Frequently Asked Questions
About Recon
About the Founder
About Warfare
Q: What exactly is Recon?
A: It is a new way to do college ministry in the 21st Century. Specifically, Recon is the first application of a generational model for college ministry. It maximizes the military metaphor of spiritual warfare.
Q: What is a generational model?
A: A generational model is one that focuses on each generation of students going to college. Similar to missionaries researching a tribal group before developing a strategy to contact them, a generational college model utilizes demographic research on each college generation to develop an effective strategy to reach them.
Generations usually last around 20-22 years, give or take a year or two. Each generation has a reasonably identifiable profile of characteristics. Naturally, each generation grows up in a different time. Technology increasingly impacts each generation. The strategy of a generational model, therefore, is to train and utilize Christians of each generation in a comprehensive peer-driven outreach that helps fulfill the Great Commission through reaching international college students.
Q: Why reach international students?
A: Broadly speaking, international students become the leaders, movers and shakers of their countries after they finish their education and return home. They are prized and sought after by their governments, business community, educational institutions and other key sectors. Reaching them with the gospel while they’re here in the States, accessible and more open than they may ever be, is prudent, cost-effective and comparably easier than trying to reach them overseas either before or after their time with us. There are multiple examples of internationals in the Bible coming to the Lord in a significant way, including Moses and the Apostle Paul. Thus, ISM (international student ministry) is a powerful way to affect the destinies of countries from the top down as international believers move into leadership positions after they return home.
Q: Why start a generational model now?
A: Every era is unique, and this may be even more true of our day. Technology increasingly reshapes our lives and changes the ways we do almost everything (except pray and trust God!). Technology is bringing the East and West together, making one plugged-in, online global community, especially among younger generations. Western values are moving Eastern, and vice versa. In essence, what is emerging is the first truly global generation since the Tower of Babel! This has not happened in over 5,000 years. Our world today has not changed, spiritually speaking, from the world in that day. United global rebellion was the desired outcome then and now. The Church needs to address this reality and respond quickly.
Q: What can a generational model do that a traditional mission agency approach can’t do?
A: In a word, multiply! Jesus’ method for growth was one of multiplication. For all the good that mission agencies have done over the decades, they don’t multiply; they add. Add staff, add new believers, etc. Another thing that a generational model calls for is strategic partnerships. These can create synergy — “more bang for your buck”, so to speak — and further enhance ministry effectiveness and speed up multiplication of new believers, both of which the New Testament calls for.
Q: Does that mean mission agencies have it wrong or are no good?
A: No, no, no! Not at all! We just said (above) that they’ve done tremendous good and have been a huge blessing to the Kingdom of God. Without them, there would be next to nothing going on at the university. Recon, however, is a tool, merely one application of a generational model, and not an agency. Thus, it doesn’t compete with mission agencies; it complements them. It networks and helps the Body of Christ on college campuses all across the country without cost (unless you shop at our Store).
Q: How exactly does Recon work?
A: First, it zeroes in on the “Stream Effect”. This is how we describe the fact that age-segmented ministries have their target group only for a window of time. For college ministry, that means about 4-5 years. Grad school ministries usually operate separately. College mission agencies usually see high school and college graduations as ‘bookends’ or boundaries and serve within those parameters. Recon sees these bookends as doors because today’s high school students are tomorrow’s college students. Today’s college students are tomorrow’s mentors. Recognizing the flow of the stream and capitalizing on it revolutionizes college ministry and makes it much more comprehensive.
Second, Recon maximizes the military metaphor in strategy, terminology and execution. This is intentional because far too many Christian students are spiritually AWOL at college today. Recon goes “upstream” by providing materials to those training Christian high school students. We help teachers prepare students for the spiritual rigors and challenges of college life. Recon also creates a nationwide Christian community that networks every Recon grad who wants to seriously grow the Kingdom of God at college. It coordinates everyone working toward the same goal without any individual, church or mission agency having to compromise or dilute their desired objectives.
Q: What does “Recon” mean?
A: Recon means, “a collection of strategic intelligence to prepare for a military operation in hostile territory.” Christian high school graduates ought to be a (spiritual) army that ships out each year to college, the hostile territory. College is about the most hostile place for a spiritually minded student. The Recon curriculum provides the intel to prepare students for the battles they will face.
Q: Is Recon a substitute for church?
A: Absolutely not! Nothing can replace the Body of Christ, either on a global, national or local level. Recon simply provides a game plan, an approach to coordinate and expedite numerical and spiritual growth among Christian students at college with the ultimate goal of reaching international students and thus actively participate in the Great Commission. We encourage all Recon students and grads to participate in, and join where appropriate, a local church that teaches the Bible accurately, utilizes resources with integrity, and has a serious commitment to the Great Commission.
Q: Who is Recon for?
A: For two groups: students and mentors. Recon starts with Generation Y students, since they’re the current group of high school and college students. High school students should go through the Recon curriculum as a class at either a Christian high school or a church (youth group Bible study, Sunday School, etc) or a homeschool. (See the Recon Store for materials). Once at college, Recon grads can continue to make use of their training there by creating Cover Cells, maintaining their walks with Christ, praying for unsaved peers and reaching out to them.
Recon is also for mentors — mature Christian adults who want to assist and nurture the spiritual growth of Recon grads at college through a one-on-one, or life-on-life friendship. Once Recon grads finish college, they should remove themselves as students and then register as mentors, provided they’re close enough to one or more college campuses.
Q: How do students and mentors find each other?
A: By registering themselves at a college listed on our site. Once students and mentors have registered that way, students can find mentors through that college listing. When students look for and find mentors, we warn both mentors and students to never meet anyone alone, especially at night. Be wise! Before you meet, correspond by phone and/or email. Then take a Christian friend and meet during the day in a public place. Get a sense of each other first and then decide to proceed with the friendship. Students should find out about the prospective mentor’s home church, spiritual background, walk with God and related details before beginning the friendship. In today’s world, we must walk with wisdom and check references and backgrounds, even in the Church. And neither party should be personally offended if things don’t work out. There should be other opportunities as God guides, even through different avenues like a local church connection.
Q: Who’s behind Recon?
A: A loose-knit bunch of Christians who believe that the time has come to implement a generational model.
Q: Who pays for Recon’s services?
A: Recon is designed to be extremely cost effective. It relies on participants’ responsibility, cooperation and common sense, reducing costs. Recon has no staff as such, so its budget is minimal. Large and small donations financed the project to get it off the ground. Sales from the Recon Store continue it. InterFACE Ministries (Atlanta, GA) processed start-up funds. Bill Perry, InterFACE Chief of Staff and Director of Training Materials, conceived and developed it. See “About Us” for more details.
