You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2010.
A quick update on two things that might interest you. If you’re going to be at either of them, let’s hang out!
Verge Conference – this week in Austin
How I’m ending up at the Verge Conference, which discusses the “missional communities” model for churches, is a long story. But I will indeed be there – which means I’ll be in Austin from this Wednesday through Saturday. If you’re down there and have the chance to connect, let me know and we’ll see if we can work it out! Or if you know somebody I should connect with, let me know!
And if you’re a college minister attending Verge, they’re working on some sort of informal hang-out for Friday night. They don’t have details yet, but if you contact me, I can keep you posted (or maybe they’ll announce it or something).
And if you don’t make it, I will be tweeting (and probably blogging) my thoughts – and not only “general” thoughts, but, more importantly, what I learn for our particular field. Hopefully others will be doing the same.
Jubilee Conference – starting February 19th in Pittsburgh, PA
This is probably the best-respected college ministry conference out there. While I haven’t gotten the chance to attend, I am this year (and even get to speak a little bit). There are an enormous number of speakers, all focusing ministers and their students on living out their faith in ALL spheres of life.
I know that’s only a few weeks away. But there might be some college ministers who could check this conference out, so you know whether it might fit your ministry in the future. Or if you’re in the Northeast somewhere, maybe it’s an option. Again, Jubilee, the annual conference organized by the Coalition for Christian Outreach, is well-spoken of by many.
For more, check out the Jubilee site!
Between last week’s special Spring Ideas series and lots of college ministers getting their semesters underway, there was no weekly review last week. So this week is extra-full of some great collegiate ministry discussions from around the web. Enjoy!
Greek ministry and other collegiate niches: Justin Wallace prompted some great discussion by simply asking about ministry to fraternities, sororities, and other niches. Then Rick Harper (director of one of the largest campus ministries in America, CCF at Georgia Tech) follows up with his own experiences among Greek students.
five myths of service work: A really important discussion has taken place at Relevant this week, with wisdom for making sure our help really helps - in Haiti and otherwise. I highly encourage you to read the post, read the comments, consider sharing it with your students, and add any wisdom you have from your unique position as a college minister!
loving the students before us: UNC RUF Campus Pastor Daniel Mason posts some great words at the RUF Blog about remembering we’re ministering to individuals.
beware your own authority: Brian Virtue, national staff with the Epic Asian-American campus ministry, rightly warns us against abusing our authority – it happens more easily in college ministry than in most places!
on college professors: A few sites examine recent studies about the ratio of liberals to conservatives in higher academia (and surprising reasons this might be the case): Scot McKnight at JesusCreed, Micheal Hickerson at The Emerging Scholars Blog, and Chuck Bomar at his blog.
the spiritual devotion of the ladies in your ministry: Potentially helpful for your college small groups / small group leaders: Sarah Arthur describes the temptations that stand in the way of ladies’ community and devotion, written in the style of The Screwtape Letters.
on evangelism: Tim Keller offers an interesting new site for evangelistic purposes: www.questiongod.info (HT: Keith Davy, among others). Brian Barela, as always, offers a bold take on what modern campus evangelism should look like – and as often, raises a whole lot of interesting discussion.
hosting a college ministry Super Bowl party?: Kent Shaffer lists the rules. (Keeping it legal = holiness, remember!)
books for you or your students: Christianity Today posts their Best Books of 2009. Friend of college ministry Byron Borger posts his Book of the Decade (which directly connects to our field) and a few others he’s haunted by. Northwest Missouri State campus minister Brandon Smith is apparently buying lots of copies of one particular book for his student leaders. And the CPYU lists all its past interviews, with authors of books largely connected to our field (including an interview with me! – here’s part 1 & part 2 of that interview).
and if you’re hoping to write something yourself: Have you thought about publishing something for our field? Nick Melazzo offers some helpful thoughts on the present situation – and why new media may be a great option for us college ministers.
finally, various suggestions on evaluating your college ministry efforts
- decide if your expectations are audacious enough (via Michael Kelley)
- observe what people are saying about you on Twitter (via Matt McComas)
- ask this all-important question (via Michael Mears)
- see how your ministry work stacks up to Toastmasters or to the local florist (both via Russ Martin)
- examine your own time management (via Brian Barela)
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Even if this idea doesn’t fit you, I encourage you to read and pass on this exciting news for our field!
