A Calculated Risk
After several years of building relationships in a local fraternity, Paul was asked in 2015 to be their faculty advisor. This platform has afforded many opportunities to live and share God’s Truth with the men in the organization. The most impactful way Paul has done this is through what the fraternity guys call “Manhood Discussions.” Seven or eight times a year Paul will facilitate optional discussions before a chapter meeting where they consider what it means to be men of virtue. These contexts have given Paul many chances to share his Christian convictions and position himself as a mentor in these young men's lives
The fraternity also allows Paul to bring speakers in to address the chapter as a whole. Knowing the intellectual and affluent nature of the membership, Paul strives to invite men he knows are Christians and yet are also impressive in worldly terms. This approach has worked well but this fall he sensed the Spirit leading him to take a risk that would invoke an extreme reaction from the men attending.
Paul invited one of the pastors from the local church to come to teach and the president of the fraternity made this a full Chapter Meeting, mandatory for every member. The pastor taught 20 minutes on Ecclesiastes and then opened the floor for a Q&A. The interaction during the Q&A went on until time became a factor and they had to end the night.
This has been a vision-building opportunity for the church as they accessed an area for ministry that they would not have without their partnership with Campus Outreach. Another benefit has been a view into the hearts of specific men; Paul’s risk evoked the extreme reactions he was anticipating. Responses were divided with some indicating a desire for “no more religion!” There were others who expressed their appreciation for the thought-provoking topic and showed real interest in reading the Bible 1:1 with Paul. Since then Paul has begun taking a deeper and evangelistic look at Ecclesiastes with five of the men.