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As part of the series, I’ve been writing thoughts on helping people thrive when, from our perspective, they’re dead-and-gone. Because, of course, our former students are STILL ALIVE after college graduation… though I’m not sure we structure our ministries around that fact often enough.
(This topic in the series starts here.)
Here are some topics that might serve well in preparing students for that Transition. (Please add any others you find compelling!)
Some in this list might be perfect for last-semester teaching topics; others might require years’ worth of emphasis. The point is, each seems particularly useful for promoting continued growth as students enter the “young adult” world.
In no particular order, then, some topics that seem to be important for post-college Christians:
- God-centeredness (as opposed to self-centeredness or even people-centeredness)
- True community
- Facing trials well
- Spiritual disciplines (and why they matter)
- Money management
- Commitment
- Why theology matters
- A biblical understanding of “work”
- Making decisions
- Biblical churchmanship (including in churches that don’t cater to young adults well)
- Friendships in a post-college life
- Dating relationships in a post-college life
- Family relationships in a post-college life
- How to study the Bible
- How to find good answers to tough questions
- Finding / choosing a church
- Why and how we don’t “outgrow” a need for complete integrity / obedience
- Loving people
- The idea that God has a story for them to live, and college doesn’t have to be the “high point” of their lives
This is no brilliant list, but it still might get us all thinking about which – if any – of these themes our graduating seniors truly excel in.
During the last 21 months, I have had the opportunity to hang out with lots of college students around the nation, to sit in on plenty of college ministry activities, and to connect with something like 300 college ministers.
But during the last 21 months, I haven’t had a “home college ministry,” with college students and volunteers and leaders that I could call my “own.” It’s been awesome doing what I’ve gotten to do and supporting the nationwide “battle,” but I’ve missed connecting in a particular outpost – knowing names, meeting needs, and watching over time as students grow in Jesus.
(There were moments during the trip – rare, but occasional – when I actually got to serve in various college ministries. Whenever that opportunity came, I was absolutely thrilled – whether I was speaking or setting up or driving a van or greeting visitors or in some other way simply participating in our great calling.)
And now… I’m pretty excited, because as of this week, I’m back in the thick of it, back on the ground, back participating in the actual practice of college ministry.
I’m still pursuing my main call, which continues to be helping develop the whole “ministry field” called college ministry. But that call doesn’t mean I can’t love on some particular students and support some particular leaders, too.
And that’s what I get to do by simply plugging in as a volunteer at my new church here in Dallas. I had a blast this week helping set up for the weekly college ible study, attending a volunteers’ meeting, and meeting some students and some leaders. I’m happy as a clam, playing my little part in helping this thing happen. It’s so good.
So good.
A wise college ministry lifer once commented that she finds it questionable when people serve as regional or national college ministry leaders without continuing to connect in actual ministry to actual students. While God’s call and our seasons can vary along these lines, I certainly understand that principle.
For those of you who have been in the thick of it during the last 21 months, plugging away in your own mission to campus tribes, I hope you are thankful. Whether you’re a volunteer, a student leader, or a college minister, be ye glad. Not all of us have had that profound opportunity.
I’m so glad to be joining you once again.
I honestly do believe that emphasizing college students’ Latter Transition could transform lots of college ministries. And like I wrote yesterday, that mindset can start very early, as we recognize that all college ministry really does have a huge preparation component – from the time freshmen enter until the time they graduate.
But of course, an overarching focus like that isn’t the only way we might work to help students transition. Good ol’ targeted discipleship for nearly-grads can provide key impact at a key time, too.
This can come in at least a few forms:
- A multi-week group study for your nearly-grads, probably in the spring semester. Maybe one teacher, or perhaps several different adults / DVD messages / etc. (But don’t forget to include those who might graduate in August or December! Or if your ministry is big enough, this could happen every semester.)
- Small group or one-on-one discipleship of nearly-grads. The discipler could be you or another leader who is out of school – or an adult community member could be even better!
