ConneCtion chi alpha a motley crew wearing overalls and sandals or barefoot, and had long hair and...

spring 2013 1

ConneCtionVolUMe 5 issUe 4 spring 2013

chi alpha

Imagine what God can and will do as we allow the Holy Spirit’s power to operate in our personal lives and in the ministry life of Chi Alpha. God has infi nitely more in store for this Chi Alpha Na-tion than our collective imaginations could ever perceive, desire or ask for in our prayers.

What do you and I hope and pray for Chi Alpha?

What do you believe God for? What are your dreams?

WHY DREAM? WHY IMAGINE?First, God desires for us to dream with Him as part of His design to partner with us to fulfi ll His purposes in Chi Alpha for His honor and glory.

Acts 2:17-18 declares that in the last days God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and daughters, your young men, your old men, without barriers of gender, age, or status to prophesy, envision, and dream.”

If we believe we are in the last days and the greatest revival on our college campuses is yet to come, and we have been given the Holy Spirit to empower us to dream, then what will we embrace as the big and deep dreams of God for the future of Chi Alpha?

c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 3

Dreaming Together Our Biggest and Deepest

By Dennis GaylorDreams“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or

imagine according to his power that is at work within us, to him be

glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations.”

Ephesians 3:20-21

Dreams“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or

imagine according to his power that is at work within us, to him be

glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations.”

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or

Happy Retirement!THANK YOU DENNIS FOR 35 YEARS

OF SERVICE TO COLLEGE STUDENTS!

2 CHI ALPHA CONNECTION

CHI ALPHA CONNECTION Volume 5 / Issue 4 / SPRING 2013

EDITORDennis Gaylor

EXECUTIVE CHI ALPHABob Marks, interim national director

missionary personnel directorCurtis Cole, administrative director

E. Scott Martin, XA student mission directorCrystal Martin, XA internationals director

SUPPORT STAFFKarissa Jefferson, administrative coordinator

Delyn Cole, project coordinator/researchVickie Peck, accounting specialist

Melanie Lynch, missionary personnel and records coordinatorNathan Cole, creative and media coordinator

Cary Bates, graphic designer

Chi Alpha Connection is a quarterly publication of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, U.S.A.

Assemblies of God U.S. Missions1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfi eld, Mo. 65802.

417.862.2781 x1425 • FAX 417.865.9947WEB chialpha.com

Special thanks to BGMC for funding this project.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

©2012 by Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfi eld MO 65802. Printed in U.S.A. All rights reserved.

All Web sites verifi ed in May 2013.

“We have a dreaming nature,” says Dutch Sheets in Dream. “We inherited this part of our disposition from our Creator. God created us in His image and likeness so our hearts could relate to His and in order that His dreaming heart could fi nd millions of expressions. We were designed to dream, and we must dream—both for ourselves and for God. In fact, if you don’t dream with Him, … you’ll never achieve your destiny.”

When I fi rst got involved in Chi Alpha at the local level, the campus unrest, anti-establishment, anti-war movement and student demonstrations were winding down. In its place the Jesus movement exploded on the West Coast and swept across the United States and the Charismatic renewal began at the University of Notre Dame and the spiritual gifts spread rapidly to mainline denominations and college campuses.

Even though students were getting saved and being baptized in the Holy Spirit, a generation gap developed because their freedom of expression in dress made them suspect—they didn’t look Christian. Thus enters Chi Alpha in the late 1970s. We were a motley crew wearing overalls and sandals or barefoot, and had long hair and beards; acoustic guitars were favored over hymns and organ music.

I came to Springfi eld, Missouri to work in Chi Alpha in 1978 at age 29. A number of the young men and women who got radically saved on campus were determined to stay after graduation to live and share the gospel to any who would listen. Because of our looks and behavior, some church leaders questioned whether we really loved God, but regardless, we began growing in our walk with Jesus.

I think many Chi Alpha leaders early on were misunderstood and marginalized. Most were single, lived very frugal lives, had cars that didn’t work and lived on very little income. It was nearly impossible to do campus ministry and be married. My dream and passion was to see young single men and women, married couples and families do campus ministry effectively and as a long term career. Chi Alpha personnel would be recognized and esteemed as missionaries and their dreams from God could be realized.

