Job-Nachrichten
Geschrieben durch Mark Van Steenwyk: 29. November 2005
Eine Weilerückseite, erklärte ich Ihnen über meine Suche nach einem 2. Job. Ich wünsche einen 2. Job, damit ich Geld im Missio Dei Etat von meinem Gehalt in anderes Material umleiten kann. Die meisten des Etats ist vom Kapital, das ich aufgebracht habe, und er ist kurzfristige Finanzierung und hat sich für fast ein Jahr jetzt verringert.
Ich dachte an das Erhalten eines Jobs in Nachbarschaft-an einem Kaffeegeschäft oder -etwas. Das Erhalten eines einfachen lokalen Jobs klingt zu mir, aber leider wirklich anziehend, besitzen meine Frau und I ein Haus (das wir mit 5 anderen Leuten teilen), und ich muß mehr Geld, als verdienen ich an einem Kaffeegeschäft oder -gaststätte erhalten kann. Und es gibt wirklich nicht viele andere Arten Jobs, die in der West Bank vorhanden sind.
Für den letzten Monat oder so, habe ich eine wirklich gute Gelegenheit am KircheSeminary ausgeübt: die Position des Executivassistenten zum Vizepräsidenten von Betrieben und zum Dekan der Mitte für Transformationsführung. Der Job zahlt gut (über $14/hr) und hat vollen Nutzen, aber ist nur 24 Stunden ein Woche. Der Job würde mir die Gelegenheit geben, mit einer Gruppe Leuten zu arbeiten, die ich bereits kenne und liebe. Es würde mir die Fähigkeit auch geben, eine Rolle zu haben, wenn es Form zur Zukunft des Seminary gab. Es würde mir ein gutes opportunit auch gegeben haben, um vom VP/Dean zu erlernen, das ein sehr starker und visionärer Führer ist (obgleich ich nicht mit ihm auf Losen Sachen bin, habe ich ziemlich viel vom Respekt für Dr. Bourgond). Since one of my long term goals is to help shape future leaders, and encourage them to rethink leadership and the nature of the Church, I thought it would be a great foot in the door. I’m already slotted to begin doing adjunct teaching there this Spring, and this role would have given me even more influence at the Seminary.
I was moving full speed ahead with the job at the Seminary (I even bought a really nice suit for my interview). Until this morning, I was one of several people (thinned down from over a dozen applicants) being considered. And I’d say my chances were dang good. But now I’ve taken myself out of consideration for that position. So what happened?
About 3 weeks ago, I was approached
by the Twin Cities Metro Director for InterVarsity, Mark Paulson. He proposed that I come
on staff at InterVarsity and start a West Bank chapter. Since Missio Dei, is committed to ministering on the West
Bank, and since I respect the ministry of InterVarsity very much, I have been
trying to find ways to work with them on ministry projects on the West Bank
(there is virtually no campus ministry activity among West Bank students). Their proposal came as a surprise, since they don?t
want me merely to come on staff; they want me to start a West Bank chapter that is co-affiliated with InterVarsity and Missio Dei. They are willing to let the line between parachurch and church
get fuzzy so that this ministry can be an authentic expression of Missio Dei.
They don’t even care if we call the ministry "InterVarsity!" Working with InterVarsity would allow me to focus more energy on the West Bank, and in a way that complements the ministry of
Missio Dei. It would give us connections with the student population, opening up new possibilities for ministry.
Since working with InterVarsity will require me to be a fundraiser (something I
dislike immensely), I had initially decided to turn them down. But as we’ve prayed about it at Missio Dei, and as I’ve discussed it with folks, I realize two things: 1) I really get more excited about the possibility of working with InterVarsity as time goes by and 2) that my commitment to Missio Dei and the West Bank trumps any other job possibilities. I’m beginging to feel like this was something God orchestrated. And while I’m not looking forward to raising money, I take some comfort in the reality that fund raising for a campus ministry is MUCH EASIER than fund raising for a church. InterVarsity is well known and well-respected. I think I am up to the challenge.
for further reading . . .
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That sounds really cool Mark. I was hoping to do the same thing with Macalester and Hamline’s Intervarsity at Loungedivine but the director (who is now the regional director) was very leary of blurring those church/parachurch lines. I’m glad your contact is much more open. I think it’s a good thing for the Kingdom.
I think Rick has changed his perspective…maybe you’ve helped in that process. My contact is Mark Paulson, who is the metro director, but I have also talked with Rick Mattson as well. Rick has been studying up on emergent stuff and I think he’s come to the conclusion that strategic partnerships are worth the blurring of lines.