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Short and simple today, but it’s still a chance for brave, strategic college ministries to “go for broke”:
Start a (school-serving) tradition on your campus.
Believe it or not, your ministry would be far from the first to begin something that a campus tribe rallies around. There are instances of Orientation Week events that have been adopted by the school itself, T-shirts that have “made it big,” campus-wide games that have caught on far beyond the ministry’s normal circle, and so on.
And when this works, it has the potential to serve students – or even the campus and its long-term aims. There may be a strong recruiting or evangelism angle to some new traditions, whether through direct contact or through building bridges from the tradition to those things. Maybe certain traditions could help bring some needed funds to your ministry (like through T-shirt or other sales), or maybe by building this tradition with other organizations (Christian or otherwise), you’ll grow some amazing connections!
There’s no way I can wade into all the possibilities, though, because traditions are possibly the most contextual of all the characteristics of the campus tribes. So coming up with new traditions is a contextual art – and it’s also an area that would be really easy to fail in.
But that’s the idea of this “Going for Broke” series: Offering ideas that require a lot of wisdom and skill, but that might just be worth considering!
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You want a Fridea that fits this “Going for Broke” series?
What if your college ministry started a business?
Laundromat. Laundry service. Restaurant. Coffee shop. Bookstore. Textbook store. Clothing store. Vintage clothing store. Event photography. Graphic design. Rentals.
And those are just ones with a campus-orientation that came to mind in one minute (although I’ve definitely pondered some of them before). It wouldn’t have to connect directly to the campus, and God’s far more creative than me…
If God grants that I get to continue helping advance the field of Collegiate Ministry, I’d love to be involved in helping alternative funding opportunities become widespread. I myself was supported through a textbook store, and I think there’s a lot of potential in this area.
It’s a HUGE idea, but it could bear HUGE fruit for the ministries that did it wisely, strategically, and excellently. And the fruit wouldn’t just be in funds (in fact, for some that might be pretty low on the list of purposes). Connections with students and serving a campus could be enormous outcomes here.
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Three years (and ten days) ago, I arrived back in Dallas after a yearlong road trip spent exploring the face of college ministry across the U.S. The firstfruits of that trip was my book, Reaching the Campus Tribes: An Opening Inquiry. The response to that FREE ebook was incredibly encouraging.
Since we’re at the start of yet another school year, I wanted to remind you that the book is out there – and point you to some uses for it that you may want to consider:
- Use with student leaders. Pick out some sections (or just have ‘em read the whole thing) to help them see themselves as the “missionaries to their own campus” that they’re meant to be.
- Send to overseers / supporters. Reaching the Campus Tribes is meant to point outsiders to the glories of college ministry, too. Whether you send them the link or just pull some quotes, I’d be excited if it helps you share what you’re doing with the people who help you do it!
- Pass it on to other college ministers. I think they’d appreciate it (and I would, too!).
- (Re)read it. Remind yourself of the awesomeness of what you’re doing… and why doing it like missions is the best way to go. If you’ve read it before, I bet you’ll pick up something new this time!
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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’m going to make an odd sort of request: If you’ve been helped by my ministry, I’d ask that you read this and give it a little thought. Could your college ministry – or any other campus ministries – make use of this?
The cool thing is, the more this BIG idea helps others, the more it helps fuel my ministry, too.
Have you ever noticed how much money gets traded between students and the bookstore each semester? Wouldn’t it be great if some of those funds got used more directly for the Kingdom?
Books-to-Impact is my newest project for serving college ministries. It turns textbooks donated by students into funds – for any cause you want, whether outside or inside your ministry.
Remember, I know the world of college ministry. I know how much we need funds (for our ministry work or for our favorite causes). But I also know there are lots of support raising tools that just won’t work. Here’s why this one’s different:
- Thousands of dollars. We’re not talking a few hundred bucks from collecting change. It’s likely some ministries will be able to pull in ten or fifteen thousand dollars a year (or more!). And smaller efforts will likely still draw a thousand or two each semester.
- Choose your effort. You can choose how much effort to expend – and this whole project is actually perfect for delegating to students. Even a small amount of involvement can easily bring in enough money for this to be truly “worth it.”
- Low time requirements. This isn’t something you’ve got to spend all semester on; in fact, most won’t spend more than a week or so each semester.
- Start when you want, end when you want. If you give this a try, you’re not “committing” to anything. Use this project to raise funds for one semester or for the next decade… and I’ll be glad to keep sending you money!