This dream was fulfi lled in the 1990s after Chi Alpha relocated to AG U.S. Missions. This gave Chi Alpha the opportunity to begin granting national missionary appointment to those called to the campus. Today we have several hundred quality leaders and vibrant campus ministries nationwide who are having a powerful impact for Jesus on our universities.

“The journey of life is meant to be a dream quest; fi nding what your Maker has dreamed for you brings life’s ultimate satisfaction and should be life’s ultimate pursuit,” says Sheets. “God dreamed dreams for us before we were even born, then skillfully wove them into our DNA as we were created, along with the ability to fi nd and fulfi ll them. His destiny for you will be the sum of those dreams.”

So, with lots of fulfi llment seeing what God has done, Barbara and I have decided to retire as this school year ends. I leave my position as national director of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries April 12.

It is time for Barbara and I to dream some more. Acts 2:17 says, “…old men will dream dreams.” We cannot say yet what God has for us in the years ahead, but we are satisfi ed that our dream from the beginning has been realized and God will plant new dreams in us for the future.

We will continue to dream and pray that Chi Alpha fi nds every means to engage students on our campuses with the powerful gospel and shake up our institutions of higher learning so students, faculty, staff and administrators start asking the big and central questions of life. We will pray for revival on our campuses.

I conclude by asking, what is the new dream for Chi Alpha and you?

EDITOR’S LETTER

SPRING 2013 3

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

Second, we dream to know God’s heart.

In Change the Culture, Change the Game, Roger Conners says, “Once you and I clearly defi ne the targets—the results we want; [students becoming followers of Je-sus Christ] then we must move quickly to build a [Chi Alpha] culture that produces the right experiences, beliefs and actions (behaviors) to achieve those results.”

God’s target—His Heart—is John 3:16. “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

The student on campus is the target of God’s heart. Whatever we dream for Chi Alpha centers on that student who needs to know and grow in Christ Jesus.

Third, we dream for the favor and grace of God to fall on Chi Alpha.

According to Joe Castleberry, in his book Your Deepest Dreams:

“True fulfi llment comes when we discover the overarching deep dream God intends for us. The dream involves goals, dreams, destiny and the development of moral character.”

God has a unique dream for Chi Alpha. God has a unique dream for each of us in the gifts and roles we play in Chi Alpha. When we fi nd and embrace our God-given dream, we fi nd the greatest possible fulfi ll-ment, meaning and purpose. We are alert, awake, and alive spiritually and listening for God’s voice, not ours.

In the 1970s, we only had a handful of dis-trict Chi Alpha leaders in 9-10 states. They crisscrossed their state, shared a vision for Chi Alpha in churches, met students, and assisted them in organizing student led chapters on campus.

We even had fewer local campus ministers—one in Washington, Louisiana, Montana, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas.

The role of a campus minister was only be-ginning to emerge in the Assemblies of God.

By the 1980s, God began speaking to re-cent Chi Alpha graduates about giving back to the campus where many had come to faith, and several became campus ministers. We started training these guys the best way we knew how.

From the time I arrived in Springfi eld, Mis-souri, my dream for Chi Alpha was to see young men and women, singles and mar-rieds, and families who were called to cam-pus ministry be able to do Chi Alpha as a career, as a life-long calling.

Other than a few innovative districts, there really was no one system in place for doing campus ministry.

After a study in 1986 of Chi Alpha that re-sulted in a historic move from youth minis-try to U.S. Missions, Chi Alpha got a major boost.

By 1992, for the fi rst time we began ap-pointing campus missionaries. We started small with three couples. In 2012, we had 318 career nationally appointed campus missionaries and spouses serving across the U.S. Another six percent of our personnel are district approved and eight percent are church staff.

We have also added another personnel cat-egory, the campus missionary associate, and this school year we have almost 300 affi li-ated serving Chi Alpha.

Today, we have career mis-sionaries serving on cam-puses nationwide. A dream fulfi lled!

WHAT IS NEXT?

Look at the life cycle of an organization as compared to the stages of a human life.

Figure 1: Represents an illus-tration of Organizational De-velopment likened to stages of human development.

The bell shaped curve represents an organi-zation’s beginning and ending, and is similar to the birth to death of a human being.

