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Whether you are based in a church, directly supported to work on campus, or otherwise in this field called Collegiate Ministry, it’s likely that at least some of your students won’t be around this summer. Some of us will be spending the summer with students on a Summer Project of some sort; others will have a new batch of in-town students, home from their far-away colleges.
But still, many of the students attending our ministries right now won’t be living nearby, won’t be on a Project, and won’t be in any sort of “official” ministry activity at all – like Camp or a missions experience. Instead, they’ll likely be at home, far away from you and your ministry – and likely not being discipled in any sort of college ministry environment at all.
So what have you begun to do to prepare for their discipleship over the summer?
It’s important that we see ourselves as the primary shepherd of the people who are under our care for eight or nine months out of the year… even during the “off months.” Sure, they might have a college minister back at their home church (though that’s pretty rare). But even so, we are more likely to have an ongoing relationship with that student, to know the impact they’ve been exposed to recently, and to know how we hope to continue impacting them in the Fall Semester.
So why wouldn’t we make some effort to help them grow over the summer? How would you honestly answer this question?:
Will the students who attend your college ministry this week receive enough discipleship over the summer? Whose responsibility should that be?
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Every college ministry has “pillars” – those areas its leaders feel are essential for the mission they’re called to, the methods and themes that it’s most important to do well and get right. Often one college ministry’s pillars will be different from those claimed by other ministries (including other ministries on the same campus); they’re the main aspects of a ministry’s “DNA.” Deciding your ministry’s “pillars” usually involves both discernment up-front and observation over time.
After writing a bit about pillars yesterday, I wanted to address three important ways these pillars should be used in any campus ministry (although sadly, these steps are far too often avoided). In other words, these are pillars for your pillars.
In a college ministry, your pillars should be:
- Taught. The why of our pillars must be taught, and it must be taught ministry-wide. If Service is a pillar of a college ministry, then just offering service opportunities isn’t enough; if Evangelism is our focus, then it should be the focus of some of our teaching, too.
- Accessible. If Leadership Opportunities are a pillar of your ministry, is the road to leadership obvious and available to anybody (even if they aren’t in some evasive “inner circle”)? And if Small Group Involvement is a pillar, then group sign-ups shouldn’t only be available in the first few weeks of the school year… right?
- Repeated often. Along the lines of yesterday’s post, our pillars should be regularly spoken, among our student leaders and all the students. Can it be as explicit as having everybody repeat the pillars of your ministry, out-loud, on a regular basis? Sure it can, as long as you aren’t creepy about it. And whenever the opportunity arises, slip in a comment: “We’re donating to a Microfinance ministry, because International Involvement is one of the focuses of our club.”
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If they haven’t spent 3 hours combing through your ministry’s web page, what details are new visitors discovering that encourage them to continue coming? If students didn’t make your annual “vision-casting” message at the start of the school year, how clear are your ministry’s main themes, activities, and purposes?
We college ministers – along with our student leaders – know everything there is to know about our campus ministry. We know its strengths, we know our “pillars” (Bible study, Justice, Evangelism, Leadership, Discipleship, Local Service, or whatever), we know what events we do on a weekly, regular, or annual basis.
But will this week’s visitors all hear about those things?
If a non-Christian visitor, for instance, has a personal love for foreign aid, will she hear that your ministry sends students each summer to be involved in helping end sex slavery in Africa?
Will another visitor who’s never really seen Christians have fun hear about the parties you plan to throw?
Will the future seminarian find out that serious Bible study is common in your ministry (even if you happen to be a very practical Dating series right now)?
We don’t always do a good job of putting much out there about our ministries that visitors might want to know. Hopefully we’re great at being friendly, welcoming, and rallying, but students nowadays are often going to make choices on much more than that. I don’t know how – in your ministry’s case – this needs to happen. But the more reasons we can give different kinds of people to keep checkin’ us out… the better!
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Sorry to miss a couple of blogs this week – it’s been a bit of a busy one (to say the least).
What if you could increase your time discipling students by a month this school year?
I’ve been pondering methods for Thanksgiving Break and – looking beyond that – Christmas Break. How do we meet students where they are, with these breaks (and especially the latter) potentially mattering as much as they could?
In the last blog, I mentioned (among several possible methods) an email (or printed) daily devotional. Have you ever done this for your campus ministry?
I’ve seen this done, and I’ve done this. It might occur most often on mission trips, when college ministers prepare a series of devos for students to read through the week. The best example from my own ministry was a 40-day devotional walking through Hebrews 11; once it was typed up, I was able to use it with students a couple of times.
This can be an amazing avenue for “proxy discipleship” during the Christmas break. Even if it’s something simple like everybody in your ministry reading through the same Scripture passage each day, the community-building opportunity is clear. (Especially if they can comment about what they’re reading on Facebook or on a blog.) But what’s more, you’re helping students abide in Christ during the break… and, if you wish, you’re able to address specific topics that may come up in their lives in that specific month. (I mentioned those topics last time.)
If you choose to do this, there’s definitely still time to put it together – and if it’s an email or blog version, it doesn’t have to be completed before the Break starts, anyway!