- Choose your cause. YOU get the funds. YOU decide what to do with ‘em.
- You’re also helping my ministry. Which helps your ministry. The small portion of the proceeds I keep goes right into helping me keep serving the world of college ministry. So not only am I helping you through this project… this project is helping me help you even more. Weird. But true.
Want more info? Contact me, and I’ll send you the full details. If you’re going to try this (even as a Trial Run) this semester, you’ll need to start preparing a little right now.
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As Mark and I trekked across the Colorado School of Mines campus last week, we noticed a classic staple of collegiate worlds (many of them, at least): The Chalker.
While such legal graffiti artists often operate under cover of night, this gal spread her announcement unabashedly, in the bright light of day.
I noticed her art in several places. Yet I also noticed a different – but similarly colored – announcement also chalked in various places. So I wondered… Is it possible she’s double-chalking? Could she be advertising for both a sorority AND the Theater Department? And taking that one step further, what if her artistry has been hired, rather than volunteered?
(If you’re not particularly interested in the origins of my Frideas, the idea is coming right NOW!)
So here’s the Fridea that arose from those ponderings: Do college ministries ever offer services-for-hire to other campus organizations (of all kinds)? Or, could these things be offered as free, relationship-building service?
Plenty of campus ministries have stumbled upon unique skills, either among their students or among their staff. Perhaps a ministry is awesome at T-shirt design. Another may do a great job on fliers or other advertising (like the student in the photo). A lot of college ministers have an excellent web site designer in their ranks. There might even be ministries that do top-notch event-planning or fundraiser organizing.
Oh – and I bet some college ministries could offer some excellent private tutoring to Fraternity Row (for example). And if you, the college minister, happen to be really solid at making event-recap videos, is it possible some ministry would donate some cash, hiring you to spend a little time on something that would take them hours?
This is definitely one of the “weirder” entries in the Fridea file. But I bet there are sororities out there who would pay $100 for your student to design a great T-shirt. Or some students out there who would pay $50 to your ministry’s service project fund, for the benefit of that Interior Design major to help them set up their cute new apartment.
Or all that I’ve said could be offered as pretty awesome connect-us-to-others service. Whatever’s best in your context!
Zany, I know. Zany enough that I’ll stop here and let you run with this. But what if you taught students that – even now – their talents can be used for the Kingdom? (Not to mention the fact you’ll be helping your students build portfolios with their little business.) And what if you and your students found cool connections that benefited others, built relationships, and – if you do choose to accept donations – helped raise money for your important campus mission?
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Here’s this past week’s lineup of helpful links and particularly important blog conversations about our amazing field!
Jeff Widman offers something superb: his expertise in social networking, applied to college ministry! Apparently Jeff had a great college ministry experience himself; now, he’s a major social networking guru. (His clients include Microsoft, Seth Godin, and others – really, this is legit.) Receive the fruits of his generous combination of those two loves by joining his Useful Facebook Tips for Campus Pastors group.
Here at Exploring College Ministry, I asked for wisdom about how we classify various college ministries – and people responded with some great thoughts. If you get a chance, take a look – and add your own thoughts on this important issue.
The Association of Collegiate Ministries posted the first of two posts about college ministry fundraising, reprinting (with permission) Steve Shadrach‘s 5 Keys for this important area. Shadrach is a well-known consultant in this area, and it’s great that ACM has been able to share his wisdom.
Need some cool ideas for simple service – for individual students, small groups, or your ministry as a whole? The Simple Love Project provides all sorts of ideas, at the touch of a button! (HT: HeartOfCampusMinistry.com.)
Also at Heart of Campus Ministry, Brandon Smith wrote a great, quick post on college ministry as “reverse missionary work.”
What an amazing idea for your college ministry: offering free peer-tutoring to your campus! Florida State’s Michael Mears shares Christian Campus Fellowship’s idea and their (very cool) advertisement right here.
Christianity Today posts a lengthy interview with sociologist Christian Smith, discussing his new book, Lost in Transition. Smith is a well-known expert on young adults’ connection (and disconnection) from spiritual life and church life.
written from Riverside, California
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Road Trip 13: Days 13 & 14 recap
finished up at the CollegeLeader Conference
T-shirts: the Screaming Eagles of U. of Southern Indiana and the Wave tribe of Pepperdine
today: churches and catching up (see all explorations so far!)
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