- A Nearly-Grad Survival Guide. This can be something written in-house, it could be a collection of articles or books for “suggested reading,” one key book, audio messages, or something else. Hopefully one of these days we’ll have several books targeting this super-important period in people’s lives.
- Organizing “cohorts” of nearly-grads to connect with each other now and stay connected for some period after college ends. Even if these people “go their separate ways,” they can hold each other accountable, help each other think through the transition, and just be a familiar face or voice for awhile. Of course, those who plan to live in proximity, are going into similar fields, or have other similarities could be connected on purpose. Whatever.
What else you got?
As for possible teaching topics for these sorts of things, I’ll post my own “priority list” soon [here's that list].
When chatting about the Latter Transition, there’s something I have to keep in mind – something I haven’t always remembered when ministering to students myself.
It’s not our job to jam-pack spirituality into our college students in such a way that it “lasts” for several years beyond college. I think it’s easy for some of us (I’m included) to see college ministry as “our only chance,” and we’re tempted to cram our students so full of right-theology-right-practice-right-attitude-right-decisions-right-worldview-right-experiences-right-knowledge that they have all they need for long lives of Jesus-following.
We’re right to realize that we’re on the front lines. We’re right to realize that the stakes are quite high. But I’m wrong when I think God’s not a lifelong Shepherd, when I doubt His ability to grow students after they’ve left my care.
Instead of aiming for the Cram Method, our second option is to see much of our job as foundation-laying. Or we might think of college ministry as primarily a “transitioning” work altogether – transitioning people from adolescence to adulthood. Maybe not much more than that.
That way of thinking means a different kind of ministry in some cases. It means putting one question at or near the top of our priority list as we plan:
What will best prepare these students to keep growing for a lifetime?
Of course we want them to grow now, too. But these four years are a tiny amount of time compared with the rest of their lives (usually). So we have to make tough choices, at times doing things that are less attractive or messier or less enjoyable to choose preparation over present-usefulness. Every time we pick a teaching topic or a discipleship material or a ministry role, we are making a choice. Sometimes their (and our) current needs and wants will be the deciding factors. But hopefully not always.
Across our time with these students, what we provide them may be all (or most) of the discipling they get before graduation. If the “supplies” we have provided don’t springboard them toward flourishing and continuing to grow big and strong, then those supplies will sink with them.
Our students may even sink more under the weight!
Are we impacting students for four years of following Jesus… or forty?
The “Big Idea” series is now at number 8:
Help students transition from college.
This is yet another opportunity to transform our college ministries – by beginning to take the long view of student discipleship.
I would argue that our greatest aim should not be for our students to be awesome spiritual leaders by the time they get to their senior year. Our greatest goal should be for our present students to be awesome spiritual leaders when they’re senior adults.
Remember, in the last Big Idea post I suggested that youth ministers (and parents, etc.) have the primary responsibility for a successful transition to college. Just as a quarterback must be more “accurate” than a receiver, so those “throwing” college students into college have primary responsibility for how they land.
But before anyone gets mad about that – and before we college ministers get too comfortable – let me note that I’m fair in my logic. I have the exact same argument for the Latter Transition.
Except for the students themselves of course, we have the primary responsibility for helping students transition well from college to young adult life. Not young adult ministers, singles ministers, or new spouses(!). It’s our job. Not that others shouldn’t help; they should help, just as we college ministers should certainly invest in helping the transition to college.
But either we’re preparing them for the post-college leap – and for the years following the leap – or we’re not.
In many cases, we’re not. I’m guilty of that, too.
I’ll flesh this out more in the days to come. Feel free to add your thoughts along the way.
One to ponder, one to devour, and one to pave our way.
To ponder: George Mason University elects male Homecoming Queen (Washington Post)
To devour: DiscipleshipLibrary.com
(And a bonus, in case you missed it last week: the Veritas Forum Media page. Also worth devouring.)