This weekly “Fridea” space is usually reserved for cool methods you might apply within your college ministry – although on occasion, I throw out something that might help in other ways. Today’s Fridea is definitely in the latter category!
But since I just received word about this (and it’s very time-sensitive), here’s this week’s Fridea… for the academically inclined: Consider the new PhD in North American Missiology. Or at least spread the word!
(You can see all the other Frideas right here.)
Several months ago, Ed Stetzer, guru of all things “missional,” mentioned a cool new project on his blog: a PhD in North American Missiology offered by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Technically, the degree is a Ph.D. in Applied Theology concentrating in Missions – North American Missiology track. But that’s nearly 90 characters right there.)
Doesn’t that sound like a perfect degree for college ministers? It wouldn’t even require relocation to the seminary; instead, a cohort of about a dozen students would study together at the seminary once or twice a year. Other projects could be completed at home.
But sadly, it sounded like college ministers were not included in the desired applicant pool. Stetzer stated that “each participant will be a church planter, pastor, or leader who is actively working in church planting or renewal in a North American context.” (Bruce Ashford’s Between the Times blog post gave perhaps a bit more hope for us: “The degree is available to those persons with some experience in church planting, church renewal, or some other facet of North American missiology.”)
Still, I’ve been describing this degree as an example of the type of PhD I might pursue someday – and that might fit others laboring in the great missiological endeavor called “college ministry,” too. And this week, I finally got to discuss the degree with some SEBTS folks.
I’m not only excited by their answers to my questions, but also by how they answered. Here’s the response from the administrative assistant who helped sort this out, Debbie Blaylock:
The answer [to whether college ministers can participate] came quicker than I had expected and involved the thoughts of several professors on our campus who were involved in the initial stages of formulating this degree and are currently actively promoting this degree. Their response was, and I quote, that they “would unequivocally say that we would want people doing collegiate ministry in the program. The theological foundations and strategic considerations are of the same sort that are taken up in church planting and missiological contexts.” … I would encourage you to highlight the degree program as a possibility for missiological-minded college ministers. You have our blessing! Hopefully, in the next few years we will receive some applicants from those involved in Collegiate Ministry. [emphasis added]
So there you go. Apparently we have some sympathizers in the world of higher academia!
Some key facts, as best I understand things (be sure to confirm any details that are important to you!):
- The application deadline for this first cohort is March 1st, but they hope for another round in 2 years.
- The basic educational requirement is an MDiv or equivalent, but there are other stipulations, as well.
- Southeastern is located in the North Carolina Triangle area, one of the coolest collegiate (and college ministry) environments in America. (I spent two weeks there – “Chapter 7” of my yearlong research trip – and it was a blast.)
- Reportedly, you will study with people like Ed Stetzer, Thom Rainer, J. D. Greear, and Andreas Kostenberger.
- Remember, this is a Ph.D. Not for the faint of heart.
(For more, check out those posts by Stetzer and Ashford. Then use the contact info I include at the bottom to get the full info packet sent as a PDF.)
I do understand that those who are academically inclined might still not be ready to apply for a PhD this month. As for me, it’s probably not an expenditure I can make right now. But we have the chance to let SEBTS know we’re interested and that we appreciate their help in what we do. Remember, this opportunity will (hopefully) come back around two years from now.
But I am also praying that some college minister might even join this first cohort. It would not only be valuable for that minister, but it could be very valuable for our field – since other Christian leaders involved in this program would get to see the missiological approach (and missiological importance!) of college ministry.
