Continuing our series, Highs and Lows with an MPD Coach: Kristin Stewart from the Campus Ministry gets real about her MPD struggles and motivation.
Continuing our series, Highs and Lows with an MPD Coach: Kristin Stewart from the Campus Ministry gets real about her MPD struggles and motivation.
Welcome to the Cru MPD podcast with Katie Johnson and Michele Davis. We love that the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. We are driven to equip and inspire Christian workers to be Christ centered, fully funded and financially faithful, so that missionary staff can come alongside all people to help them to know Jesus. This process is more widely known as ministry partner development or MPD for short.
Michele Davis:Well, we are so excited to welcome Kristin Stewart to the Cru MPD podcast. Hey, Kristin.
Kristin Stewart:Hello, Michele. Hey Katie. Kristen is a dear friend, she has a lot of fun and she is an MPD Coach. You know what, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna pretend to like say all the things you do you actually do a lot. You have a very, like, you do a lot with Cru. So tell us a bit about this your role? And also like kind of where's your home base? All that okay. My home base is near Raleigh, North Carolina. And I have been with the campus ministry for 27 years. Currently, I know I've served in HR slash P&C and also in operations. So it was like HR and then operations and now back in the P&C HR world and the entire time. So currently, my roles include MPD coach, and I coach new staff and I would call myself an HR generalist. I work with evaluation of applicants, summer missions, and summer allocation, summer assignment process.
Michele Davis:Yeah, and you for a lot of years have led our...Daytona Beach summer mission.
Kristin Stewart:I have I love Daytona Beach, summer mission. love being with students. We are a shortened summer mission. And so we pack a lot in three weeks and it's just really fun to watch students take the next step in their walk with God for a lifetime.
Katie Johnson:Does that Summer Mission take place of El Caribe? is my question.
Kristin Stewart:That's our mission is at the El Caribe Yeah,
Katie Johnson:I didn't even know this existed. Like maybe I need to start going on several missions.
Kristin Stewart:Come! Katie! Come!...
Michele Davis:how long our staff there they there the whole
Kristin Stewart:four weeks, four,
Michele Davis:okay, four weeks. Yeah. Katie, you could do that. You could drag your whole family out there.
Katie Johnson:Yeah. Yeah. We joined staff at the El Caribe. So I just, it's a special place.
Kristin Stewart:It is a special place. It's a very special place. We love it for for those listening who don't know, we're talking about the El Caribe is a hotel in Daytona Beach called a resort. It's a it's like it? Yes. It's where we stay. Yes. It's vintage. Okay, it is it has a lot of vintage charm about it. As a result. It also has a puddle that never dries at the foot of one of the steps steer that's true.
Katie Johnson:There is a lot of things that we could say about it, but
Kristin Stewart:but it was built, it was built for Cru was built not just for Cru but crew needed a place to stay. And the original owners of the hotel built a place that would be great for us to be on the beach for conferences and Spring Break summer missions. And it's not the same owner anymore, but I don't know that
Katie Johnson:love having them know that they like built it with Cru in mind.
Kristin Stewart:Yes, yes. There was not a hotel there that had a had meeting space large enough. So they were always meeting in churches at first president Daytona and a few others. And so that's that's the ballroom that is there. Yes. Now there are hotels with meeting space, obviously. But there there didn't used to be. Yeah, but it is
Katie Johnson:nice. It's right on the beach.
Michele Davis:It's right on the beach. Beautiful.
Katie Johnson:Yeah, on the beach.
Michele Davis:Oh man. I feel bad being like negative about the puddle.
Kristin Stewart:Listen is always there why it's always there.
Katie Johnson:I mean, the humidity of the beach is probably uncontrollable. You know what I mean?