On the outer side of the curve, you can fol-low the sequence from birth, infancy, ado-lescence, adulthood, maturity, retirement, old age and death as the stages of human life. It shows growth, the prime of life, de-velopment and aging.

prime

aginggrowth

adolescence

infancy

retirement

old agedisintegration

institutionalization

maximumeffi ciency

formalorganization

initialstructuring

birth death

adulthoodmaturity

development

Organizational Life Cycle(and Stages of Human Development)

FIGURE 1

C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 6

4 Chi AlphA ConneCtion

1980

-198

1

1981

-198

2

1982

-198

3

1983

-198

4

1984

-198

5

1985

-198

6

1986

-198

7

1987

-198

8

1988

-198

9

1989

-199

0

1990

-199

1

1991

-199

2

1992

-199

3

1993

-199

4

1994

-199

5

1995

-199

6

1996

-199

7

1997

-199

8

1998

-199

9

1999

-200

0

2000

-200

1

2001

-200

2

2002

-200

3

2003

-200

4

2004

-200

5

2005

-200

6

2006

-200

7

2007

-200

8

2008

-200

9

2009

-201

0

2010

-201

1

2011

-201

2

2012

-201

3

20

0

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260

280

300

320

Groups Full-Time Leaders MA’s

sOUrCe: Taken from the Chi Alpha Staff and Group Directories published each school year and the annual census which represented fi nal chartered group numbers. Beginning in 1980 chartering was required to be offi cially recognized as Chi Alpha. Local campus leaders are counted as units and only full-time campus leadership. The numbers do not include spouses. The numbers above do not represent church staff serving campus ministry which would add another 30-40 per year.

Chi Alpha growth Past 30 Years

sOUrCe: Taken from the Chi Alpha Staff and Group Directories published each school year and the annual census which represented fi nal chartered group numbers. Beginning in 1980 chartering was required to be offi cially recognized as Chi Alpha.

international students active in XA reported in the annual XA Census

Average Weekly Attendance Nationwide Involvement

1978-1979 1988-1989 1998-1999 2008-2009 2012-2013

10,00010,000

3,13

5 5,86

6

5,28

0

6,10

5

7,27

9 11,3

19

11,9

59

16,8

72

23,6

80

18,3

42

20,00020,000

Attendance growth

Chi Alpha CharteredCampus groupsChi Alpha CharteredCampus groupsChi Alpha Chartered

1980-198122 ccg’s

1990-1991186 ccg’s

2000-2001209 ccg’s

2010-2011274 ccg’s

2012-2013296 ccg’s

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

2010-2011

1748

2000-2001

10401990-1991

808

SPRING 2013 5

Thank you so much for your leadership and investment in our lives and in Chi Alpha at large for the past 40 years.

Generations of students and missionaries say thank you for your vision, heart, prayer, and passion. You have 'spent and been spent' for Jesus and for His work in this world.

You have shaped Chi Alpha, though the years, into the leading Pentecostal campus ministry in America. Multiple thousands have come to Christ, been filled with the Spirit and healed. More over a multitude are Jesus' disciples, committed to community, and His work in the marketplace and world.

Please step back for a moment and breathe that in.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Curtis and Delyn ColeNational Office Employees

Than

ks so muc

h fo

r yo

ur

year

s of

servi

ce a

nd

lead

ersh

ip. You

both

are am

ong

the most am

azing

peop

le I k

now

havi

ng b

een

thro

ugh

man

y tr

ials a

nd

yet al

ways

com

ing

thro

ugh

them

with

faith

and

grace.

Denn

is, yo

u de

fine

serva

nt-lea

ders

hip

, an

d yo

u ar

e on

e of

the

most hu

mbl

e pe

ople I k

now. Y

ou h

ave no

t ev

er tried

to be

in

the sp

otligh

t ev

en tho

ugh

you

were the

nat

iona

l director

. You

hav

e pu

t up

with

hund

reds of

type

A, ve

ry o

pinion

ated

Chi Alp

ha

director

s (not m

e of

cou

rse) a

nd b

alan

ced

that

with

stay

ing

in the

good

graces of

the Assem

blies of

God

(which

woul

d no

rmal

ly b

e an

impo

ssib

le task). Ch

i Alp

ha a

nd the

Assem

blies of

God

will fo

reve

r be

im

pacted

by

the gr

owth

of

XA u

nder y

our

lead

ersh

ip.

I am

very

hono

red

and

humbl

ed to coun

t th

e Ga

ylor

s as m

y fr

iend

s.