For more info about the PhD in North American Missiology (either for this cohort or the next one), you should check out the very helpful information / application packet. To receive that or to ask questions, contact either of these people. Be sure to introduce yourself, so they know college ministers are interested!
- Jake Pratt, Assistant to the Director of Ph.D. Studies: jpratt <at> sebts.edu or 919-761-2491
- Debbie Blaylock, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Ph.D. Studies: dblaylock <at> sebts.edu
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Yesterday, I urged considering a method that I’m not sure is “standard fare” within college ministries: reviewing our students on the truths we really want them to remember.
Like all the methods I bring up, I know this won’t be for every ministry out there. But I also encourage you not to reject it out-of-hand, without giving serious consideration to including a little “rehash, reiteration, review” into the next week or two. So in that vein, some encouragement and some suggestions. And if you’ve got other encouragement OR suggestions, please let us know!
bold thoughts to ponder (because it’s too easy to ignore this idea)
1. Which is better for your ministry: To effectively help students remember and apply old content, or to teach more new content?
2. The assumption that a “review” will bore students is tied into the assumption that they’re going to remember a whole lot of last semester’s content. But it won’t be so boring if they already don’t remember it! Plus, if you do it well, and/or put a new spin on old content, I bet students particularly enjoy covering old ground. Familiarity is quite attractive, as is the opportunity to feel smart. Reviews provide both.
3. Putting together an occasional review might save you an awful lot of prep-time (vs. coming up with a new talk)…
4. If you’re not convinced, why don’t you conduct a survey on what your students remembered and applied from last week? (Let alone last semester!)
how could you rehash, reiterate, review?
- Clear a week and spend the session reviewing last semester
- Write up some rehash-ment for your small groups to discuss
- Reiterate former teaching through emails or blog posts
- Offer a review-cast for students to listen to / watch
- Have students respond (in writing, art, music, or whatever) to each message, and post those around the room or review them on occasion
With any of these options, you could include snippets of your actual past content.
And with any of these options, you could do it once a semester, once a month, or more.
Do you have any other ideas, ways you’ve seen this done, or reasons this is important?
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Hat tip to my dad on this one.
I was wondering aloud about blog topics, and he started comparing the spring semester faced by college ministers with the spring semester in his world of high school administration. One key difference, interestingly enough, is how we spend those first couple of weeks of a semester.
We college ministers tend to spend the first weeks of any semester exerting a good portion of our energy (and resources), because those are foundational days. Schoolteachers, on the other hand, will often spend the first weeks reviewing their students on past info; teachers’ “big push” happens later, before Finals or other tests. “Rehash, reiterate, review” is the way my dad put it: That’s how teachers across the land spend the first classes of a semester.
We aren’t academic educators and don’t really do “tests” and Final Exams. But there might be something there we could consider, even as we labor valiantly and take new ground in these very valuable weeks. What if we worked “rehash, reiterate, review” in as a regular component of college ministry, too?
It’s a little scary to guess how much content our students would remember from last semester or even last week. Can they remember those awesome messages you gave, the content from their small groups, or other things they learned through conferences, retreats, discipleship sessions? Yikes. I don’t know. And you probably don’t, either. Which is why that’s a scary question.
But here’s one thing we do know: There’s a really great chance they’ll remember any of that a lot better if we take some time to rehash, reiterate, review.
See some bold thoughts and methods for doing this in this post.
have you done this, seen this done, or realized ways it could be done?
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One of my big hopes for this blog is that I’m able to provide a solid view of college ministry around the U.S. – including a helpful perspective on groups that minister to your own local campus tribe. If we’re called to college ministry, we should be learners. And one thing we should learn about is what God’s doing in other circles and regions.