Kristin Stewart:Like a two inch puddle?!? Yeah, it rains every afternoon. So that happened. Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, I'm Christian. We will run You're on here as part of our highs and lows with a coach series. And in this, we were just wanting to hear from our crimpy coaches a little bit about their own personal MPD. And even some of their just thoughts about being a coach and kind of from that grid of what's been the high, what's been the low for each of those. You know, we'll ask you a few more questions too. But that's, that's, you know, where we've been going with these episodes. So let's start first with your personal staff career. And I know this is a really fun story, because I've heard you tell it before, but could you tell us in brief, a little bit about like, how did you decide to join staff with Cru? Right? Well, I didn't decide. Yes, after so you have heard me tell this before Michele. And so even when I was a college student on campus, I went to UNC Chapel Hill. I loved Bible study, I loved meeting with staff and going on campus and sharing my faith. But what I really loved was like making copies and setting up meeting space and helping my staff fold their prayer letters, and all those behind the scenes things. And so for, like, it never crossed my mind to join staff with Cru because I, my strengths were more and the behind the scenes things that didn't know there were those opportunities. So after college, I taught school. And the summer between my first two years of teaching, I did an internship at Cru's headquarters at Sun port. And that is when while I was there, my eyes were open. They just that very first day, it was like, oh, there's an HR department. Oh, there are accountants, oh, there's this whole building full of people who have these support strengths and administrative strengths. And so that whole next year, while I loved my job teaching, I loved it, I just constantly felt a dissatisfaction. And like there has to be something else. So I another Cru staff person encouraged me. She just said apply for staff and see what God does. I was like, add on now. She said just apply How can that hurt? So I did. And it just kind of kept, kept moving forward. And so yes, I joined staff with Cru, and what have been with the campus ministry the entire time. And here we go. So yeah.
Michele Davis:There's so much I love about that, especially that. But like, the reality is, is that we have huge, huge needs for people with your skill set. And I think that even your longevity on staff and the fact that you do a lot of roles. You do a lot of roles, because people are like, Yes, Kristin I will take any time you give me for this length to help us here because you do have so many gifts and and we fill those things so well. And I love that. I love that you have found that. And I love that you've been able to, you know to serve in that way. (Yes, yes.) Yeah. So, as part of Cru staff, all up like we, as our, you know, religious missionary order we raise financial support for all of our salary benefits and ministry expenses, we all know the drill. For you personally, Kristen, what has been a high for you in MPD? And then what has been a low for you and your personal MPD?
Kristin Stewart:I don't know that you are gonna like my response. But we'll see. I know. I was grateful. I was grateful that you gave the questions to me ahead of time because it gave me some time to sit and think. And I thought this sounds so cliche, my answer sounds really cliche, but it's, I've, I've sat on it for a day, just to make sure and it's true, my high and my low are the same. And a little side note is going to be the same for coating to like my high in the lower the same, which I think is really sweet of the Lord. So I thought back to it. And at one point I did do like Lake Hart Stint...plug like Lake Hart Stint, it's a great program that we have. And after you are a state like heart for a couple of years after like heart stent, and when you change locations when you transfer to another ministry or transfer within crew, we ask our staff to be fully funded before they report to their next assignment. And so before I came back to North Carolina, I needed to be fully funded. And so my summer assignment that year was MPD I moved about a house about house that needed a lot of things was done to it. And so that summer I was raising support and a first time homeowner. And I remember sitting on my bed. So, so random, you remember where you were. And I was on a coaching call Debbie Baron was my coach. And with her, and I just told her, I was like, I'm stuck. I don't know what to do. I didn't hate MPD. I just was like, I don't, I just don't, I don't know what to do. And she great. I mean, I that was my low I was, I knew I needed to raise support. It wasn't that I didn't want to, I just felt paralyzed. And she had the, I don't know, Holy Spirit in her to be able to say, to be able to pinpoint what the stuck was. And I was at a point of truly not believing that God wanted to and would provide for me. And so she said, Kristin, when we get off this call, I want you to drive to Lifeway bookstore, and I want you to buy Beth Moore's Believing God Bible study. And that's what I want you to do this week, not the whole thing, but get going on it. And she goes, You can reimburse it. And, and I did, I spent a significant part of that week, before the Lord of being honest, if I don't want to do this work, because I, I don't believe, which kind of made no sense at that point. I had been on staff for eight years, I knew I had seen him provide and the craziest, sweetest of ways. But I was stuck. And that was it really was a pivotal place for me, in one having a supervisor who was paying attention enough to not just be like, well just stick it out and keep going and just keep bla bla bla, which I needed some of that as well. She wasn't letting me off the hook to not work. But she saw it was a spiritual struggle for me and not, not a practical, not, you know, calling people so high and low, we're in the same place. And looking back, you know, those lows lows, retrospectively we can see where God met us.
Katie Johnson:I love that. I love that she was able to very gently, yes, point you back to truth, but with love. And I feel like that shows a lot of good coaching, good coaching as well, and why we need MPD coaches, right? Because when we're feeling stuck or alone, or like there's no way to move forward. Coaches are such a good resource to help us not only get over that, but also point us back to the board, which is so important.
