing a few things together here :0

The Lessons Learned

Student Partnership

Today it is all about partnership. God is bringing people together. Jerome, the Area Director for Orange County, have been talking for a while about how to get Long Beach State to partner in this planting effort. He hooked me up with Tyler and Tyler was super responsive when I called him and asked him if he would come share with me and Kimy and talk about how his summer community could help out.

I was thinking about how awesome it would have been if a staff would have called me when I was Junior in college and asked me to come help plant a new ministry at a different school. I texted my team this:

If a staff would’ve called me during my junior year and asked me to help plant another campus with my summer Bible study I would’ve died and gone to heaven. This is how we find apostolic students.

It is so fun to think and pray about the way that students at both LBCC and Long Beach State will be impacted by partnering in this effort. Students helping students plant! Come on! This is what need more of in America. It is happening all over the world, and it has been a big part of our past. I am so excited to see a hint of this today in America!

It is a lie from Satan that we need staff to plant…students can plant without staff!

Staff Partnership

But then there is Tim!

Tim loves to plant and he is a great staff. I just love that he went out to LBCC to pray with a student from Fullerton. Its such sign of partnership and how our whole staff team in Greater Los Angeles is owning the mission to see 70 campuses planted.

Tim and I were texting tonight and his final text was

I am going to see if I can make it out Tuesday afternoons in July

I love that I have staff partners owning this unreached campus. This campus is not my job responsibility and it is not his either. But we are giving a few hours a week. Look what is happening!

And last but not least there is Brianna. Reaching out and resourcing us with a sweet connection! I just love how our whole division is owning the whole field of college campuses in Greater LA!

Situational Leadership

When you meet a leader like Kimy, they are going to have a ton of enthusiasm at first. They are what you call quadrant one on situational leadership. This person needs a ton of direction but not much emotional support because their spirit and will is high. They don’t know what they are doing, but they are excited.

Shortly after the initial stage, all leaders hit quadrant two which is a tough quadrant. It is the place where the leader still doesn’t know how to do the task, but now they are emotionally low. The reality of the task at hand has hit them and they may feel jaded, rattled, overwhelmed, scared, or a number of other feelings. This is where Kimy is at this point. This is a very normal part of the leadership process. Nothing to worry about.

But what it takes is an adaptive leadership posture from my end. It takes more emotional support (the same amount of direction). It is the most taxing quadrant for me to lead in because it takes both high direction (task) and high support (emotion). Today was a great time to do three things:

1. Refocus Kimy that the goal for the summer is to pray. Show up once a week and pray with Juan – David. When you are overwhelmed you start thinking about ALL the things that have to be done to be successful. I made it clear to her that we aren’t trying to grow a big group this summer. Just pray…get ready for the Fall. That made her relax
2. Bring in some support. I thought Tyler and Long Beach State coming into the mix would encourage her and help her feel that she is not alone. She can do this and there is help. I think that helped, and we will see how this carries out.
3. Tyler and I spent some time praying for her and we got some powerful scripture and images for her. Every leader needs refreshment from God like this but especially leaders in quadrant two!

What I am Thinking

I am floored. I am just so thankful to God that he is surrounding Kimy with partners and showing her that people care. Her fear in this plant is that she would be alone in doing this. Furthermore, she was having a hard day and week. But God showed up with some reinforcements. I can’t wait to see who from Long Beach State commits to praying for LBCC.

Lastly, look what a few hours a week can do to catalyze partnership!?

[This post is part of the “4 Hour Campus Plant” series. I am live blogging my attempt to plant a ministry at a new campus with only 4 hours a week. This is a continuous story that builds, so make sure to start at the beginning.]