leadership

Yesterday, we had our annual leadership interest brunch, on campus, telling the story of what has happened with InterVarsity in the past year, and casting vision for what could happen, what we long to see happen, and inviting students to dream with us for what God might do!

My co-staff, Kaitlin, gave a great overview of Nehemiah, in inviting students to think about being part of the vision lived out on campus ("rebuilding the wall"), and then talked about how the beauty of Nehemiah wall-builders is that they are all different with different gifts and skills. There are priests working next to the daughters of Shallum son of Hallohesh; there are perfume makers (who knew they had wall-building skills) working next to goldsmiths, next to commoners. The identities of each are radically different, the skills of each are radically different, but they work together for one common vision (rebuilding the wall). And the wall cannot be completed without each and every one of them.

So to it is with campus leadership: leadership looks different for different people. There is no one mold of a "good" leader. Rather, the task of "advancing the kingdom through whole-life conversion to Jesus" requires extroverts, introverts, science majors, English majors, international students, greeks, seekers, techno-geeks, those with great social skills, church-kids and new Christians... rather leadership involves common vision, and a willingness to step out and allow God to use you; to say, "I don't have much, but here's what I do have."

"Now, let's rebuild that wall..."