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Contributed by Phil Spadaro
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Saturday, 28 April 2007 |
 Lynn Stringfellow
An impressive number revealed in the interview is the percentage of
people converted from a non church of Christ background by CIA.
I would like to thank Lynn for taking the time to answer the questions
for this interview and also Wes Woodell (Director, Campus Ministry
United) for his help in putting this together.
RU: Where and when were you baptized?
Lynn: I was baptized in Sallisaw Oklahoma (Church of Christ) when I was 12 years old.(1964)
RU: Do you come from a church of Christ background?
Lynn: Yes
RU: How did Bay Area Christians in Action (CIA) get its start?
Lynn: The Campus Ministry was here already. They had 6 people in the ministry when I arrived 8 years ago. When I came in I found that we had a bad reputation on Campus. They thought we were the International Church of Christ. Nothing I did had an effect on changing that reputation. So I decided to change the name. That's when it became CIA.
RU: What is the relationship between CIA and Campus Ministry United?
Lynn: I am the director of CIA Campus Ministries and am also one of the board members of CMU. We are working in close association. CMU wants to train and plant "Effective Campus Ministries" and we would like each plant to take the CIA format and use it as a ministry name. It gives them a connection with a parent organization and gives them instant credibility on campus.
RU: What is the mission of Campus Ministry United?
Lynn: Below is taken from CMU's Website: CampusMinistryUnited.com
Our Mission
Our purpose is simple and our goals are God-sized. We would like to create a comprehensive resource aimed at training "Spiritual Marines," and equipping them with the tools needed to plant, maintain, and grow active, evangelistic, culturally relevant campus ministries. Ideally, those involved with these ministries will be focused on three things:
1. Nurturing an intimate relationship with God through living the gospel
2. Forming relationships with the people God misses most (a.k.a. the lost) on campus and anywhere else God gives them the opportunity with the intention of sharing Christ with them
3. Eventually forming new plant teams, and equipping them to repeat the process over again
Lord willing, these teams will be made up of evangelistic ally minded young adults with a heart for reaching the lost and for campus ministry.
RU: What are your plans for planting new college ministries?
Lynn: In Association with Harding University, Outreach America and the CIA we plan to train plant teams to be planted in universities across the USA.
RU: What are your plans for training new campus ministers?
Lynn: We have established our first CMU Training center here at Bay Area Church of Christ. We plan on training young people who want to be planted in Campus Ministry. The training we be hands on. They will be going onto Campus with our Ministry and learning what it takes to succeed in campus ministry.
RU: Can you see CMU or CIA working with other Restoration Churches (Christian Church and / or ICOC) on campus?
Lynn: Strictly speaking for myself, If by "working with" you mean doing events, worship, social gatherings then the answer is; I have no vision for that movement at this time. I wish all of them well and even pray for their success. I just do not see a need to "work with" them. I believe God will work in every ministry that is following His Will. I do not see a need to join in with others who are doing the same thing. We are about reaching out to the lost and I see that movement as reaching in to those already saved.
RU: Do you think CMU could be a good place to help heal some of the separation between Restoration streams?
Lynn: We are about reaching lost souls in the college-age age bracket. With the exception of how we choose to worship, I personally do not see a separiation between restoration streams. Most of us (on either side) are not going to be willing to give up our beliefs that cause us to worship in different locations. But I do not see us worshiping in different locations as a problem. We are NEVER going to all worship the same way. No two churches worship alike. But we can all be Christians. Our goal in CMU is not about healing wounds between restoration streams. That would be "Inward Focus".
RU: What percentage of your converts are from outside a church of Christ background?
Lynn: I think we are at about 90% right now. That's 90% are not from a Church of Christ background.
RU: What can people do to help CMU advance?
Lynn: As with any organization, we could use some help in funding. Especially funding those who are in training. But I feel the most important thing we need is Prayer Cover. We at CMU believe very strongly in the power of prayer. For other ways to help contact us at our Website; CampusMinistryUnited.com.
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Thoughts..
Written by rtf04 on 2007-05-10 11:23:21
Wow. Imagine a campus minister from the "mainline" church, telling us, the "ICOC", that we are too "inward focused!" Ouch and double ouch! At the height of our "ICOC" days, lots of negative things were being said about us, but nobody could accuse our "recruiters" on campus of being inward focused!
On a serious note: It's clear both us (SFCC) and CMU intend to evangelize at the University of Miami. CMU seems to have their salvation doctrine on straight; why don't we at least try to coordinate our activities at UM so nobody's toes get stepped on? Let's at least acknowledge that students can become Christians through either of our ministries, and try not to interfere with each other. Example: Imagine if both us and CMU had an evangelistic campaign on at the same time! That would cause more people to be confused than come to Christ, and we'd look like sales reps fighting over the same territory. Let's respect each other and stay out of each others' way. I think it's possible. | Written by weswoodell on 2007-05-12 02:44:48
Hi there. 
Just to clarify - he's not saying the ICOC was/is inward focused. He's saying that in his opinion focusing his ministry on working with the ICOC or others is not something he's interested in because the ICOC members are already Christians (and he'd like to focus on reaching people who aren't).
And if you'd like to get in contact with the CMU minister in Miami, let me know and I'll give you his email. | Coordination
Written by pspadaro on 2007-05-12 05:14:17
Wes,
Thanks for the clarification.
I would like to see better coordination as well. Certainly CMU and ICOC campus ministries will cross paths often. Why can't there be unified work on campuses?
Beyond that, this opens the door for better fellowship between congregations, better (biblical, Christian) dating opportunities for our singles, more resources for outreach, etc...
Certainly this should not be an inward focused effort! However, I would appeal to John 17:23b "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." Unity is not about believers, it is about the lost.
Sincerely,
Phil | I thought I was Clear.
Written by CIADirector on 2007-05-19 16:56:37
Allow me to say it again: I pray for the success of each and every ministry that is working to Advance the Gospel. "With the exception of how we choose to worship, I personally do not see a separiation between restoration streams".null In other words: I am not the judge, God is. Do what God has called you to do and I will try my best to do what God has called me to do and be happy with the results. May God bless your Ministries.  |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 May 2007 )
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