So today I continue my “outsider’s perspective” on Chi Alpha Campus Ministries! (Read the first part here.)
an established college ministry
In the underdeveloped field of collegiate ministry, it’s disappointing that even the most major of organizations – except perhaps Campus Crusade – are not very familiar with college ministers across the board. Here in Texas, for example, Chi Alpha is not particularly well known – unless, for instance, you happen to be at Sam Houston State. There, the Chi Alpha ministry apparently draws students in the range of many hundreds or a thousand per week – placing it among the largest campus ministries of any kind.
Other Chi Alpha groups draw several hundred students (as I’ve seen firsthand at UVA and the multi-campus Fargo/Moorhead chapter). But like all major national ministries, Chi Alpha ranges in size, with plenty of groups drawing dozens rather than hundreds. Yet with its geographical spread (nearly 300 chapters), number of students reached, and a history stretching back to 1953, Chi Alpha is certainly one of the most established college ministry (both historically and presently).
theology and sleeves
Many outsiders to the Chi Alpha world are probably surprised to learn that it’s the denominational ministry of the Assemblies of God. But from what I can tell, many members might be, too – or at least they’d be surprised if their campus pastors suddenly started wearing their specific theologies on their sleeve. Like most college ministries, Chi Alpha Christian Fellowships seem to place “great-in-the-basics” discipleship above discussion of doctrinal complexities.
Clearly, denominational college ministries are (and should be) a bit more specific in their beliefs than fully parachurch ministries. As an A of G ministry, Chi Alpha ministries and staff do hold to Charismatic doctrine and other Assemblies distinctives. Yet these show up in different ways and in different measures campus-to-campus. And as in most college ministries across the Evangelical spectrum, Christian students from different backgrounds presumably feel comfortable and find opportunities for growth in the average Chi Alpha chapter, even when the students remain in their original faith tradition.
missions. it’s missions.
I noted yesterday how intrigued I’ve been by the apprenticeship structure in Chi Alpha. But I’ve learned something else about Chi Alpha that excites me all the more: Chi Alpha Campus Ministries very explicitly considers its staff missionaries. As I note in Reaching the Campus Tribes (p. 56),
The Assemblies of God promoted a missiological understanding of college ministry by declaring Chi Alpha to be a “campus mission” and moving its oversight from the denomination’s youth department to U.S. Missions in 1986. National leaders feel the change has significantly aided Chi Alpha’s growth since that time.
I certainly can’t argue that every denomination needs to make this specific move, though it’s worth their consideration. But I can (and do) argue that American Christians will reach college students best when they approach it as a true missions effort. Chi Alpha has chosen to do that, and far more than just “on paper” – at least from what I’ve seen as a well-traveled outsider.
for more: the history of Chi Alpha, their beliefs, their locations, and their home page. Plus, an amazing video on the importance of college ministry they created.
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I’ve had a few cool opportunities recently to “dive in” in extra-special ways to various campus ministry groups – and then to return to the surface with something to share. After the Urbana conference, I got to highlight InterVarsity. After the local Campus Crusade Winter Conference, I shared the ways it reflects Cru as a whole. And after my surprise trip to a conference last August, I shared some distinctives of the campus ministries of the Independent Christian Churches. (For all the Profiles of individual ministries, check out that category.)
Hopefully those posts have been helpful, whether you’re outside of those groups (like me) or whether you’re inside (to see the viewpoint of an educated outsider)!
So that leads to today’s post, yet another Profile on a major college ministry org, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. If you’re unfamiliar, not-super-familiar, or completely familiar with Chi Alpha, below you’ll find my take on some of their key distinctives – especially in comparison to the wider world of college ministries out there.
But make no mistake: Whether you know a Chi Alpha ministry or not, this is one of THE major college ministries in the U.S. – certainly among the 4 or 5 best-known. (More on that tomorrow.)
This past semester, I had the marvelous chance to visit 10 chapters of Chi Alpha. The innovative National Office guys actually sponsored me to visit their ministries around the country, attend their large group meetings, visit with their Campus Pastors, and write articles about what I saw. Not a bad plan for sharing their strengths with supporters and other constituents, I thought.