Love

is a

verb

, Coach

Mar

k

Eph

. 3:20

and

3rd

Joh

n 2

Mar

k Ran

dall

Murr

ay S

tate U

nive

rsity

We

are

so g

rate

ful f

or y

our

lead

ersh

ip

and

your

live

s th

at w

e ha

ve b

een

priv

ileg

ed t

o sh

are

thro

ugh

Chi

Alp

ha.

You

are

won

derf

ul e

xam

ples

and

tru

ly

dem

onst

rate

Chr

ist-

like

qua

liti

es.

Curt

is a

nd S

ara

Hob

bs, P

olan

d

I si

mpl

y ca

nnot

im

agin

e Ch

i A

lpha

w

itho

ut y

ou a

s th

e di

rect

or!

Than

k yo

u so

muc

h fo

r yo

ur f

aith

ful

serv

ice,

you

r le

ader

ship

, and

you

r pr

ayer

s. W

e w

ill b

e pr

ayin

g fo

r yo

u in

thi

s tr

ansi

tion

!

Chri

s an

d Ju

lie

Man

they

Uni

vers

ity

of M

inne

sota

- Tw

in C

itie

s

Congratulations and THANK YOU, Dennis, for a pioneering ministry that effectively placed the Good News of Jesus Christ on many secular campuses! You AD-VANCED the Kingdom, and that is no small thing!! Blessings to you and Barbara today and through all the good years to come!

Terry Raburn, Peninsular Florida District Superintendent

Thanks, Dennis, for the legacy of XA ministry you’ve created with these decades of faithful and fruitful ministry in and through our Fellowship. You’ve been a great friend of Ohio and we value greatly your infl uence in the lives of our XA missionaries and leadership.

You’ve been a pioneer, planter and visionary strategist for the expansion of university ministry world-wide. Our Movement and its infl uence in this sector of society is indebted to you and Barbara.

Jim Palmer

Wow. Sometimes "thank you" just doesn't seem adequate. Much of what we love about this amazing XA family is due to your leadership Dennis and Barbara. You leave a remarkable legacy and we love you both.

Mark McKeelMichigan State University

D & B ARE THE BEST - LOVING GOD AND LOVING PEOPLE - LONG DISTANCE “RUNNERS” FOR JESUS - PERSEVERING THROUGH HEARTBREAK - KEEP SMILING EVEN WHEN IT HURTS - HAVE LED XA THRU GREAT CHANGES FOR GOOD - KEEP ON TRUSTIN’!!!

WE LOVE YOU, JIM & BETTY HALL

Thanks Dennis for championing Chi Alpha all around the U.S. and beyond for these 35 years! You have been such a great leader and have always been so good at loving everyone in the family of XA from the students to the newest CMA or Intern to the veteran campus pastor. We love you Dennis and Barbara! Tim Kern, Carroll College

Thank you for the years of service to Chi Alpha! As said by so many, words cannot express fully what is in my heart. I am indebted to you both-your life testimony has affected me and all that know you. Thank you for the years invested in me as an employee of National Chi Alpha. I have so many great memories of those years! Thank you for the example of living life transparently and openly and bathed in prayer. May God continue to use you both mightily in His Kingdom as you begin the next chapter.

Kenna Bishop, Former National Offi ce Staff

Than

ks f

or r

emin

ding

m

e of

the

im

port

ance

of

pray

er a

nd r

elia

nce

upon

Go

d as

our

ult

imat

e so

urce

of

dir

ecti

on a

nd s

tren

gth

thro

ugh

diffi

cul

t ti

mes

.

You

wil

l be

incr

edib

ly m

isse

d!

The

Cole

fam

Ephe

sian

s 3:

20-2

1

Blessings to you, Dennis and Barbara! Sherilyn and I love you guys and thank God that our lives have intersected together. I remember begin in Spfd the summer of 1979 when we bid farewell to David Gable, then the torch was passed to you! Love you, big guy!

Bob Cook, Colorado Pastor



You have shaped Chi Alpha, though the years, into the leading Pentecostal campus ministry in America. Multiple thousands have come to Christ, been filled with the Spirit and healed. More over a multitude are Jesus' disciples, committed to community, and His work in the marketplace and world.

Please step back for a moment and breathe that in.

You

are

won

derf

ul e

xam

ples

and

tru

ly

dem

onst

rate

Chr

ist-

like

qua

liti

es.

