Campus Ministry Africa

By David Nwajiuba

Campus Ministry Africa is a handbook that explores in practical terms, the nitty-gritties of running
Christian activities on university campuses, fine-tuning for maximum impact. It goes without saying, prayer and God’s
word are two indispensable tools for training leaders in all kinds of Christian ministry. Then, in addition
to these basics there are small but critical aspects that are often overlooked in organizing for efficiency.
Using the general structures of Christian campus fellowships and churches in Nigeria, the author
provides a framework of principles for interfacing in weekly meetings, special events, class storms,
departmental fellowships, in a format applicable to most African institutions. Some of the areas covered
in this material include:
- The essence of fellowship meetings
- Types of meeting and how each’s emphases influence how we prepare for it
- Planning special programs, guests, publicity, evangelism and matters associated
- Inter-fellowship cooperation, Joint Christian bodies (JCBs and JCCFs)
- Approaches to preaching in class, etc
- Etiquette for receiving guests
- Handling moral failings in our midst
Though the book is targeted primarily at ministry on campus, the bible-based principles fleshed out in it
are applicable to growing churches and will make a fine resource for training all kinds of leaders

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Nwajiuba
• Release date: Jun 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463426753

Book preview

CAMPUS MINISTRY AFRICA

(Practical Perspectives for Maximizing Impact on Campus)

By Dave Nwajiuba

Copyright 2020 Dave Nwajiuba

Smashwords Edition

Thank you for downloading this eBook. You are welcome to share it with your team, friends and network. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, send a message to the author via email at [e-mail] and look out for more insights and details on his next published work. Thank you for your support.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FIRST WORDS

THE WHITE ROSE

CHAPTER ONE: THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIAN MEETINGS (What is Church; Foundation of Christian meetings; Routine meetings)

CHAPTER TWO: THE ANATOMY OF A CHRISTIAN MEETING (Types of meetings; Evaluating regular meetings)

CHAPTER THREE: SPECIAL PROGRAMS (Helpful tips on: Planning events, etiquette for guest ministers, Letters and correspondences, Publicity and evangelism)

CHAPTER FOUR: INTERFACING WITH THE SYSTEMS ON CAMPUS (Impromptu class evangelism, Class prayers, Maximizing departmental fellowships)

CHAPTER FIVE: INTER-FELLOWSHIP RELATIONS AND JOINT CHRISTIAN BODIES (Cooperation between fellowships; Better ways for JCBs to serve Christian bodies in their community)

CHAPTER SIX: RELATIONSHIPS ON CAMPUS (To Classmates, Boy-girl, Constituted Authorities, Parents/Guardian)

CHAPTER SEVEN: HANDLING MORAL FAILINGS WITHIN FOLDS

EPILOGUE (MAKING TRANSITIONS)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are so many people to whom I am indebted to in the process of producing this book. First, to Prosper Gift Ogolo, emeritus National President of National Fellowship of Christian Medical Laboratory Science Students. This material moved from being a mere one-page teaching outline for a symposium on running meetings, to what it is now all because you requested a small written resource for training your leaders. To my incredible and amiable mother-in-law, Mrs Boma Karibo, who took the tough journey of editing this rough piece; straightening out my hazy expressions. To say I am deeply touched, is an understatement. Thank you, ma. To my brother-in-law, Mr John Alaye-Briggs, your sacrifices for me and the family have never ceased to amaze me. God bless you, sir. To the many leaders who taught, blessed and inspired me during my service times with BLW Campus Ministry, I am eternally grateful.

My profound appreciation to Reigner Davies, the College Director of the remarkable ministry, the MouldBreak Institute; my mentor—a man of uncommon wisdom. Thank you for always sharing relevant insights; thank you sir for the access and the many sessions of training. A special thank you to all the friends who offered encouragement to continue writing at various points in time: Prince Ojileh, Chioma Chukwunedu, Robbie Kaine and others—you’ll never know how far your simple gestures went. Finally, to my wife, Alberta, my first proof reader and confidante; you are simply amazing! Thanks for making our home beautiful.

FIRST WORDS

Have you ever seen a church handbill or poster advertising a one-day program with eight guest music ministers, three preachers and the famous other anointed men of God? Usually, this rather large number of ministers are all slated for a single day’s event—where the total time allotted for the program is just three hours. If you know anything about program planning, you can already tell that the meeting will be an organizational disaster or mediocre at best. Another common example you probably have seen is, a Christian group planning a Word Conference and scheduling a comedian to anchor it. You almost want to ask, Is this a wedding reception or a Word Conference? Do you even know what a Word Conference is?

All these slip-ups are usually done by good, Christian people, with earnest hearts, who mean well. However, good intentions, as have been proven over and again, do not necessarily translate to benefit.

Every Christian fellowship or church holds meetings with some regularity. In some places, after a while, it is not uncommon to observe that these meetings settle into rut; both in the minds of the leadership and members—becoming mere routine—something we do every Thursday and Sunday with no vital significance to it. This is an unsurprising human response to things done routinely. For this reason, leaders in Christian gatherings must steer away from this state. Our service to the Lord must remain passionate by our maintaining the purpose of Christian gatherings.

Some things to check in planning meetings and programs are obvious as a matter of courtesy or common sense. For example, the time available for a program and the reasonable number of potential guest ministers considered for invitation should be quite apparent in planning (also, a special program does not necessarily mean a special guest must be invited). Some others are perceived and founded on apostolic instructions or examples gleaned from the Bible.