I had, of course, been around Chi Alpha ministries before. And those guys have actually been some of the most supportive of my exploits – including spreading my free book – of anybody out there. Now that I’ve gotten an even bigger national picture, I wanted to share some of the perspective I’ve gained. Hopefully it’s a helpful introduction…
College minister, meet Chi Alpha.
community
I recognize that a sizable portion of college ministry energy across the board is spent working to build community, so it’s not particularly interesting that XA ministries aim for that target. What does seem to be noticeable is their success in hitting it.
“Community” – or if you prefer the trendy use of Greek, koinonia – is of course fairly intangible and even more unquantifiable. But the fact that I’ve visited hundreds of college ministries in the last few years, yet notice a high level of “community-ness” in Chi Alpha ministries, has to mean something, right? I don’t mean that they’re nice to me – although they’ve been great hosts and seem to have built a cool climate of hospitality (or at least meal-reimbursement!). I mean that I observe out-of-the-ordinary camaraderie – among students and between students and leaders – in chapter-after-chapter, in a unique way.
Like all aspects, your local Chi Alpha ministry may differ. But the level of community I’ve seen in XA has been noticeable. That’s all I’m sayin’.
training
Perhaps more than any other aspect of Chi Alpha, I get excited about the way new Campus Pastors are trained. (Check that: There’s an aspect I’ll bring up tomorrow that’s even better.)
While I haven’t learned every detail of the XA system, the distinctive point to me is the standard internship year. New Campus Pastors (whether recently graduated or older) apply to various internships around the U.S.. Only a handful of Chi Alpha chapters have generally housed interns; these designated locales seem to be strong campus ministries that also have experienced Campus Pastors to oversee the internship. So the internship year is a sort of “apprenticeship” – notably, at a location where most apprentices did not go to school and where most will not remain.
I recognize that other ministries have training and internships, and maybe some do it this way, too. But here’s the huge asset for Chi Alpha: They end up with so many college ministers with multi-campus experience! I am totally devoted to the idea that having experience in multiple settings prepares college ministers in profound ways – I’ve seen the fruit time and time again, in conversations with all types of college ministers and through my own multi-campus exposure.
Think about it. If I’m doing the math right, a large percentage of Chi Alpha campus ministers have experienced two or three different campus ministry settings AND have spent at least a year under a particularly strong leader. I’m telling you, the fruit of that system becomes clear with the XA Campus Pastors I meet.
more tomorrow! Here’s the continuation of this post. And feel free to add what you’ve seen (or correct what I’ve seen) – whether you’re a Chi Alpha insider or outsider!
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All week, I’ve been posting quick ideas for the upcoming months, the “dark half” of the school year. It’s a time when things aren’t necessarily wildly different, but there’s a difference just the same.
So here’s a question as you ponder your activities in the weeks ahead, followed by today’s spring-specific idea.
Will you be a better college minister during the next school year than you are now?
…which leads to today’s Spring Idea: Purposefully participate in some form of “continuing education.”
It’s a really sad fact that we, as college ministers, aren’t widely known as learners. I don’t think that’s wise or even right – the importance of what we’re doing, the direction to listen to “many counselors,” and the field in which we serve all plead with us to grow in our calling.
Of course, if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably one of the college ministers who does purposely learn more about our field. I applaud you and encourage you to encourage your brethren to be learners.
And I encourage all of us – me included – to “excel still more.”
Some ways you could do that this semester or quarter:
1. Find a seminary class
If there’s a nearby seminary, it’s possible they have a college ministry course this semester or summer. But it’s likely that a local seminary or the very campus you serve has SEVERAL courses that could build your skills in college ministry, even if “Campus Ministry” isn’t in the title.
Could you sit in? Or even attend for credit? Besides checking stuff out for this semester, May-Term classes can be phenomenal for college ministers.