Curt

is a

nd S

ara

Hob

bs, P

olan

d

Thanks Dennis for championing Chi Alpha all around the U.S. and beyond for these 35 years! You have been such a great Thanks Dennis for championing Chi Alpha all around the U.S. and beyond for these 35 years! You have been such a great Thanks Dennis for championing Chi Alpha all around the U.S.

leader and have always been so good at loving everyone in the and beyond for these 35 years! You have been such a great leader and have always been so good at loving everyone in the and beyond for these 35 years! You have been such a great

Thank you for the years of service to Chi Alpha! As said by so many, words cannot express fully what is in my heart. I am indebted to you both-your life testimony has affected me and all that know you. Thank you for the years invested in me as an employee of National Chi Alpha. I have so many great memories of those years! Thank you for the example of living life transparently and openly and bathed in

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Curtis and Delyn ColeNational Office Employees

Than

ks so muc

h fo

r yo

ur

year

s of

servi

ce a

nd

lead

ersh

ip. You

both

are am

ong

the most am

azing

peop

le I k

now

havi

ng b

een

thro

ugh

man

y tr

ials a

nd

yet al

ways

com

ing

thro

ugh

them

with

faith

and

grace.

We

are

so g

rate

ful f

or y

our

lead

ersh

ip

and

your

live

s th

at w

e ha

ve b

een

priv

ileg

ed t

o sh

are

thro

ugh

Chi

Alp

ha.

You

are

won

derf

ul e

xam

ples

and

tru

ly

dem

onst

rate

Chr

ist-

like

qua

liti

es.

Curt

is a

nd S

ara

Hob

bs, P

olan

d

Thanks, Dennis, for the legacy of XA ministry you’ve created with these decades of faithful and fruitful ministry in and through our Fellowship. You’ve been a great friend of Ohio and we value greatly your infl uence in the lives of our XA missionaries and leadership.

You’ve been a pioneer, planter and visionary strategist for the expansion of university ministry world-wide. Our Movement and its infl uence in this sector of society is indebted to you and Barbara.

Wow. Sometimes "thank you" just doesn't seem adequate. Much of what we love about this amazing XA family is due to your leadership Dennis and Barbara. You leave a remarkable legacy and we love you both.

Michigan State University

D & B ARE THE BEST - LOVING GOD AND LOVING PEOPLE - LONG DISTANCE “RUNNERS” FOR

the next chapter.

Kenna Bishop, Former National Offi ce Staff

Than

ks f

or r

emin

ding

m

e of

the

im

port

ance

of

pray

er a

nd r

elia

nce

upon

Go

d as

our

ult

imat

e so

urce

of

dir

ecti

on a

nd s

tren

gth

thro

ugh

diffi

cul

t ti

mes

.

You

wil

l be

incr

edib

ly m

isse

d!

The

Cole

fam

Ephe

sian

s 3:

20-2

1

Than

ks so muc

h fo

r yo

ur

year

s of

servi

ce a

nd

lead

ersh

ip. You

both

are am

ong

the most am

azing

peop

le I k

now

havi

ng b

een

thro

ugh

man

y tr

ials a

nd

yet al

ways

com

ing

thro

ugh

them

with

faith

and

grace.

Blessings to you, Dennis and Barbara! Sherilyn and I love you guys and thank God that our lives have intersected together. I remember begin in Spfd the summer of 1979 when we bid farewell to David Gable, then the torch was passed to you! Love you, big guy!

Bob Cook, Colorado Pastor



You have shaped Chi Alpha, though the years, into the leading Pentecostal campus ministry in America. Multiple thousands have



family of XA from the students to the newest CMA or Intern to leader and have always been so good at loving everyone in the family of XA from the students to the newest CMA or Intern to leader and have always been so good at loving everyone in the

the veteran campus pastor. We love you Dennis and Barbara! family of XA from the students to the newest CMA or Intern to the veteran campus pastor. We love you Dennis and Barbara! family of XA from the students to the newest CMA or Intern to




We

are

so g

rate

ful f

or y

our

lead

ersh

ip

and

your

live

s th

at w

e ha

ve b

een

priv

ileg

ed t

o sh

are

thro

ugh

Chi

Alp

ha.

You

are

won

derf

ul e

xam

ples

and

tru

ly





Tim Kern, Carroll College

an employee of National Chi Alpha. I have so many great

and in Chi Alpha at large for the past 40 years.



We

are

so g

rate

ful f

or y

our

lead

ersh

ip

and

your

live

s th

at w

e ha

ve b

een

priv

ileg

ed t

o sh

are

thro

ugh

Chi

Alp

ha.