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Last night I got to attend an annual event at my church from high school, a sort of “reunion concert” for current and former members of our youth choir. I’m quick to point out: I am no singer; it was a big choir. But it was a really neat part of my life, so the memories were great.
On Saturday, I got to hang out with a girl I’ve known since I was the leader of her freshman Bible study (I was a sophomore at the time). She later went on to be a leader in the same freshman Bible study a couple of years later, and we – as always – had fun reminiscing about those awesome days. I’ve even shared that same bond with people far younger than I am, who ended up leading in that same Bible study eventually, too.
Except for the occasional exception, college ministries don’t seem to do a lot with “tradition” or “nostalgia.” But instituting tradition and celebrating nostalgia can seriously benefit our ministries.
It’s a way to build community, for sure. It’s a way to build reminders – which God can use in people’s lives long past their college years. It can also invigorate current students, as they realize they’re part of something much bigger, much longer-lasting than the current campus ministry. It allows students’ own impact to last long beyond their few years with you. In a way, it adds a true depth to a college ministry that can’t be achieved another way.
If you’re interested in adding a dash of tradition to your college ministry, here are a few ideas to start brainstorming with.
- Celebrate the memories of each semester or year, as that “era” comes to a close. Encourage individual groups – like small group Bible studies – to do the same with their own groups. (Lists of memories make great T-shirts!)
- “Institute” traditions from the teaching points, favorite songs, or inside jokes that naturally arise within the ministry. Purposely use them in a regular way (as long as they’re useful.)
- Construct an ongoing “family tree” of small group leaders, ministry team leaders, or other positions in your ministry, letting new leaders realize the heritage they’re taking part in.
- Have present leaders write encouraging / exhorting notes to those who follow them in those positions.
- Have Seniors speak to the group before graduation each semester.
- Build actual or symbolic “ebenezers” (stones of remembrance) to remember what God taught and/or did in certain seasons of the ministry.
- Write out a history of your college ministry (or have students do it – they might even be able to do it for some school project!). I bet you even find out some exciting new stuff…
- Bring back alumni / former staff to speak to students.
- Hold reunions for alumni.
- Build alumni “clubs” – for encouragement, connection, and even fundraising.
- Get testimonies from alumni of how God used the ministry in their lives. Share some of these with supporters, overseers, and current students.
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I’ve edited this (hopefully that means I’m a better writer than I was three years ago), but my weekly “College Ministry Frideas” started with this fun one… and it’s one I’ve personally done. And it’s one of the more surprising ways you can love on students!
Here’s a bouncy idea for loving on college students who are away for the summer!
Did you know that you can mail a lot more than just boxes through the Post Office? It’s true!
Hopefully, you’re already planning to send your “away students” something while they’re spending the summer at home, serving on mission trips, diving into summer projects, or serving at camps. And they wouldn’t just be excited to hear from you, but also from any friends who are still “local” for the summer, too.
So holding a “care package construction day” or “postcard writing day” within your summer ministry could go a long way toward encouraging and impacting students who don’t get to see your faces on a regular basis.
BUT, why not step up your game even more? You can send some BIG love, thanks to the US Postal Service.
Ingredients (which can be located at any Super Wal-Mart):
- Several dark-colored Sharpie markers (regular-sized or extra-thick)
- One humongous, light-colored bouncy ball. Look for the ones about three feet in diameter. If you can’t find ‘em at Wal-Mart, they’re bound to be somewhere. Maybe even order several cheap online.
Here’s the deal: You’re going to have local students (and others!) write notes all over the ball. Then, the ball will be sent as is to the student – no box.
Like I said, I’ve done this before… In fact, one student loved this so much she made a point of saving the ball all summer, including taking the ball as her airplane carry-on, on her lap, all the way home. (Did you know big, bouncy balls deflate when they take an airplane ride?)
Just think about students’ reaction on the receiving end! You think their camp buddies or mission trip buddies won’t be jealous?
Steps to take:
- Before writing notes, draw a large (12-inch by 6-inch) box on the ball.
- In one half of the box you’ve drawn, write the NAME and SUMMER MAILING ADDRESS of the recipient of the “package.” DO NOT fill the entire space, because you’ll need the room for a postage label (these can be big labels sometimes).
- Then, get notes the easy way! Just take the ball(s) to your weekly meeting (assuming you have one during the summer) or to church. (People will notice if you’re carrying a big ball around at church, so that helps.)
- With a little extra leg-work, you can also get some really unexpected notes for your ball. The student’s parents (if they’re local) will be glad to add a note. So will church leaders at their church. But think big here – what about a professor they love? The school’s president? The mayor? A local celeb? Plenty of people would be happy to write a quick note of support – or even a signature – for a college student doing volunteer work over the summer.
Finally, it’s time to send your creation(s).
As far as I know, it’s still very legal to send just about anything through the mail (so if you’d rather send a banana or a pillow, feel free!). However, you probably want to find a friendly and experienced postal employee to help. They don’t get these requests every day, and you want somebody who realizes it’s legal – without getting mad that you’re trying to send a big ball in the mail…
WORST CASE SCENARIO: If your local USPS people absolutely refuse, you can always just put your item in a box. That’s certainly less fun on the receiving end, but it’s still pretty great. Or, if you know your USPS staff won’t cooperate with your ball-sending endeavor, you could just let everybody sign a big box in the first place.