Kristin Stewart:Yeah. And I will say I had had I don't want to speak negatively. But my initial MPD was a situation that the person this is back in the day when we didn't have people whose job was MPD coaching, it was usually just somebody on a team who coached you. And he we would we would mail in our reports on Monday. And hopefully they would get to the coach and we had an 8am appointment every Friday. He I would say hello, he would say how many dials did you make this week? How much new support that's that's all he would say. And it was? Really I knew I wasn't his main job. And then after him, I had a super gracious coach. And then Debbie was my next coach. And I just was able to see and experience the significance of people whose job it was to be MPD coaches and how they saw their role as leading spiritually and praying with me and believing God with me. And they were in it with me. And it wasn't just like, oh, there's something else I have to do. Again, the guy meant well, but I was not a priority in his day to day life. So yeah, I think I do think that time and experience has allowed our MPD philosophy to grow and be more holistic. Yes, you know, because I think it's more common, especially amongst us an MPD. I, you know, we embrace this, and we really try to lead our staff in this but MPD is not just the tasks, the tasks are something we do for sure. You do eventually have to ask people for an appointment, but there's an there is there's a there's a lot going on below the surface spiritually and personally. And as coaches we have a lot of conversations about how how can we keep an eye on that for people? How can we lead our staff well in helping them To succeed in their tasks, but also to flourish spiritually in the midst of that. Yes, so,
Katie Johnson:yeah, well, and I feel like your experience is so important for other staff to hear. Because there's a lot of staff out there that are past their initial MPD. They are maybe resetting or rethinking their assignment like you were, maybe they're not, maybe they're just at a place where they feel stuck. Maybe they're out of contacts, and it does feel maybe even hopeless, or, you know, like, how are they going to move forward. And I, I would encourage, if your staff out there, and you're in that place, and you don't have an MPD, coach, feel free to reach out to the MPD team, because I do think that even as senior staff, having someone alongside you, right to help move you forward and encourage you is really valuable. And so I feel like your story is just gonna really encourage our staff, Kristen, which is really cool. I mean, it was a low, but it also, that's how God got you unstuck essentially, right, and moved you forward. And here you are, however, many years later, you're still on staff. And you're, you know, like, God has provided abundantly beyond that point, right. And so yes, yeah, thank you for sharing that.
Kristin Stewart:So let's move on to you are an MPD coach now. And I want to hear that part of your story. Like, I remember when you onboard it as a coach, and therefore I believe we probably have talked about this, you and I, but let's talk about it here too, like what led you to decide to become a coach for MPD. Being an MPD coach absolutely, positively never crossed my mind. Until actually stepping back summer 2014, I did the, you know, one of our summer assignment options for people who, in within the campus ministry, one of our summer assignment options for people who have to stay on location, or would like to, is to coach our new interns and part time field staff. And I did that that summer and had a I mean, it wasn't easy, but I had a fantastic group who I coach, I'm still in touch with most of them. And, and that's a long when you do that summer assignment, it starts in April, and it ends almost a September, it's a very long you are in their lives. And that was my first taste of this role. It's a role of discipleship, I had just kind of seen it as this is just helping people get to where they need to be. Financially, and, and I quickly realized, we were working them through theology class, and also accountability with MPD and coaching and helping them get ready to move overseas or to campus in the US or to whatever it was. And, and I loved it. It was a it was a great summer assignment. But then I just kind of moved on. And with when crew restructured my job disappeared. And I was looking for a role. And Becky Wall, actually came to me and said, Have you ever considered being an MPD coach now? And she's been in that world for many years now. And I said, why not? Tell me more. So we met a couple of different times I met with Dave and Nancy and I had the job description, which is four pages long. And at that, whoa, I don't think I've ever seen anything so specific, so clear. So here are the expectations and I went it it just was a really sweet of the Lord next step when my job had just completely disappeared and wasn't an option anymore when it was one that I loved. So yeah, went through the training the virtual and the in person and, and enjoyed it even more like every step of the way became more of a for me of a face step for something very different, but also our world of our community of MPD coaches. I don't think that's something that I have experienced on staff with Cru. I was in the conferences and events world and we had a strong community. This one's a little bit different. I feel very both were good. Both are good. This one. I feel very resourced, believed in helped and then led also led spiritually.