You

are

won

derf

ul e

xam

ples

and

tru

ly





Tim Kern, Carroll College

service to Chi Alpha! As said

has affected me and all that

an employee of National Chi

Thank you for the years of

by so many, words cannot express fully what is in my heart. I am indebted to you both-your life testimony has affected me and all that

memories of those years! Thank you for the example of living life transparently

Thank you for the years of service to Chi Alpha! As said by so many, words cannot express fully what is in my heart. I am indebted to you both-your life testimony has affected me and all that know you. Thank you for the years invested in me as an employee of National Chi Alpha. I have so many great memories of those years! Thank you for the example of living life transparently

I si

mpl

y ca

nnot

im

agin

e Ch

i A

lpha

w

itho

ut y

ou a

s th

e di

rect

or!

Than

k yo

u so

muc

h fo

r yo

ur f

aith

ful

serv

ice,

you

r le

ader

ship

, and

you

r pr

ayer

s. W

e w

ill b

e pr

ayin

g fo

r yo

u in

thi

s tr

ansi

tion

!

Chri

s an

d Ju

lie

Man

they

Congratulations and THANK YOU,

JESUS - PERSEVERING THROUGH HEARTBREAK - KEEP SMILING EVEN WHEN IT HURTS - HAVE LED XA THRU GREAT CHANGES FOR GOOD - KEEP ON TRUSTIN’!!!

JIM & BETTY HALL

JESUS - PERSEVERING THROUGH HEARTBREAK - KEEP SMILING EVEN WHEN IT HURTS - HAVE LED XA THRU GREAT CHANGES FOR GOOD - KEEP ON TRUSTIN’!!!

WE LOVE YOU, JIM & BETTY HALL

6 CHI ALPHA CONNECTION

Organizational stages are listed inside the curve as initial structuring, formal organization, maximum efficiency, institutionalization, and disintegration.

Organizations have life cycles in their development and decline as we do.

Figure 2: Represents the “S” Curve or Sigmoid Curve.

The Age of Paradox, Charles Handy

When we look at stages in an organization, it is important that you understand what is called the S or Sigmoid Curve as it relates to organizational development.

Organizations want to start a new curve preferably while the first one is still rising; otherwise, they can begin to erode.

Organizations want to begin with a new initiative or venture before the old one starts to plateau and decline.

It takes a while for a new curve to pick up momentum and the first one to wane.

For a while during the shade zone, new ideas and new people will have to co-exist with old ideas.

When an organization begins redevelopment or new vision, it is essentially starting a new life cycle.

If the vision is strong enough, it can not only reverse stagnation, but take the organization back to the left side of the growth curve—the Sigmoid or S curve concept in action.

Figure 3: A look at Chi Alpha’s Cycles, 1940-2012.

This graph represents Chi Alpha through the decade with descrip-tions for each decade listed vertically on the left side of the chart: Envisioned in the 1940s, Experimentation in the 1950s, Entrepre-neurial in the 1960s and all the way to Empowering in 2000, Expo-nential 2010, to Epic by 2020.

Also the numerous “S” curves results from events and initia-tives that renewed our vision and kept Chi Alpha advancing as a national movement.

For example, in 1977, we developed our fourfold philosophy of ministry.

In 1986, Chi Alpha became a department in U.S. Missions, and began national appointment of Chi Alpha personnel in 1992.

The First World SALT in Los Angeles kicked off the new millennium.

Two years ago, we had our largest Chi Alpha staff gathering.

National Chi Alpha is, at this moment, near the top of another curve and acutely aware of the delicate balance between spiritual vitality and efficient organization.

We are essentially poised for greatness or decline depending on how we move forward in God’s dream for us.

There is absolutely no doubt in the minds of any of us who serve in Chi Alpha that from the beginning seeds of Chi Alpha’s existence, God has been on the move dreaming His dream for us, laying bibli-cal foundations, growing, building, maturing and producing fruit through his power and your faithful service.

