To those who have read our first blog post, it’s no secret we started the Newchapter endeavor with little more than a dream and a tested model for creating Student Living Communities, which we believed could also benefit college ministries. In fact, reflecting on that time, we are amused by the hours we spent just trying to find the right words to explain who we were. We’ve come a long way in 18 months and will remember 2010 as a defining year for Newchapter, rich with opportunities to test our resolve, refine our systems, and to clarify our vision.
2010 certainly had its share challenges. Some of which not only threatened our projects, but in some regards our entire operation. Toward the end of the year, after months of hard work, and pushing the envelope of church decision-making timelines, we proved to be no match for the slothful timelines of the current lending climate. We watched anxiously as our plans unraveled, and were ultimately forced to make the grueling decision to reschedule the ASU Wesley Hall opening from the 2011 to the 2012 school year. Though this was a serious setback, nothing over the past year was as serious and life-changing as Ian’s unexpected and briefly-fatal health scare (which you can read about here). Yet, through this event came the awareness of how much more were the relationships we had forged than just business contacts and sales leads. People from all over the country – some of whom we had only met over the phone – began praying for, and checking up on Ian. Fortunately, not all of the challenges were quite so agonizing, like choosing a new project management and customer collaboration web app, then changing to a different application a few weeks later, and changing again…and again – only to end up deciding on the application we started with a year ago! It must be true what they say about first impressions.
Truthfully, as much as our resolve was tested in 2010, these tests have all played an important and positive role in shaping the culture and the operation of Newchapter. As of the writing of this letter, we are working diligently to improve our internal systems to allow us to more efficiently respond to the volume of inquiries we have received and continue to receive each week. For instance, in 2011 we will begin providing an educational “round-table” consultation for our new clients. Though not free, this service will equip college ministry leadership teams to better understand how the Newchapter Residence Hall model can be an effective tool for building successful on-campus ministries. In addition, we are systematizing and streamlining our PreFORMa (preliminary Facility, Organization, and Market analysis) process in order to provide better “feasibility” information in a more timely fashion. Finally, we are in the midst broadening our capacity to fund projects by forming strategic partnerships with several groups that share our passion for building up the field of college ministry.
While we are enthused about, and recharged by our operational improvements, the most significant and exciting outcome of the events of 2010 is the clarification of the Newchapter vision. Based on what we have seen, and the recent movement within the field of college ministry, we believe we will see one thousand college ministries adopting Residence Halls into their strategic plans over the next ten years. We are humbled by this, and take very seriously its implications and the importance of the work of all of us involved in the field of college ministry.
So, for all who share our passion for college ministry, we hope you will also share in our vision, and we invite you to follow us in this journey. For our clients who are currently partnering with us, we ask you to bear with us for the next 60 – 90 days as we put in some long days working to improve our systems. And for those who are unfamiliar with Newchapter, or have been skeptics, we would like you to know who we are:
Newchapter is a distinct brand, and a specific system for creating successful College Ministry Residence Halls.
We hope you will join in the conversation and share your thoughts. Visit us at www.ournewchapter.com. You can also find us on facebook and twitter.
Grace & Peace,
Nat & Ian
