Vision

This question is typically asked in an attempt to gain clarity around our mission, messaging, strategy, location, facilities, and programming. The answer to that question is that we are seeking to Transform Lives in all generations as a collegiate focused church that serves both Campus and Community. The East Lansing Public High School is bordered by the MSU Delta Gamma Sorority. We seek to serve both. Asking questions about prioritizing one generation over the other, while well intentioned, is like asking which of your feet you use to walk. The answer is always both. To deny one is to cease walking. Element walks out its assignment with one foot on the campus and one in the community. We don’t need to prioritize one group over the other, we simply need to define an organizational “gait” so that families and students know how they can walk together. The real question becomes: how do we function together generationally accounting for differing lifestages, priorities and needs? How does Element design a structure/gait/stride for the different groups to transform together? Our answer is found by calling ALL people together to put Jesus at the center and then live GPCTM. Within the GPCTM strategy we create structures where the groups function intergenerationally. The cornerstone discipleship strategy and structure for intergenerational authentic relationships at Element is called the Adopt a Student Program. 

An Adopt a Family Group consists of three types of people:

1.)  An adult family, couple or single

2.) One or Two student leaders (SLs)

3.) Two to Six undergrad or graduate students

An Adopt a Family Group meets on a specific schedule and in specific ways:

• The Family, SL(s) and students meet once (or twice) monthly 
• The SLs and students additionally meet weekly & communicate more frequently
• There is a shared resource or growth focus for the group each semester
• There is an encouragement to help each person take steps in the GPCTM process
  • Gospel to People (ie. BLESS evangelism training & Sunday events)
  • People to Community (ie. Adopt A Student group involvement)
  • Community to Transformation (ie. 21 Days of Prayer, SOAP, Courses)
  • Getting Transformation to Mission (ie. give, go/serve, missional assignment)

This group setup allows us to double down on intergenerational discipleship while still allowing our students to spend more intense and focused time together within their unique campus context. This also keeps a unique and distinctive (non competitive) structure when considering other campus ministries. This means we can do deeper discipleship and still build regional & campus unity leading to regional mobilization and mission.

Funding is one of the primary challenges to solve within a unique church like Element. Traditional Churches fund themselves internally after assimilating families, securing stable facilities and teaching people to tithe. In contrast, traditional Campus Ministries fund themselves externally understanding the students being reached are not able to fund the ministry they so desperately need. Element Church, as a hybrid, looks to “function like a church but fund like a mission”. This means a meaning a winning funding model for this hybrid organization requires a multi-faceted approach: 

• Element will fund internally like a Suburban Church by teaching tithing & generosity

• Element will fundraise externally like a Campus Ministry by recruiting and build a recurring monthly funding base through:
  • Element Alumni
  • Parents of students
  • Business/Church Organizations
  • Friends and Supporters of Element Church
  • Annual Vision Sundays
  • Special Project Fundraising initiatives

• Element will empower Support Raised Staff through a partnership with Reliant Ministries

Additionally, we will develop a Digital Storytelling Team to share stories of “Transformed Lives” and celebrate stories or examples of the: 

• Gospel to People
• People to Community
• Community to Transformation
• Transformation to Mission

Element will work to Tell the Story of what God is doing on Sundays, through communication with partners and via Social Media Channels (when the stories are able to be public).

Some of our fundraising terminology is: 

• We want to work with people who can’t pay for the work. 
• Transformation takes time
• We’ve been doing a multigenerational portable impact event, setting up on campus every 7 days for 16 years
• A legacy of faithfulness and longevity that can be trusted
• We will go in the pit if you will hold the rope.
• Change the Backyard. Change the World.
• Give today to change tomorrow
• Impacting tomorrows leaders today
• All people are equally valuable, not all people are equally strategic. – Bill Bright

Sundays are a vital part of a Transformed Christian life and a powerful opportunity to reach the lost each week. But, it doesn’t stop with Sundays! Yes, we want you to continue inviting people to church on Sundays… AND we want you to BE the church Monday through Saturday (and on Sundays too). Ultimately, We are not inviting people to a church service, but to a transformed life! We are inviting people to experience transformation as they place Jesus as the central Element in their own lives. We are walking this out by getting the Gospel to People, People to Community, Community to Transformation, and Transformation to Mission as our core strategy. We are not only inviting people to church on Sundays, but to be the church as they experience Jesus at the center of everything. Invite people to church AND invite them to a transformed life with Jesus as the central Element. That’s the invitation.

We are emphasizing four main priorities this fall:

1. Clarify Vision & GPCTM Strategy at Element Church
2. Gospel to People: Individual ownership of mission
3. People to Community: Prioritize Relationships: groups, adopt a student & teams
4. People to Community: Next Steps process online

There will be new online resources and training rolling out over the next several months. These resources will include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• Next Steps Process Online (Step 01 & Step 02)
  • To include teaching videos, PDF documentation & Quizzes
• A training/resource page for personal ministry/evangelism empowerment 
  • BLESS Training
  • Engel Scale of Evangelism
  • Gardening & Harvesting Teachings
  • Columbo Tactic Resource
  • Links for further studies in apologetics
• An online supplement page for the Fuel & The Flame Campus Ministry Resource
  • The resource to be utilized for Adopt a Student Groups in Fall 2025

July 6th

• Send adopt a student training to families
• No Kellogg Space | Online Only

July 8th – Vision video to team

July 13th – Sunday Gathering

• BLESS Teaching

July 20th – Summer Vision 

• Vision for Summer/Fall
• Fundraising Opportunities begin going out

July 27th – No Kellogg Service | Online Only 

• Motion Trip finish

August Series: Fuel & The Flame

August 3rd – Adopt a student family rally after service

August 3-24th – 21 Days of Prayer, M-F 7-8 am

August 17th – Pray for MSU Sunday

• Team Lunch (Leaders, Assistants, Board, Interns)

August 24th – Personal Missional Assignment/Rule of Life

• Target date for Missional Assignment Online Worksheet Rollout

August 20-25

• Mission Trip to MSU Launch

September Series: Jesus the Central Element

September 14th – Groups Launch (week 1 of 3)

September 21st – 10 Year Anniversary

September 28th – Adopt a Student Groups Kickoff

October 26th – Child & Baby Dedication

Nov. 30th – Annual Vision Sunday

December 28th – Online Only

• Downtown Studio space moving (July)
• Website Refresh (August)
• Next Steps Online – Step 01 + Step 02 (August)
• Adopt a Student Groups Launch (September)