To pave our way: Seat of Power
Please, if you’re at all interested in college ministry (as a minister, a pastor, a parent – or know some of those people), spend 4 minutes to watch the video in that last link. It brought tears to my eyes and is very possibly the best single apologetic for college ministry I’ve seen. This video is tailor-made for spreading the importance of Collegiate Ministry to others – well beyond the Chi Alpha ministries it comes from. Thanks guys, for making a powerful video.
Continuing the “Big Idea” series on potentially transformative college ministry ideas, I arrive at #7:
Help students transition to college.
As you may have picked up from previous posts, some key assumptions underlie my discussion of the “Transitions” topic:
- Unsuccessful assimilation of Christian high school kids into collegiate spiritual community is one of the biggest problems facing college ministry
- This issue is not primarily the responsibility of college ministers, but of those impacting high school students (parents, youth pastors, pastors, etc.)
- But college ministers can still help this happen – and happen better
- I think helping this happen could radically transform both students’ lives and our own ministries
This is a topic I’ve talked about before, but I certainly think it’s important enough to include in this Big Idea series. So instead of rehashing, here’s an annotated list that might be helpful for reading (my thoughts, at least) about this vital topic:
70% of Church Kids Don’t Stick Around: Penned right before my big trip, this describes a key study that details just how big a problem “Transitions” is.
At the Hinge: An argument for getting involved with college students before they’re college students.
Fish Transish: Multiple ideas for helping new students transition, for application by college ministers or to pass on to your local friendly youth ministry peeps.
January is for Seniors?: Connecting with high school seniors before they’re college students.
Helping Fish Transish: A possible teaching series for preparing new college students.
Three Ways Recruitment is Ministry: Why our recruitment actually helps students transition well.
5 Ways College Ministers Can Cheat: Five ways to be involved with high school students to help prepare them for college.
Summer Students and the Awkward Dovetail: Various thoughts for churches working with home-grown students in the summertime.
Low-Hanging Grease: Why working on Transitions helps people care more about college ministry in general.
Orientation (A Reflection): An essay reminding us just how important successful transition is.
More reasons Veritas Forum provides a cool model for your everyday, classic college ministry. (If you’re lost, I would start with the post from two days ago.)
Intentionality. You can’t get away from the fact that VF seems to be awfully thought-out. If you get a chance, take a look at their fairly extensive About Page (and subpages) and their “Guidebook.”
Here’s my question: Could you write something like that for your ministry? I don’t mean, Have you? but Could you?
I would argue that it should take several pages to explain (fully) the identity and practices of a college ministry, at least once it’s been developed. Because we really should be able to express the reasons, the discoveries, the steps, and the strategies that have led us to where we are.
Freebies. The Veritas Media page is a stinking treasure trove. So many talks… so many great speakers… (You should point your students to it. This is amazing.)
It sometimes surprises us when ministries give stuff away – especially when it’s something (like seminars) that others will charge $5 a talk for (not that that’s wrong). Yet even though Veritas could probably figure out a way to monetize their massive collection of top-notch recordings, they instead give them away for free.
You may already give some stuff – like your messages – away to students. But are there other items that might benefit not only students but other college ministries? What about your T-shirt designs? Or a great method you’ve discovered? Or even your student leaders, who might be really good at helping another ministry on a particular project? Sharing is caring…
Cooperation. I knew that Veritas sometimes involves multiple campus ministries, but apparently they actually require it (at least when possible). If you haven’t seen the comment from my friend Matt on yesterday’s post, check it out. Very informative, with even more ways Veritas seems to excel.
I haven’t multi-ministry cooperation at the “ground level” too often, but I love it when college ministries do decide to work together toward common ends. What about your ministry – is there something you could do with another ministry? And I don’t mean just an event or one-time activity, although that can be great. But what about a regular activity, too? Just something to think about.
