Larry Stephens has been the I Am Second liaison for Cru since 2010. Cru has enjoyed a wonderful partnership with IAS for 12 years. Larry currently serves with I Am Second as the Director of Strategic Partnerships.
Campus
I am Second ignited a campus awakening and boldness from our students to own the mission with us to reach every student on every campus. Larry gave leadership to helping launch IAS groups on campuses nationwide
One of our most recent strategies is creating these banners for campuses. Here you can see NC State Cru taking these banners on campus and creating student curiosity and Gospel conversations. It's a great blend of both IA2 and EveryStudent.
Campus Overview
Since 2011, U.S. Campus Ministry has been collaborating with I am Second. We heard several reports of college students getting excited about I am Second and bringing the concept to their campus. As a result, these campuses saw rapid multiplication through the “I am Second” groups--particularly among the campuses at West Point Academy, Texas A&M, and Baylor. For instance, West Point started I am Second groups with two cadets, and by the end of the school year, over 100 students were plugged into groups.
Texas Tech Disaster
Disaster. We planned an "I Am Second" event and brought Second speakers in. Chris Plekenpol also trained 2nd Semester Freshmen. A brilliant idea: Freshmen knew more non-Christians. The disaster was that over 80 students supporting I am Second drove themselves to Tech campus to help and give support. Very overwhelming to Cru staff and the students. The Cru students felt they were hosting an I am Second retreat. They wondered if I am Second was starting their own campus ministry. For me, never seen anything so organic before. Students were going on weekend mission trips to other campuses for launching and campus outreach. Watching the Honda "Failure" video was helpful. This would lead to something big for Cru down the road. So disaster turned into a profound insight.
After field-testing a few campuses (UCF, Texas Tech, LSU) in 2011, we hit some bumps along the way. However, we ended with a bullseye with Cru at Purdue University. Purdue went “all in” and used “I am Second” groups to make Jesus the issue on campus.
Purdue I am Second Week
Over 65 groups were formed, 25% of those groups multiplied, and thousands of spiritual conversations took place.
What we did to make Jesus the issue on campus at Purdue.
- Hundreds of students wearing IAS shirts, buttons, and wristbands.
- 10,000 IAS flyers
- Chalking the streets and chalkboards
- Purdue's own IAS videos at www.iamsecondpurdue.com
- Facebook and student newspaper ads
- Cru students posting to Facebook and tweeting to their friends and classmates some of their favorite IAS videos
- Students taking Spirit-empowered steps to begin an IAS discussion group with people they know.
Live and Tell Stories @ Purdue
1. I met with a non-christian friend from another student group. We went through some IA2 films together and spoke about the similarities and differences between Christ and hinduism. This opened many doors for further discussion.
2. One girl talked to her non-believing friend about what she had learned in our group. This friend has displayed interest, so talking about their group seemed to have opened the door even more.
3. One of our freshman shared a story with her sister. It was a video about rape and her sister has gone through that and turned away from God. Her sister wasn't too receptive (or at least didn't show it) but our freshman has a good attitude about knowing God may be doing something in her heart whether she sees it or not.
4. Leah was shaken up when she came to group. Her sister had attempted suicide that previous weekend. She is bipolar and has some personal struggles. We watched the Brian Welch video together and read the verse for that lesson, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." Leah's Live and Tell was to talk to her sister about the verses we talked about and to also share the video with her sister. This may not seem like a big deal, but Leah isn't a believer so the fact that she even did that is huge! The Lord is really working in her life and she is definitely searching and hungry for the gospel!
5. They shared with a professor about what they had learned in the group.
6. A girl in my group has been telling her parents back in China about everything we have studied so far. Even though she is still a nonbeliever, she is teaching about Jesus across the globe!
7. One of the girls in my group tends to have a pretty negative attitude. She is also very introverted. After watching Bailee Madison's childlike faith video, she decided that she wanted to write down all the things she's grateful for from the Lord each day. She also shared this with her roommate. She was really excited that she took that step of faith. And it has been great to see her attitude becoming more positive because of the Holy Spirit :)
8. One guy approached his parents about an issue that had happened in the past. He was able to reconcile with them.
9. Started tithing at church, because they really felt that they were owning their money too much.
10. One of the guys did not have a Bible yet, so he went and bought one that weekend.
11. One of the guys in my group decided to fast for a day. When he did so, he found it to be a great spiritual experience and really gained clarity on some of the things that had been on his heart.
12. One person decided to talk to a former friend about a conflict they had. They resolved the conflict after meeting together.
13. She shared with her non-believing neighbor who stared blankly the whole time and never said anything.
14. One girl from the group was going to tell her brother. He isn’t a believer. Her brother was very receptive to what she had to say and they had a great conversation. It really helped him think more about the spiritual direction of his life.
15. One of the girls in my group shared one of the lessons with her friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend to help her understand that God will always be there for her, even if boys won't.
16. One of the girls in my group shared about I Am Second with a girl in her class. The girl is not a believer but is very interested in hearing what we’re learning about!
17. One of my international student members who is not a believer said she was going to tell her sister about the passage we read.
18. One person in the group talked to a girl at work who is an atheist and got into a spiritual conversation with her using I am Second as a guide.
19. One group member’s Live and Tell was to read her bible in a public place. She said a few people came up to her and asked what she was reading.
20. One guy in my group is a non-Christian. He has been consistently talking to his Hindu parents about what he is learning. He has been asking what it means to be born again.
After Purdue, we felt it was worthwhile to venture further and field test more campuses. We field tested New York City campuses, North Dakota catalytic, and a few other small student-led chapters.
