Tyndale Chapel Podcast

Thank you, Zorab, and Jasmine. I've titled this message "Holding our plans loosely". I actually prepared most of this message about a month ago, when I was on vacation. And in the last 48 hours or so, I thought to myself, ought I to say something different this morning. But I believe this is the message that I have for our community today, "Holding our plans loosely".

Some of you will remember, two commencements ago in September 2020, I shared with you that we were embarking on a process to develop a new strategic plan for Tyndale. Last September, I shared that we had a good first draft in place, and that the emerging theme was that of Tyndale as a flourishing Christian University. We continued refining and shaping that draft. Just a few months ago, in April, the Board of Governors approved our new strategic plan, which is called "Flourishing, like trees planted by streams of water". And here we are today, having just launched that strategic plan. And for the next five years, we will focus our efforts on achieving the vision of Tyndale University as a flourishing Christian University. In this plan, we have affirmed our mission, our statement of why we are here. And as a reminder, this is what it says. "Tyndale is dedicated to the pursuit of truth, to excellence in teaching, learning and research, for the enriching of mind, heart and character, to serve the church and the world, for the glory of God". Everything we do is to equip people to serve the church and the world, for the glory of God. That is why we are here. So secondly, in our plan, we clarified and redeveloped our values, declaring how we will collaborate and work together to jointly undertake this mission. And we are focusing on five core values: people, diversity, academics, faith and learning, and stewardship. Third, we then identified six strategic themes outlining what we will focus on to achieve our vision. And those six themes are global Christian University, culture of hospitality and service, diverse community, holistic student development, digital experience and technology, and long term sustainability. And finally, for the year ahead, we have set key priorities that feed into all six of our strategic themes.

Here are the highlights of what we will actually do, and how we will focus our attention for the year ahead. We will continue to foster our culture of trust. We will continue infamation, implementation of the academic plan. We will pursue the first phase of an international student recruitment plan. We will focus on increasing our enrollment, and fostering a broader and more informed engagement with enrollment across Tyndale. And finally, we want to spark and shape creative use of the space that we have. All of this is good. It's needed, and it has value. And we have begun the hard work of implementing these priorities, themes, values and vision in achieving our mission. That's the planning process. Plan, launch, do, follow up and plan again. It's cyclical and continuous, and it moves us forward. And yet, and yet, I've been reminded in recent weeks of the paradox of aligning faith and planning. On the one hand, we plan well and thoughtfully, seeking the good of Tyndale as we pursue our mission. This is consistent with scripture that distinguishes between wisdom and folly. Wise people plan, foolish people do not. Think of the Proverbs in the Old Testament, or the parable in the New Testament of the man who built his house on sand. On the other hand, we also understand from Scripture, that no matter our plans, God will ultimately achieve his purpose with us, through us or sometimes, perhaps despite us. Psalm 139 reminds us that all our days are known to God before they come to be. And in Luke 12, Jesus describes as foolish, the wealthy landowner who stored up all his grain and fortune for the future, only to die the same night, separated from God. So scripture presents these paradoxes between planning and trusting, doing and waiting. And even as we have just launched a new strategic plan, and established priorities for the coming year that are embedded in prayer, collaboration and discernment. As President, Cabinet and all of you, we also hold our plans loosely, recognizing the tension between what we can see, and what God may seek to bring about. This is the adventure, and perhaps the mystery of faith, or at least part of that anyways. So similarly, if I can speak to our students for a moment, you begin this academic year with plans for what you will accomplish. Your plans are likely as variable as your personalities and experience. Some of you, probably already, have detailed plans of steps you will follow that will lead you to your academic, professional, spiritual or vocational objectives. For others, your focus may be more immediate or short term, such as completing this semester as best you can. To our staff, and faculty, you also have plans and priorities for what you will achieve in your roles and responsibilities as teachers, scholars, student support professionals, admissions counsellors, facilities workers, business professionals, leaders, managers, whatever your role is. For many people, it is natural to set objectives and goals and to work hard towards them. For some, it's a part of key stages in our lives when we seek to establish clarity. For others, it's just a way of ensuring everything gets done. All of that is good. And yet, today's scripture readings call us back to what God asks of us, which is to walk with Him. The Scripture calls us back to context, to keeping our eyes on what God sees as most important, and to leaving room for God to act. Even as we make our plans and set our course.

It is good to have a plan. It is good to have focus and know what we want to achieve and how we will get there. But our primary focus is to faithfully seek and follow the Lord as He leads, as God's image bearers to each other, and to all those we seek to serve in the church and the world for the glory of God. We saw this in Dr. Bradley Noel. We see this modeled in our Tyndale community every day. And this is what we can do as followers of Jesus in this community. So as you consider that, think about this: What will it mean, to walk well with God and each other as we pursue our plans? What does that look like? And how will you know that you're doing this well? How will we know that we are doing this well, together? A few moments ago, the words of Psalm 19, verses one to 11 were read to us. And we were reminded that the heavens above declare God's glory, that the Word of God is trustworthy and precious, and that it provides us with wisdom, refreshment, and joy. From these promises, let me conclude by reading Colossians chapter three, verses 12 to 17, once again, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other, and forgive one another, if any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him".

Amen. And God bless you.