As always, this “Fridea” can be useful as-is, or it may even be more useful for springboarding you to your own creative endeavor! (If you’ve got a similar idea, let us all know in the comments!)
Of course, you always want to make sure whatever you send really is legal. No “Animal Fighting Accessories,” for instance. Here’s the official USPS list of “Other Restricted and Nonmailable Matter.” It’s both informative and rather entertaining at points.
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I got to attend and speak at College Metro in Ft. Worth at the end of last week, and it was a phenomenal time. As usual, I walked with some very cool ideas for any sort of college ministry.
Speaking of which, this week Guy Chmieleski is holding another “blogathon” at his Faith on Campus blog, from Tuesday through Thursday! Be sure to visit and explore with us “the future of campus ministry.” It should be a neat time of cool collaboration from some of the leaders in our field.
Our field isn’t nearly developed enough for all the good ideas to magically “rise to the top” – if that’s what you’re waiting for, you’re really missing out. Instead, we have to “mine,” we have to dig – and conferences are an excellent chance to hear ideas you might be unfamiliar with… but might just be your college ministry’s next great undertaking.
So I wanted to dump some of those here. I might expand on some of these in coming days, but sometimes a random collection of unique ideas can be pretty great. If you have any questions about any of ‘em, let me know.
- Location change: Having your large group meeting occasionally on-campus (if you usually don’t), or otherwise having it in an especially visible location.
- The Power of a “Union”: Purposely involving your entire ministry in other activities on campus, in events that will be buoyed by your presence.
- Fostering Service: Involvement in loving on former foster kids who have “graduated” from the system at age 18, are attending college, and need a very special sort of service. (A chance to work in tandem with the university itself.)
- Expertise meets impact: One minister gets business professionals from a local church involved in mentoring students in the business school – with intentionality toward sharing more than just “business talk.” Of course, this could work for several majors!
- Stuck on you: Using clothespins emblazoned with your ministry’s info – and an encouragement to pass it on! Pass ‘em out to students to clip on friends’ backpacks, etc. Very clever idea.
- Getting their catching up… out: For returning students in the fall (or spring), hold pre-parties or volunteer activities before the first large group meeting or before the freshmen come to campus… so returning students can see each other, catch up, and then be ready to greet and connect with outsiders.
- Explicit next steps: Whenever you have an event, try to use some portion of it to promote the next step – whether that’s your weekly opportunities or the next key event.
- Chalk it up: If you find yourself needing to do similar forms of advertising as the rest of campus, you can stand out by doing it extra well. (The example given was using excellent sidewalk chalk designs on a campus where every organization “chalks.”)
- Coming attractions: Use unique venues to advertise your ministry (the example given was advertising before movies played in the campus movie theater).
- Scheduling social media: If you want to make sure to make use of your blog, Facebook fan page, and other campus ministry social media outlets, consider scheduling it – week-to-week, month-to-month. That way it’ll get done!
- Another reason to “take requests”: Message series based on “hot topics” submitted by students are pretty trendy these days, but one campus minister did point out that taking these suggestions not only gives you a few message topics, but overall it lets you see what your students are dealing with right now!
If you know some church-based college ministers who would benefit from a yearly connection and training with other guys and gals like them, I’d really encourage them to connect with College Metro. It’s solid and unique in its helpfulness for that branch of college ministry.
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So… the other day I bought some BreathSavers breath mints, since they were kinda staring at me in the checkout line at Wal-Mart. They say they’re “3 Hour Mint,” which according to the small print (still on the front of the box!) means they’re “clinically proven to reduce intrinsic bad breath for up to three hours.”
I started wondering: “Wouldn’t that be true for lots of breath mints?” I figure plenty of strong-ish breath mints would still have some scientifically-measurable effect three hours later… right?
So here’s where I went with that in my college ministry-lovin’ mind:
Stating the obvious, the basic, or the forgotten-but-fundamental reasons students benefit from our college ministry can keep them excited, keep them coming, or get them coming in the first place.
Even if a three-hour-effect is normal for lots of breath mints, hooray for BreathSavers for putting it front-and-center. It got me to spend my money.
For us, we should remind students on occasion that they benefit from being in our ministry. They have fun here. They get a weekly break to connect with Christ and each other. They’re learning things that will impact them and their future in dramatic ways.
We can remind them that our ministry gives them cool opportunities to serve others – and maybe even points them to opportunities they wouldn’t see without us. It’s providing them with relationships that will last a lifetime. It’s training them to be great spouses and great parents. It’s turning them into ministers – whether “vocationally” or otherwise.
And on and on.
These things are basic, but we forget – and if we forget, you can bet our students do. And if our students have forgotten the many “basic benefits” of our college ministry, you can bet our school’s other students (and the new freshmen each year) aren’t thinking about these things at all.
We might want to put them on the front of the box sometimes.
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