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Throughout my travels, it’s been interesting to see cases in which two quite different methodologies are widespread, but few college ministers seem to have considered any sort of combination or compromise.
Such is the case with today’s entry in the “College Ministry Poles” series, which asks, “Does your ministry provide single-gender or co-ed opportunities for spiritual discussion?”
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
I’ll be leaving this Sunday, October 4th, on my 13th major, college ministry-exploring Road Trip!
The springboard for this trip is actually pretty exciting: A major national college ministry has contracted me to spend time with several of its chapters around the U.S.! I’ll be writing articles highlighting those local ministries’ work and impact, as a way to help the national group tell its story to supporters, potential supporters, and fans.
I’ve spent quite a few blog posts over the last two years discussing the Millennial Generation. In the most recent effort along those lines, I even spent a day at the mall this past Saturday viewing three Generation Y-related movies back-to-back-to-back and blogging the experience.
But does that stuff really matter?
Here’s why I believe we should ponder the generational characteristics of the Millennials:
After viewing a sneak preview of Whip It last night as part of my Millennial Movie Mish-Mash, I wanted to expand yesterday’s quick review. For college ministers and others, this movie will both help us think about our Gen Y audience and provide some interesting discussion-starters, though in this case I’d guess it’s better for the former than the latter. So here’s my “millennial review” of Whip It from Fox Searchlight.
I grew to like Whip It more as the movie went along, and I also grew to like it more as I came to accept it as simply enjoyable. It’s not heavy fare – not as dramatic, for instance, as Juno, to which it will be compared not only because both star Ellen Page but also because of the Gen Y aim. And this movie seems almost purposely light on characterization and plot, but that creates an interesting experience where we encounter the characters and live the story right along with the protagonist.
When I found out about the “sneak” preview of Whip It, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, I decided to buy a ticket and check it out tonight. This movie about Texas gals “finding their tribe” through roller derby looks like it could be quite “Millennial” – reflecting and/or speaking to the members of Generation Y.
When I bought said ticket at the good ol’ NorthPark 15 in Dallas, I figured I might try to catch up on some other Millennial (or potentially Millennial) fare today – and turn the whole thing into a fun Blog Event! So before the showing of Whip It tonight, I’ll be viewing the well-regarded (500) Days of Summer, as well as the just-released-yesterday Surrogates.
This week’s Fridea is a bit wild, I’ll admit, but it certainly is a chance to delegate the practice of progress within your ministry.
On Tuesday, the third entry in the College Ministry Poles series discussed the tension between impacting students now and building our campus ministries for later (better) impact. One way to spend some time on the latter is to assign students to the task. Many college ministries have student “ministry teams” – Service Team, Prayer Team, Worship Team, and so on. What if you formed another team devoted solely to investigating ministry development?
So that’s this week’s Fridea: Create a student “Research and Development Team.”
As I wrote recently, I get the marvelous privilege to head up my church’s college ministry Service Team. And because we’re brand-new, I want to get us all grounded in the biblical motivations and reasons for service. So I’m hoping to read a book with the students that discusses these very issues!
But the question is… what’s a good book for this?
When with hundreds of college ministers around the U.S., would I ever just “pick a book and see how it goes” without getting input? Hope not! (I hope you wouldn’t, either!)
So that’s what I’ve done (and continue to do, even in this very post). I asked everybody via Twitter and Facebook for suggestions yesterday, and I got some GREAT responses! Thanks, guys!
But, of course, I want to share the wealth.
A little quiz to get us all up-to-speed on some of the campus-based college ministries around the U.S.
Feel free to report your score AND add other ministries you’re familiar with – including ministries whose names change depending on location. This is NOT a complete list, just several major ministries that don’t have extremely obvious names.
I hope you have your Scantron ready to go.
MATCHING
Match each ministry name with the fellowship or national group it usually connects with.
1. Reformed University Fellowship (RUF)
2. Baptist Student Union (BSU)
3. Campus Outreach
4. Cru
5. [Mascot] for Christ (i.e., “Aggies for Christ”)
6. Chi Alpha (XA)
See the College Ministry Poles series (so far) here, and feel free to engage in the conversation!
The question: Do we focus on building our ministry in the present, or work toward better impact in the future?
It’s easy to say, “Let’s do both!” But the reality is that we all have limited time and resources. Every day, we have to choose whether we’re looking at what is or what can be (even if, at times, the two efforts aren’t utterly mutually exclusive).
Fifty-two.
That’s how many of Outreach Magazine‘s 2009 100 largest churches I’ve gotten to visit for a weekend service in the last TWO years. And that’s only a fraction of my total church visits, which number around 250 different churches I’ve attended – for a weekly worship service – since August 2007. Many of those churches have likewise been quite famous, extremely influential, or on similar “lists” within the past several years.
You can see most of those churches right here (though the list is only updated through 2008 right now).
Attending worship services has certainly been one highlight of my road trips around the U.S. Every church I visit – small or big, famous or little-known – provides the chance to see “living Christian history.” It’s also a unique experience as a Church Visitor to-the-extreme – an experience that I imagine few, if any, have ever duplicated in such a short time. There’s plenty you start to notice, get the chance to ponder, and begin to imagine in hundreds of visits all crammed into a couple of years.
But though I’d love to share all those things someday, this is a college ministry blog.
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