New York City Cru launches I Am Second
We moved Shay (I am Second distance coach) to join NYC staff team. Shay trained following campuses: Medgar Evers, Citi College, Columbia, Sarah Lawrence, Pace Manhattan, SUNY Maritime, FIT, and Queens College. We’ve trained about 80 students through training days, fall retreat, and many weekly meetings (usually between 10-15 people) use I am Second.
Planned A Thousand Stories Challenge where students are asked to name 50 in their village, and share their story. Cru High is training their students.
Training Events
A Cru campus would initially see I Am Second as an event, and not groups as the main event.
Chris Plekenpol, former IA2 college coordinator, would travel to campuses for a 1-day training event. Students would organically travel with Chris. At the end of the training event, Chris would leave campus with 40+ groups formed.
Equipping others to minister and multiply is central to who we are (2 Timothy 2:2). When this process becomes spontaneous and grows and spreads without our supervision or stimulus, it becomes a movement of spiritual multiplication.
Looking for these things
Spiritual Multiplication
That’s the major interest we have in working alongside I am Second. We only heard stories about movements forming quickly at North Texas, West Point, Texas A&M, and other campuses. But we wanted to see if we could replicate this rapid growth on our own Cru chapters.
Small Group Evangelism
Small group evangelism, a new tool. Purdue Cru have put I am Second groups in their evangelism toolbox. They are using IAS groups like our Soularium tool. Students took IA2 groups back to their places at work, to their roommates in dorms, and even to family members. The tool was found easy to use and the students felt confident enough to use the tool.
Follow-up strategy (small groups)
Follow-up strategy, small groups. Follow up for our campus outreaches have been unsuccessful, campuses have implemented great follow-up after evens (text messages, emails), but they are not seeing results, meaning 200 indicate decisions, but those students are coming in follow-up. And we are not seeing more students involved in community from our events. This is a great problem to solve with our campuses. We have started testing Maze groups as follow-up for our Maze events.
New Launching Movements Strategy
New launching movements strategy. We have discovered that I am Second works best with non-staff campuses. We would like to test this idea using I am Second to start new movements on campuses—specifically Destino movements in Miami (nothing yet). We did try a FB idea (low efforts..to yield high results) for Embry Riddle. We noticed students were liking our FB page and Arron Emerson will follow-up this spring.
6 Strategic Learning Lessons
- I am Second values training and ongoing going (much like distance coaching). They are connected with e3 partners (church planting ministry). I am Second has in it’s DNA a launching mentality.
- I’ve learned much from Chris Plekenpol. How he motivates students to join him on these weekly campus mission trips.
- Chris’s day of training: Leave campus with 50 groups formed.
- Idea on outreach events: Have students form groups with people they know, more likely to form groups, rather than join a group with people they don't know
- Chris strategy at North Texas. At end of semester, regroup groups, split groups, double # of groups.
- Rethink Spiritual Multiplication.
Cru at Virginia Tech had a big vision -- Launch 300 IA2 groups on campus. Last Thursday, 55 Virginia Tech students pledged to start I am Second groups on campus.
Speaker's Forum
Larry Stephens created the Speaker's Forum and was responsible for nearly 80 evangelism outreach events annually on college campuses across the nation. Jim Munroe, Illusionist, was by far the most sought after speaker. One example, Jim performed at the University of North Dakota where over 400 students indicated decisions for Christ. I had never heard of a report this large.
Cru has invited many Seconds to speak on their campuses since our partnership formed: Lecrae, Brian Welch, Michael McDowell, Jim Munroe, Sujo John, Chris Plekenpol.
Larry helped fund I am Second videos for Jim Munroe and Sujo John.
Maze Groups
Jim Munroe ends his talk with “let’s continue the discussion.”
We asked Jim to add, "I would encourage you to start a MAZE group with your friends. At the back of the room, you can sign up to start a MAZE group with your friends, I will personally pick up pizza your first time meetings."
“We are launching 15 discussion groups this week at GSU. It has been very exciting to follow up with these non-Cru students who want to help start groups. (Georgia State)
“Over 150 students signed up to join a Maze Discussion Group.” (FIU)
I Am Second Orlando City
Larry helped lead I am Second Orlando for a few years.
Orlando Summer Internship
We hired four I am Second summer interns. We tasked them with three objectives: 1) lead an IA2 group, 2) help others start groups, 3) find churches/people who are excited about I am Second.
Training Apartment Life
We shared I am Second to the Orlando Apartment Life Ministry (AL). Those attending have voluntarily moved in apartment complexes to reach out to those living there. They are intentional about greeting every new tenant and they organize events to foster community and bridge ways to bring Christ to them. Currently, AL are in 10 complexes, and they plan to grow to 20 by the end of 2011. I got to know the couple staying at a 400-student Full Sail complex.
NASCAR events
Premiere Film NASCAR showing
Larry organized the film premiere during the NASCAR Daytona 500. We premiered the new I Am Second racing video, the drivers shared about their faith. As a result, nearly 1000 people entered the property during our program.
Our event was promoted on every radio station. Michael McDowell left a voice message on 10,000 homes with a personal invite. Every person who ate at the Ocean Walk Shoppes restaurant left with a flyer in their hands, and much more.
Check out the new video yourself at https://www.iamsecond.com/film/nascar-drivers/
“Larry, thank you for your heart to reach people for Christ. We couldn’t of done our Finish A Winner Daytona outreach event without you.” -Michael McDowell, NASCAR driver #98
Sports and Faith
Larry helped organize this soccer outreach event. He helped create a new "I Am Second" autograph card for Kaka and Aurelian.