Sigmoid Curve

FIGURE 2

A

1953 First XA Chapter

Epic

Descriptions

2020s

2013

Decades

Exponential2010s

Empowering2000s

Expanding1990s

Excellence1980s

Examing1970s

Entrepreneurial1960s

Experimentation1950s

Envisioned1940s

1962 First National XA Director

1967 Four-Fold philosophy writtenSan Antonio 7

1986 Join US Missions

1992 First National Appointment

2001 First World SALT

2005 1st World Missions Summit

2008 2nd World Missions Summit

2010 Largest CMC

2011 Record # of Chapters

2012 3rd World Missions Summit

FIGURE 3

Decades, Descriptions, and “S” Curves in Chi Alpha

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3

SPRING 2013 7

WHAT DOES GOD DREAM FOR US?First, God’s dream for Chi Alpha is His dream for all humanity.

It has not changed. And, if we lose sight of it, if we fail to recognize and submit to its driving force in our lies, we will miss what is com-ing. We won’t be ready. Here it is:

HIS PURPOSE:The fields of our colleges and universities are ripe for harvest.

HIS HEART:God promises that in the last days He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. We must expect a coming student revival so powerful that it is immeasurably more than we can imagine or hope for.

Students all over this nation and world will raise the banner of Christ’ love, salvation and infilling of the Holy Spirit over all colleges and universities so that Jesus can be glorified.

HIS PARTNERS:God needs this Chi Alpha Nation, leaders who seek to be filled and equipped in the Holy Spirit, to partner with Him to fulfill His purposes.

Second, God wants us to see His dream all over again.

His dream has not changed, but perhaps we have. He wants us to see it like it was the first time we have ever seen it. He wants us to hold it, envision it, imagine it, heart it, smell it and prophesy it. He wants His dream to permeate everything in our planning and partnership with Him.

Third, God’s dream for us always leads us back to our spiritual foun-dations before we move forward in the spirit.

We need to once again embrace our three spiritual disciplines like the coming great revival depends on it.

1. RENEW OUR COMMITMENT TO GOD’S WORD. Claim the Word of God over this Chi Alpha Nation, your ministry and your personal lives. Give to God a renewed effort the create time and space in which you can hear the Word and He can act. Allow the Word to help you see God’s dream for Chi Alpha.

2. PRAY. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and see my face and turn from their sinful ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” We are to examine our-selves and repent of whatever it is that keeps us going down the path of our own selfish ways. We are to seek God and pray

that He will bring revival and restoration to the campus. We pray for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of Chi Alpha.

We are to pray against the devil’s schemes that are always out to steal, kill, destroy or thwart God’s purposes. We can expect this when God is about to do something more than we can imagine. God says we win when we pray.

What would happen if every campus group scheduled a regular prayer time—“where two or three [students] come together in Jesus name,—He is there with them.”

Imagine if the God of the universe meets weekly with a small group of praying students in the dorms, cafeterias, rec centers, student unions, classrooms and coffee bistros on campus, what might happen?

Mark Batterson, in The Circle Maker, says, “Prayer is the answer to our biggest dreams and greatest fears.”

3. LIVE A CONSECRATED LIFE OF SERVICE TO GOD.A consecrated life is a Spirit-led life. A consecrated life is a holy life.

If we are going to be partners with God in His dream for us, we are to lead lives that are examples to others of the fruits and gifts of the Spirit. We want to live lives of the Spirit that will grow and advance Chi Alpha as God intends.

If we are self-ambitious or self-serving, have animosity against one other, if we are judgmental, critical, cynical, or prideful; if we have unwholesome junk in our heart, this will divide us and can destroy Chi Alpha and destroy what God has imagined for us.

SO LET’S DREAM BIG AND DEEP

Each of you has your story and dreams. Thousands upon thousands of students who have experienced the love of Jesus Christ through Chi Alpha have their eternal stories to tell because of your labors in Christ and Christ’s power at work in them.

Your campus is the harvest field of hope to share the message of the good news of salvation, healing and fullness of the Holy Spirit with American and international students.

To those of you who have chosen Chi Alpha as your dream and God’s dream—THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

Chi Alpha, let’s dream together our biggest and deepest dreams.

“DREAMING TOGETHER OUR BIGGEST AND DEEPEST DREAMS” WAS A MESSAGE DENNIS GAYLOR, NATIONAL DIRECTOR, GAVE AT THE DECEMBER 31, 2012 CHI ALPHA LEADERS IMAGINE CONFERENCE IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS TO 450 CHI ALPHA STAFF.

2001 First World SALT

World-class training for an effective ministry in the university setting.for an effective ministry in the university setting.for an effective ministry in the university setting.

chialpha.com/rui

2013

JUNE 16-22

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