Running “2 deep”

“We won’t have any men in DEEP if we don’t do something.” (DEEP is InterVarsity’s chapter at Cal State-Los Angeles.) That was the reality we faced a year ago in a our chapter of 25 students that only had three or four guys involved. Period. Our chapter had been growing some from just eight to ten in the fall, but was really only reaching women. We had previously tried co-ed small groups, but their impact had dwindled so much that we had eliminated them at the beginning of the year. But we had to do something to develop the faith life of our handful of men.

So at the start of the spring quarter I gathered the few involved men to study Proverbs each week. The guys wanted a name, so we called our group “2 Deep.” We had only three ground rules. Show up (no just stopping in). Show yourself (be real). Show respect. With the last rule, I made it clear what that meant; like in Vegas, “what happens in 2 Deep stays in 2 Deep.” I told the group that if I ever heard that anyone “leaked,” they wouldn’t be invited to return again, ever. Not only did that get their attention, it instantly created a safety net. None of them wanted their “business” being broadcast around campus.

Since we started 2 Deep, we’ve grown from three to four guys to ten to twelve guys coming. In the words of Grandison, who joined the group this fall, “2 Deep helps us young men realize that there are others who experience the same challenges on campus.” One of the original three guys, Jacque, agreed. “In 2 Deep, we are being trained to address issues with the Word, issues that usually go unaddressed by men, even men of faith.”

In addition to addressing issues that men face from the perspective of scripture, the group is also a vehicle for building friendship and community across cultures. Predominantly African American, with a couple of Asian and white men, the group regularly engages each other over their cultural experiences as men on campus. One week, the opening question—“What experiences, good or bad, have you had with law enforcement?”—sparked a significant discussion about personal experiences of racial profiling. Not only was it a significant point of connection for the group to be “real” and vulnerable with each other, but it also really opened up the group to engage the Word together.

2 Deep has not only brought about personal transformation in the men involved, but it has also significantly changed the larger fellowship. For one, we now have ten to fifteen men each week at our large group, with new guys coming each week. It has also really impacted the women in our group. One woman, Quella, shared that “2 Deep is effective on the CSULA campus because it shows the young men that you can be a man and still serve God. The men of 2 Deep are great examples of how God can really make something beautiful out of you if you give your life totally to him. The men of 2 Deep share personal experiences and then turn that into testimonies for the other men who are not yet a part of 2 Deep.”

This has continued to bear fruit in our fellowship’s large-group meetings. Recently, we invited a married staff couple from another campus to speak on the topic “Friendship versus Flirting.” It was a powerful time of looking at themes from Genesis 1 and 2, followed by a vulnerable question and answer time. As a result of the trust and vulnerability that has been developed in 2 Deep, the larger group was really blessed by the freedom and confidence that the men had to interact honestly. God is using the ministry of 2 Deep to really transform men for Jesus at CSULA. As Jacque put it, “Our men’s fellowship is vital to our survival.”

—Scott McLane serves as InterVarsity staff at Cal. State-Los Angeles. He and his wife, Veronica, live in East L.A. and are huge Lakers fans (still). They love visiting family in Mexico, and are getting ready to adopt their first child.