Contextualizing the growth strategy for arts ministry

Contextualizing the Drivers

1. Key points of Context for NSO

• a)    First two weeks of each semester is the window to meet serious fine art major students because after they received their first assignment they will spend most of their days & nights in their studio or rehearsals. 
• b)    Conduct outreach inside different art buildings during first week of school is key in meeting serious fine art major students. Story Project Proxe is a great resource http://2100.intervarsity.org/overview/story-project

2. Key Points of Context for Follow Up

• a)    Ask if you can visit them in their studio or practice space.
• b)    Build trust with artists - Things to know about artists: Their art/craft is connected to their identity. Their art/craft is an expression of themselves. Understand their call to their art & their art department.
• c)    Invite them to explore how their faith & art integrate.
• d)    Cast your vision for a witnessing community inside their art department and watch how they respond.

3. Key Points of Context for Planting

Establish A Witnessing community inside their art department:

• Creating a safe space inside their art department for artists to wrestle with their faith and art. SG is not a key to reach artists because fine art majors have extra long hours of classes; studio classes are often 3 hours long on top of their regular core courses, and time outside of class is required until a professor is satisfied with their work. They have different schedule for each projects or shows. 
• Ideas for building witnessing community, host combinations of these events: Arts dinner & discussion, arts parties, Q&A with Christian artist, prayer walk for the art departments, etc. Topics should be focus around integrating their faith with their arts.

4. Contextualizing the Development Pathway 

• a)    Making time to attend IV functions is not a good measurement for an art leader. Staff needs to identity possible missional Christian. Cast your compelling vision for a Christ center witnessing community inside their art department and see how they respond to your vision.
• b)    Arts PMC: Someone who is respected by their art community and have a vision to bring Jesus into their art department.

Contextualizing the Growth Coaching Needed for this Ministry

First Understand Art Department Culture

1.    Grades for their work is judged by their professor and their peers. Evaluation on their work is subjective and highly competitive.

2.    Fine art students have extra long hours of classes; studio classes are often 3 hours long on top of their regular core courses, and time outside of class is required until a professor is satisfied with their work (varies greatly from project to project).  Performing majors have extensive practice and rehearsals time that factors into their grade.

3.    Professors can call mandatory rehearsals outside of class time, performances, and trips at any point, including evenings, weekends, and even school breaks.

4.    Each different art departments has a different culture.

5.    Spiritual resistance from their arts department & classmate can create high emotional stress. Artists need prayer and emotional support from their staff and faith community.

6.    Often arts leaders can’t make IV leadership training. One-on-one appointment is one of the key ways staff can develop arts apprentices to lead a witnessing community inside their art department.

7.     Discipleship Cycles are one of the key ways of developing Leaders and Apprentices.

Key Topics

1. Engaging your network with the Gospel – Training in Network mapping, prayer walking in their place of influence, thresh-holds of conversion, GIG training, Gospel training, initiating trust-building spiritual conversations, etc.
2. Vision – Training in knowing the vision (dreaming), sharing the vision with friends and inviting them to respond (vision casting), and embodying the vision in their departments.
3. Hearing God’s voice – helping artists respond in obedience to God’s leadership in their department and in their craft.  It is key for students to learn how to hear God’s voice over competing voices (professors, peers, inner critic, etc.) through Scripture, listening prayer, etc.
4. Jesus’ Lordship of their craft – Helping students see whose they are and who their craft belongs to in order to be used as an instrument for His Kingdom. Worshipping God through their craft vs. worshipping their craft as an idol. 
5. Spiritual Authority – Developing students in a strong identity in Christ, awareness of their spiritual gifts, and the power of the Holy Spirit.  They need to know that they walk into their departments with His authority and power and that they do not need to be afraid of rejection or the outcome when they are advancing God’s purposes.