My interaction with Veritas Forum this week reminded me how much I like this ministry as a college ministry. In other words, I don’t just like Veritas because of what they do (bring great speakers to campuses, mostly), but I also believe they model strong college ministry practice that even local, “classic” college ministries can learn from.
Besides attending this week’s two-day forum at SMU and two one-night forums in California last year, I don’t have a lot to go on. However, I did make a brief connection with the Executive Director of Veritas, Dan Cho, following the Stanford forum last year. And it was actually a really informational 3-minute conversation!
Yet that lack of knowledge is why I hope someday I’ll get to sit down with the Veritas people at length (as I have with other ministries). It’s probably better to do that than to speculate today.
For now, however, I’ve seen enough to present several ways Veritas seems to shine as a college ministry. (If you’re unfamiliar with Veritas, I encourage you to start by reading yesterday’s post and even checking out their site. That will make the following far more meaningful.)
Niche-ness: Veritas clearly focuses on doing one thing, which allows it to tackle that area well.
If you’ve been reading the blog for awhile, you know that I’m a fan of thinking about niches – even within full-fledged, full-discipleship college ministries. There are areas and/or segments of campus any ministry could probably be really great in, if they were willing to go after that area “disproportionately.”
And for those thinking about starting a ministry (church-based, campus-based, student-led, or any other type), you should consider if your ministry needs to be yet another “full” college ministry. It might. But it might also serve the campus best by fitting one particular, needed niche.
Focused: Being good at truly fulfilling whatever our ministry happens to be requires saying No to lots of good ideas. In my little conversation with Mr. Cho, he related that Veritas is often asked to provide similar events in other locations, like churches. But at least to this point, Veritas has decided instead to be what it is – and that’s an organization that reaches college campuses through these forums.
Obviously, Veritas Forums held at churches or elsewhere would probably be wildly popular and potentially easier to organize. But that’s simply not what they do. And by saying No to that good option – and I’m sure others – Veritas has kept impacting right where it seeks to impact.
I hope you’re really good at saying No on behalf of your college ministry. I have found that it may be needed quite often. I myself have struggled with this, but I think I’m getting better.
More tomorrow… (It’s amazing how much can be drawn from not-much-information.)
I had the excellent opportunity to attend the 2-night Veritas Forum at SMU this week. It was the first time SMU has brought VF to campus, but the intellectual nature and interesting spiritual climate of the school make Veritas a perfect fit. The first night included a multi-faith panel, where each participant presented the key beliefs of each of their traditions. Then last night Os Guinness spoke, urging students to ask the deeper questions of life – and seek answers.
It’s hard to explain how it all worked together, but it honestly did – especially in light of the unique aspects of SMU.
(The SMU “Daily Campus” front-paged their coverage after the first night; see that article here.)
I’m not sure if Veritas Forum ever came to Texas A&M while I was there, but my most recent previous interaction came on the big trip. That cool experience involved seeing Tim Keller speak (with Q&A following) at Berkeley and Stanford on back-to-back nights. (You can read about that here.)
Some of you may be familiar with Veritas, but I would imagine plenty of you may not be. I don’t think they are all that well-known beyond campuses that have held a Forum. But Veritas seems to be growing, and in fact they’ve got 29 scheduled visits for this semester (and one more TBA at UCSF).
I encourage you to take a look at their info; they actually do a really good job of relating who they are and what they’re about here. And you can check out the calendar to see if a Forum is coming to a campus anywhere near you. You can also click on the various campuses to see presenters and other info.
One look at the various campus presenters will give a glimpse of the breadth in the Veritas Forums. Every campus has a different speaker or speakers, presumably chosen based on the campus and/or topic being discussed. Last night was Os Guinness at SMU; now Shane Claiborne and Lauren Winner (with a host of others) are up at Harvard; next week William Lane Craig and friends are at Columbia. And the list goes on.
Tomorrow, thoughts on why I like Veritas Forum as a college ministry, based on very little information (you’ll see).
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