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As I’m entering a new mini-phase of Road Trip #11, it’s a good time to take a breather, update you on my next steps, and point out a few things you might find interesting!
something old: reminders of the recent (and not-so-recent)
Regardless of whether you personally Twitter or not, you can see my little observations by going to this page: http://www.twitter.com/bensonhines. It’s just like a blog, only with posts in 140 characters or less… Plus, I’m now adding some picture links along the way.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check out my recent interview with Center for Parent / Youth Understanding. I got the chance to talk about my yearlong road trip, my recent book, and more. Here’s Part One; here is Part Two.
If you want another synopsis of the big trip, you can still listen to the 19-minute podcast I recorded last summer. (Information and the podcast link are posted here.) As I neared the end of that huge trip, it was a neat opportunity to talk off-the-cuff about what I had experienced!
something new: updates about next steps
Despite the fears I twittered earlier this week, I was able to get a spot at Princeton Seminary’s Emerging Adulthood Conference. It lasts from this afternoon through Saturday morning, and I’m actually going to commute from Langhorne, PA, where I’ve been staying already – which is surprisingly only 20ish miles away. So that works out nicely, and I don’t have to repack my Pathfinder just yet.
The conference should be interesting. The discussion of collegiate and young adult development, psychology, and sociology will be helpful. I’m also guessing that the crowd will be largely from mainline Protestantism – although we’ll see how accurate that guess actually is. So that will allow me a window into a stream of collegiate work I don’t usually get to explore.
I’ve also got a couple of interviews with local Princeton college ministers lined up, and I’m hoping to connect with more while I’m over there this week!
and next steps further?
Lastly, I’m approaching a real “hinge” for this trip. After Saturday morning, my calendar is completely unplanned. I probably have at least 2 weeks remaining up here in the Northeast. But my locations and explorations during that time are, at present… undetermined.
If you get the chance, pray for direction and wisdom. God will provide it, and foggy-futures are very common during these trips. So I look forward to seeing – and enjoying – the next steps He plans to reveal.
Written from Langhorne, PA
Road Trip #11 update (Day 16):
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Lobos of University of New Mexico
new campus visit: Philadelphia Biblical University (#17)
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
If you’re new around here, Reaching the Campus Tribes is the FREE ebook I just published! The book discusses the major things I learned as I explored college ministry around the United States – on a yearlong road trip. Plus, there are plenty of cool pictures. (Download it here!)
But if you’re not new here, you might be wondering about the response to the book. So many people have played a part in making this book, and I want it to be something that helps us all. So I want to keep everybody posted on how things are going with “our” book! Later this week, I’ll give some ways you can help the book spread (if you wanna help).
It’s only been three weeks since the book went public, but it’s received an amazing response already. I’ve seen that positive response in two different ways: in the reaction of readers and in the way the book has spread.
the reaction
I have heard lots of really encouraging things from those who have read Reaching. Several people have told me they read through it in a day or two (even to the detriment of their other responsibilities)! And for many college ministers, the book doesn’t only give them new ideas, but it helps put into words ideas they’ve had all along. That’s really exciting for me.
Part of this positive reaction has involved people telling me different ways they plan to use the book. Not only do college ministers seem to be edified personally, but they have talked about using it with their student leaders, using it to help fundraise, using it to help their church get excited about college ministry…
One seminary professor even plans to use it as a text for his class!
the spread
Not only has the reaction seemed really strong, but the book also seems to have spread really well in a short time. Last week at the National Collegiate Summit (for Southern Baptist college ministers), it was exciting to see how many had the book, how many planned to read it, and how many had already read it.
The same is true for other college ministers. So far, I’ve gotten “write-ups” in blogs and web sites from people in Campus Crusade, InterVarsity, Ivy Jungle, CollegeLeader, Chi Alpha / Assemblies of God, Churches of Christ, Campus Outreach, and Southern Baptist college ministry. Hopefully those contacts will spread the word even further within their organizations! (You can see links to the specific pages in the sidebar at reachingthecampustribes.com.)
And the best exposure yet came from the Center for Parent / Youth Understanding, who interviewed me just last week.
From everything I can tell, the book is slowly making its way from person-to-person and possibly moving in larger ways, too. (I have seen a few Twitter references to the book – those could be really powerful for helping it spread.) Hopefully more opportunities will arise for sharing with lots of people at once, but I’m really thankful for how things are already going.
But I have other hopes, as well – including hoping non-college-ministers (like pastors, parents, and other Christian leaders) will see the book and read the book. It was written with them in mind, and their involvement could change everything.
Written from Langhorne, PA
Road Trip #11 update:
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Grizzlies of Montana
church visits: Tenth Street Presbyterian (#6) and Epiphany Fellowship (#7)
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
As I blogged last week, I leave tomorrow for Road Trip #11, and this one’s a doozy! This will be the longest road trip since the BIG one, clocking in at 5 1/2 weeks (at least). From eyeing the route, I figure I will see at least 16 states… and besides all the college ministry explorations and college minister hang-outs, there are also 2 or 3 conferences to attend, too.