Katie Johnson:I love that the MPD coaches is in the coach's community is one of my favorite parts. Yes, of being in this role and on this team. And if anyone out there wants to We have a new experience this community with that. But it really is great. And I think it says a lot about our leadership, and how they have led to create this kind of community among Honestly, we're all virtual, like, we're all kind of all over the place. And so it's, um, I think it's rare and a blessing for sure. And I'm really thankful for it too. And I'm thankful God called you to be a coach, What perfect timing. I mean, obviously, it probably wasn't a great situation to have your, you know, to have to change roles. But there are probably a lot of emotions that went with that. And so. But I think it's really sweet that the Lord gave you to, specifically this role at the right time. And you seem to really enjoy this role as well. And so I do, yeah, that's really cool.
Michele Davis:Well, we, we enjoy having you here, for sure.
Kristin Stewart:Well, thank you. I think that two people were fun people are fun people. And I think a lot of a lot of us in coaching say something similar to what you said, like, where we never thought we would do this. Right. You know, like, it just for variety of reasons, you know, like, we know that it's not like the thing that people maybe join staff to do, or it would be the rare person to, but also, there, there's something really exciting about the way we get to help help our fellow missionaries be equipped and fully funded for what they're doing. It's just, it's really amazing work. So yeah. Best little hidden gem job on Cru staff. (I Know!) Okay, well, Kristen, so same gig as we did before for your impeachment coaching experience, what would be the high and what would be the low? Well, spoiler, it's the same, it's the same I know, and I, I really did think about it, and I, I, it just seems to be for me a part of where the Lord brings or meets you in the lows. And none of us want to get to low places. But there's also nothing in Scripture that promises that we're not, we're not going to have those, there's a lot in Scripture that promises that we will, and paying attention to where God is, in those times is, is working closely with him. So it's, this was not a pinpoint thing, but I just thought about it, it's when the new staff I'm coaching or when the staff I'm coaching, are really struggling. Does that sound terrible, that that could be a high, but it is for me. Number one, when they're honest, when they just get to the point of just brutal honesty of I am really having a hard time slash I have been stuck at 61%. Now Now that 60s And those 80 percents, that that just kind of linger for a while, I have seen God do amazing things in people's lives in those 60s and 80s. For I don't know what it is about those but it really is like being honest together, being honest with me as their coach and not being afraid to tell me whether it's hard appointments, or I just don't feel like contacting people, I just really I would so much rather somebody I'm coaching, be honest with me. And then we talk through it and we pray and what are next steps. And then let's see together, let's pray boldly and together, see what God's gonna do. And it might be that week, oh, I met with somebody and they joined my team for $200 a month, or it might be I lost$100 in monthly support this week. I was faithful I was full of faith, God is still at work. And and let's keep moving forward and see what God does together. So I know it's very general, but that really is what kept coming to mind is kind of struggling to celebrating together for sure. But even the struggle that allows us I think to see the celebratory moments more clearly.
Katie Johnson:Yes, I feel like God sometimes has to, like bring you to that bottom place to remind you a few years and to pull you to trust him. Right. And I think we've all been there in different situations of our lives. But I think it is something that happens in everybody's MPD journey. Yeah, and it and for different reasons, right. Like maybe like for me it was definitely Like, oh, like, I'm trusting myself to raise support not award. And so he kind of has to bring me to like this point where I can't do it on my own anymore. Right. Right. And then you really see God move in such big ways. Because when you come from that place, I think you can see clear what God's doing. And so I think it makes sense that God would bring, I think everyone does hit that wall, like those percentages, are there certain places, and I've had some staff that are like, you know, so confident they won't hit a wall, which is great. And maybe they will, but most staff do you hit a wall, most people raising support hit a wall at some point. And I think it's God doing more than just, you know, not giving them the partners. He's working on character and heart and trust and all the things right, but just cool. It's cool to see, I think, also a staff grow, as we coach them, and how they, God moves them, not just with, you know, giving to them financially, but moves their heart and their attitude and all these things closer to him because of the process of MPD.
Kristin Stewart:So yes, I mean, I remember my first MPD NSO, the NPD training part of it. So when I was a new coach, Michele, was the emcee for that training. And that was the first time I had heard anybody talk about our, you know, being faithful and full of faith. And I, of course, use that all the time in coaching. And also, we talked together about it being translated into when they report to their assignment, like this doesn't stop and MPD's not practice. But boy, does God work in your muscles, your muscle memory of being faithful to what He has called you to and being full of faith that he is going to do what he says he's going to do. And and so that's even I think a significant part of us as coaches is we're part of preparing. We're just the next step in preparation, like whether somebody has been discipled Well, for some, some has led to the Lord, but then discipled and where that next step, and before they report to their assignment with Cru, we get to be a part of that. And then for senior staff as well. Just even for some of them, helping bring them back to that place of those steps that are big, but also small, like their baby steps that turned into big, big giant things of watching God work. So I agree, Katie, absolutely.