How does a fellowship plan its meetings to consistently fulfil the primary needs a church group is intended to meet in the believer’s life and the world around it? How can meetings be run to make them truly efficient in the light of purpose? How should special programs be planned and executed? What are the deciding factors for picking what items should be included on the program of activities of a meeting and what shouldn’t? Are all parts of a meeting of same importance? What should be considered when creating and filling leadership positions in an assembly? Is the physical welfare of members an irrelevant item for leaders of Christian groups? The list of questions continues.

There are many legitimate reasons for which people write books: to earn a living; as an outlet for expression; to document an event, etc. In fact, one book can cover two or more of such reasons. This book is borne out of a need to fill the small but important gap that I had observed as commonly existing in some fellowships, churches (and what some call, para-churches). It is written to provide some framework for planning special programs and running effective regular Christian meetings on tertiary campuses.

A non-denominational fellowship had invited me three years ago to run a training for a small group of leaders on a university campus in Bayelsa, Nigeria. One of the sessions they wanted me to handle was on how to run meetings and plan special programs. I made a small, handwritten outline to summarize the thoughts I had to share. It turned out to be an important segment, but we had very little time for it. So, when I was invited again, more recently, I was asked to create a small manual that the leaders could study. I had to find that one paged outline from 3 years ago and began expanding the thoughts. Originally, I estimated it would turn out as a 5-page quick draft, but this material turned out instead. So, in a way, the book forced itself into existence.

As regard content and style, a wise man once told me, A good shepherd does not move the flock at the pace of the strongest sheep but the weakest, [tending them, till they too are strong]. That paradigm underlies this book’s content and style. As such, this book does not contain all that can be discussed about the topics addressed in their fullest expression. This is deliberate. It has a target and has been written to be easily studied and delivered in a series of training sessions. Also, this has been written to allow for many, across denominations and sects, to be able to learn what they can, from this project, on the topics discussed. With the many subsets of Christian faith expressed across Africa, it is my hope that a large intersection of them can read it and find great help. To those and others, this manual will do much good. Not just because I wrote it, but because it actually is so.

The thoughts expressed herein are applicable to gatherings of Christians in all settings; though I have written this specifically for Christians and Christian leaders on campuses of institutions of higher learning and in new churches. However, I make transitions from speaking to one group to another: At some points, I address campus leaders, and at other points, I speak to stakeholders outside the campus. I hope this is easy to discern.

I have wanted to say some of the things here for years, but there has not been an opportunity till now. Others I have learned from working with a profound teacher and life coach, Reigner Davies, the College Director of The MouldBreak Institute and several other ministers of the gospel. It is my hope and prayer that the communication established herein, would be clear to all who read it and would be readily applicable. It is also my prayer that there will be tangible results in Christian groups as leaders and workers are trained to run impactful meetings.

Dave Nwajiuba

(June, 2020)

Dedicated to Alicia.

THE WHITE ROSE

A Flicker of Humanity

History holds many lessons in its stories. Here's a little story away from the shores of Africa.

Hans and Sophie Scholl were siblings that were among a small group of young people who were brave enough to print, distribute tracts and paint graffiti that countered the narrative of the society they lived in. Printing and distributing tracts that counter prevailing narrative is neat but does not sound like a very brave thing to do. That is unless you are living under the iron-fisted government of the Third Reich where mere criticism of the government would pass for treason against the state with swift penalty of imprisonment or more often, death.

The White Rose, the group that anonymously released the anti-Nazi tracts, had vowed to be the bad conscience to an evil government that had suppressed all dissenting voices within the German State. The group largely consisted of medical students of Ludwig Maximillian University of Munich, who were bitten by clarity of the sanctity of human life and dignity; they considered it impossible to do nothing, however little, in the face of so great evil. They would all pay dearly for their courage as they were all eventually rounded up and executed―their movement dying out. Hans was 24 and Sophie was 21 when their heads were guillotined. Their effort which seemed like a drop in an ocean, would shine as a beacon of hope to generations. To fully appreciate their courage, you would need to understand the monstrosity that was the Third Reich.

The capacity of human populations to tolerate and even participate in gross evil has been established by many episodes in history, none is more famous than the atrocities that occurred under the Third Reich in Germany. How one man, Adolf Hitler, held spell bound, a whole nation and led them along while murdering millions of people, has continued to generate interest to this day.

Under the Government's T4 program, some two hundred thousand German citizens who were considered mentally or physically handicapped were murdered in a bid to achieve Hitler's depraved vision of a pure Aryan race. It is largely estimated that some six million innocent Jews were persecuted and exterminated through various schemes. In nations that Germany invaded during the period, the lives of civilians and prisoners of war, in the millions were snuffed out. Yet as the war came to its end in 1945, Hitler still had loyalists to his vision and a system that could have perpetuated itself had the Allied Forces not dismantled its framework in the German society.

Before he became Hitler the dictator, he was only a lazy, unremarkable young boy who just wanted to be an artist, led a bohemian lifestyle at a time and alternatively considered joining the priesthood at another. Yet he ended up as the chief catalyst of what many consider the deadliest conflict in history. Many have studied to know not just how he accomplished his evil plans so efficiently but how he took millions of his countrymen along.

Was it his fiery oratorial skills?

Was it the call to the superiority of the race of his countrymen and extreme nationalism?

Was it the tight rein the government had over all aspects of the lives of the German citizens?

Was it