InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
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InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, commonly referred to as InterVarsity, IVCF or simply "IV", is an interdenominational, evangelical Christian ministry for college students. The organization works with over 35,000 students and faculty on over 560 campuses in the United States, with the purpose of developing their love for God, the Bible, and people around the world. It is a member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, a network of similar ministries around the world. Its current president is Alec Hill. Its vice-president and Director of Missions is Jim Tebbe.
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[edit] Purpose Statement
In response to God's love, grace and truth: The Purpose of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is to establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord: growing in love for God, God's Word, God's people of every ethnicity and culture and God's purposes in the world.
[edit] Ministries
[edit] College Ministry
InterVarsity, in 2005-2006, had 843 undergraduate chapters on 573 college campuses around the country, with some campuses having multiple chapters with different focuses. These include multi-ethnic ministries (which include Black Student Ministries, Asian American Ministries and Latino Fellowship) and ministries for international students (about 3200 participate), sororities and fraternities. Additionally, 141 chapters are primarily oriented toward graduate students and/or faculty, and about 1800 nursing professionals and students participate in Nurses Christian Fellowship.
Bible studies for people interested in spirituality but who may not call themselves Christians (known as Groups Investigating God, or GIGs) play an important role in the collegiate ministry as well, as nearly 1000 such groups exist, serving nearly 3000 students.
[edit] Missions
InterVarsity students regularly participate in both long- and short-term missions projects. Projects include Global Urban Trek (ministry in some of the poorest cities of the world), Global Projects, and Urban Projects (ministry "plunges" into cities like Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and Tampa). Additionally, InterVarsity runs Urbana, a triennial mission convention held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (until being moved to St. Louis, Missouri following the 2003 convention). In addition, InterVarsity, as a member movement, participates in the global student ministry network, the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), (www.ifesworld.org), by sending staff and recent graduates to work under the authority of the IFES or one of its member movements. The ministry which facilitates this global partnership is called InterVarsity Link.
[edit] Training
InterVarsity operates four training centers (Campus by the Sea, Bear Trap Ranch, Toah Nipi, and Cedar Campus) that are designed to equip students, staff, families and church groups for Christian ministry. The organization also operates InterVarsity Press, which publishes about 100 new books per year, and currently has over 800 titles in print. InterVarsity also offers the Student Training in Missions (STiM) and School of Leadership Training (SLT) programs. STiM seeks to prepare students for cross-cultural missions through a series of retreats in the Spring leading up to participation in one of IVCF's urban projects or global treks. SLT is a month long leadership training program currently only offered at the IVCF training center in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Cedar Campus.
[edit] History
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship grew out of a student movement at the University of Cambridge in England in 1877. A group of students gathered together to pray and study the Bible. Similar groups began at other British universities. Eventually, the groups formed an organization they called the Inter-Varsity fellowship (the British term for a University was 'Varsity'). In 1928, students at several Canadian universities and graduate programs asked the British InterVarsity for help in beginning their own movement. The Canadian InterVarsity in turn provided help to independent evangelical student movements in the United States as they tried to organize. In 1938, University of Michigan students formed the first InterVarsity Chapter in the United States. By May of 1941, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA was fully chartered, staffed mostly by Canadian members. IVCF/USA helped to found the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in 1947, an organization that connects national Christian student movements in 143 countries at this moment. More information can be found at InterVarsity History.
[edit] Bibliography
- A Brief History Of The International Fellowship Of Evangelical Students by Douglas Johnson, Lausanne, Switz.: IFES, 1964.
- The Day of His Power by Pete Lowman, Leicester : Inter-Varsity, 1988, ISBN 0-85110-794-X.
- From the Campus to the World: Stories from the First Fifty Years of Student Foreign Missions Fellowship by Alice Poynor, InterVarsity Press, 1986, ISBN 0-87784-947-1.
- Student Power in World Missions by David M. Howard, InterVarsity Press, 1979, ISBN 0-87784-493-3. (Brief history of North American students in mission beginning with the Haystack Movement through the SVM to the SFMF.)
- The Growth of a Work of God by C. Stacey Woods, InterVarsity Press, 1978, ISBN 0-87784-741-X. (Early history of InterVarsity/USA)
- For Christ and the University: The Story of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the U.S.A./ 1940-1990 by Keith & Gladys Hunt, InterVarsity Press, 1991, ISBN 0-8308-4996-3.
[edit] See also
- Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Canada
- Campus Crusade for Christ
- Chi Alpha Campus Ministries
- InterVarsity Press