Michele Davis:I think that the whole Christian life is about being faithful and full of faith. (Yeah, that too). I think that it definitely warms my heart that that because we do really purposely use that phrase at our training now. And because I think it's it's centering for us when we do we face all these kind of high pressure tasks, ya know, that determine our paycheck, to send her ourselves on what I can control as being faithful and full of faith. Faithful full of faith. Should I get it as a tattoo? I don't know.
Katie Johnson:This be your first tattoo.
Kristin Stewart:I don't have a tattoo. really highly doubt that I will get a tattoo I am more likely to make a custom sticker for my water bottle that says my full and full of faith would be to get a tattoo. But it is a phrase that that I really think about a lot in in my walk could do a white one then maybe
Katie Johnson:I'll go with you.
Kristin Stewart:That sounds like yeah, I'll go with you too. I need to get a touch up. Oh, that's the other discussion. Yeah.
Michele Davis:That's another episode of the podcast like should Michele, get a tattoo? Okay, so to close out our time with Kristin today, we want to hear from you Kristn, just what motivates you to keep going both on staff and like with doing MPD yourself in coaching others in MPD what is it that is just is keeping you doing it moving forward? Yes.
Kristin Stewart:So I drew on my paper, I printed out the questions and I do on my paper and arrow from stay on staff and do MPD and then another arrow from MPD to stay on staff because I'm on staff... because of ministry partner development and the partners who are on my ministry team and give and pray. One just texted me this morning, hey, can you give me a call today? I have some questions, you know, whatever, great. But then also, I work on MPD. And pay attention to that part of my life, because I am on staff with crew. So it just goes in a constant circle. And I'm not really sure where one begins and one ends. And any, anytime, in my 27 years where I have thought is the word leading me in a different direction. Personally, I believe like, I will be faithful to what He has called me to until he calls me to the next. But anytime there has been like this, there's something that I'm supposed to be doing differently and just paying attention, what has immediately come to mind? What would make me super sad if the Lord said, Go do something different is not having that team of ministry partners, those people, I have people who've been with me since day one. And people who are new in recent years, and they're equally as important and significant. And it would make me so sad. So honestly, I'm like communicating prayer letters and staying in touch and people praying, and that keeps me on staff knowing even that accountability. But then also, I'm on staff because of them. So it's kind of a circle for me. Well, probably for everybody. But that's what came to mind. And yeah,
Michele Davis:it's like the symbiotic. Yeah. Like, relationship. i Yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me. And I think that it underscores why we call this ministry partner development and not just fundraising. Yes. Right. Because it, we really truly see this to be about those relationships we make with like minded people who are, like, emotionally invested in our work, not just financially invested in our work. And so So you saying that I feel like is, is a bit of like the the evidence of it being like healthy and working that our, you know, our mentality we have in this? It? It's a reality?
Kristin Stewart:Yes. And I even know, part of our conversation guide. Not everybody says these words, but even part of the scripts that we give as a resource for people to use includes like, I am going, not everybody can go to XYZ. Not everybody can, sir, serve couples through family life, not everybody can serve athletes through athletes and action or whatever. But this is what this is what God has me and I'm inviting you to be a part of that. And we, you know, we say that as a part of the MPD conversation guide. But it's really true. And, you know, not everybody can dot dot dot. And I think that's a privilege and a responsibility that I hold like, I am responsible and accountable to these partners. Because I tell them that, and it's true.
Michele Davis:Yeah. Kristin Stewart, thank you so much for joining us here today. And I knew it'd be so encouraging and fun, and it was so encouraging and fun so thank you for that.
Kristin Stewart:Thank you. Thanks for inviting me.
Michele Davis:Thanks for listening to The Cru MPD podcast. Please help others find our show by liking, sharing and readiness on Apple iTunes and wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find us on social media by searching for The Cru MPD podcast. Check out the show notes for more information including the various resources we mentioned in this episode. Till next time, we encourage you to be faithful and full of faith in all things, especially in MPD.