For a list of seminaries and grad schools I’ve discovered that at least seem to offer college ministry courses on occasion, click here. But for ideas on other classes (both spiritual and secular) that can benefit us for our work, start here.
2. Read
The same idea I discussed in #1 fits here, too: While there are few college ministry books (and even fewer to recommend), there are lots of books that connect to our field in helpful ways.
The trick is to read books through college ministry lenses. It’s important that we not forget our calling… If you and I are called to college ministry, then much of God’s work on us will be meant to grow us as college ministers. (More on making use of that idea can be found here.)
(I’m working on a project that may help us along these lines… Stay tuned…)
I do encourage you, as well, to check out blogs – perhaps the only place where some new college ministry thought seems to be churning. To see a recent list of the college ministry blogs I tune into, click here. (And if you know of some that should be on that list, let us know in the comments!)
3. Collaborate
I am, as you probably know, a fan of collaboration. There is no better way to quickly strengthen your abilities than by sitting down with another (different-from-you) college minister. Ask them real questions about methods and philosophy and purposes. Find out where you differ… and then be willing to struggle on your own with the tensions and questions that arise in your own mind.
It doesn’t make any sense for us not to avail ourselves of the counsel of other college ministers.
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All week, I’ve been posting some quick ideas that are especially applicable during this second half of the ol’ school year. Of course, nearly every week I post a College Ministry Fridea – usually a kooky little idea that might just springboard your campus ministry to greater creativity or success! (In fact, you can see all the Frideas so far if you’d like.)
But as I continue with this week’s theme of spring-specific ideas, here’s this week’s very spring-y (and very speedy) Fridea:
Minister at graduation.
Why do college ministries often stand aloof from this incredibly important event in the life of their campus tribe? Everybody’s graduation season and festivities work differently, so it’s up to you to figure out how this might work!
But here are some themes, audiences, and other graduation-related aspects that might be worth thinking about as you brainstorm this one…
- service to the crowds
- parents
- helping the school achieve its goals
- professors after a long spring of teaching
- concessions
- fundraising
- senior send-off
- helps for making the transition to the real world
- serving those in your ministry or outside
- a booth
- teasers for the upcoming year
- teaching about celebration
- celebrating
If you’ve got other ideas, or if you end up doing something cool, will you let me know?
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Not nearly all of us are fortunate enough to be able to hire interns or additional staff, but I encourage you to read this post anyway. The principle of Embodied Collaboration can very likely be carried out in other ways – especially through volunteers who may have long ago been involved in college ministry – and, who knows? You might have the opportunity to hire – or be hired – soon enough.
Today, I’m going to include a recent Facebook message I got, and my response [both edited a bit]. It’s something to think about as you head into the spring.
the question
we are about to graduate 2 interns and are looking to replace them. sadly this year’s class is moving on to jobs in churches and grad school (among other things), so we are not gonna have the usual to pick from. just wanted to see if you had any connections or thoughts on ways to search for interns. we typically pick from in-house but can’t this year. just wondering if you knew of any sites or message boards or mailing lists, etc., or if you heard any clever ideas that have worked well before. we are looking for 2 girls in particular. thanks for your help.
my response
This may sound crazy, but I think you could be forced into a really GREAT situation. I’m personally a big proponent of cross-ministry internships.
Of course, there can be some trickiness about getting people to come, but God is good about providing. And students are particularly open to post-grad adventures these days.
I would try to work through your particular organization – or, depending on what theological and methodological commitments you want your interns to have, you can cast a wider net. Especially look at those ministries that are really strong – for the reasons I’ll discuss below, but also because they’re most likely to have strong leaders AND leaders-to-spare.
The main reason I get excited about this is because it’s automatic collaboration of a really deep kind. [You might call it Embodied Collaboration.] You’re importing someone who has been thoroughly trained in some really good methods – but they’re methods that will differ from your own. You’ll learn from them, but they’ll also learn from you; if they go on to be a college minister, they will be FAR better off because they have seen not one but two strong ministries in action.
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