So with such a big adventure on my hands, I want you to come along – from the comfort of your very own home. Or computer. Or cell phone. Explore with me. Experience with me. Learn with me.
There will be pictures. There will be posts. [All the posts so far are here.]
And there will be something brand new: Tweets!
That’s right, I’ve been sucked in to the wonderful, wide world of Twitter! Except for a brief excursion into Twittering during my nine-church-service weekend last August, I’m brand new to this. (For those who don’t use Twitter, you can follow along without joining; read the note at the very bottom of this post.)
For those who are using Twitter, some notes:
- @bensonhines is now live and tweeting.
- Please be patient with me; I’m new here. In fact, if you have tips or feedback, I would LOVE to hear it. Special thanks to @mynameisbrandon and @rhetter for providing a crash course in this stuff.
- While I’m at it, I made some tiny URLs for sharing the free ebook. Obviously, you can make your own or just point people to reachingthecampustribes.com. But here are some good ones: xr.com/rtct or tinyurl.com/campustribes. (These are now listed at the book site, too.)
For everybody, all the ways to get in touch with me:
I’m really excited about this newest road trip, and I’m hoping to include you guys like never before! So here’s a run-down of ALL the ways to come along on this trip, from least-connected to most-connected:
- Facebook group: Exploring College Ministry with Benson. I don’t send messages very often; during the trip, I might send 2 or 3 schedule updates to members of this group. (But remember, this is still the BEST way to stay posted on the most important updates for this whole project – like new road trips, new books, and other big news.)
- Facebook status updates. While I don’t treat this as a major point of connection, I probably will change my Facebook status occasionally to reflect the twists and turns of this adventure. So, as always, I’d love for you to befriend me!
- This blog. As usual, there will be a post every day (or close to it), so take a look whenever you’d like. Many of the posts over the next weeks will be directly related to the trip, as I discuss (and show via pictures) its adventures and learnings. (For all the posts related to the trip so far, click here.)
- Twitter: @bensonhines
- In person. Of course, if I get to cross your path on this trip, let’s try to hang out! Just contact me and let me know.
So there you have it! I hope you’ll join me.
For those unfamiliar with Twitter, you can still take a look at my regular updates whenever you’d like. Just go to www.twitter.com/bensonhines. Each update has a date and time, so you can watch as my days progress!
In Reaching the Campus Tribes, I write:
It may be that college ministry will be best served in the same way [Youth Specialties helped youth ministry develop] – by a “super-sized hero,” an organization devoted to proclaiming the value of college ministry and helping the field develop. …
An … organization like this could serve as a think tank, a resource producer, a collaborative network, a fundraiser, and a rallying cry for college ministry – across the branches of our field, across denominational lines, and throughout the country (from Chapter 8, “Into the Harvest: A Road Map Forward from a Road Trip’s Findings,” p. 95-96).
I think a national organization devoted to supporting college ministry, providing resources for these efforts, and developing our field could be extremely helpful.
I was discussing this possibility with a colleague the other day, and I remarked that I believe there really is room for this to happen right now. In fact, I think the field of college ministry is heating up, but there’s a real vacuum of resourcing and support for a large number of college ministry efforts.
So here’s the equation I see:
vacuum + growing concern = wide-open opportunity for some group to step up
That means the early bird can get a giant worm. The first organization to muster the investment, focus, and breadth required to serve college ministry nationally might just find an enormous audience… and ultimately an enormous amount of campus-reaching might happen because somebody was called to be our hero.
Of course, it’s also vital that this be done right. One more equation is clearly at play:
vacuum + growing concern – deep understanding = wide-open opportunity for waste or even damage
But besides that concern – which is a true concern that we should all take seriously – I’m pretty hopeful about our situation. In fact, the field seems so ripe that it may simply be a matter of time before there are multiple organizations like this.
But, of course, the greatest amount of worm-munching might go to the early bird.
I wrote the last blog on Monday at around 6am… after being up all night finishing up the book versions and the book site. That whole process involved plenty of Mountain Dew, computer snags, and DVDs, plus driving 7 miles away at 5:30 in the morning to get faster internet (long story).
So it was good and right for me to take yesterday off!
For today, here are some updates on the ebook project I thought you might be interested in. I really appreciate everybody’s support. We’re all in this together, and the more the book spreads, the better our field will be improved!
If you haven’t seen the book, I encourage you to check it out. It’s pretty. Download it here.
mobile version: The iPhone / mobile version is ready and is made to view directly in the web browser on your phone. (Or you can just copy the file to your phone.) Reach it directly at reachingthecampustribes.com/mobile.
strong feedback so far: The feedback on the book so far has been really great. I’ve been hearing from both people I know and people I don’t, and I’m really hopeful that the book will impact lots of people. Plenty of people have been joining the Facebook group, too. That’s the thing to do if you want to get occasional updates on this whole project.
blog hype: If you want to see the various college ministry blogs that have been pointing people to the site, they’re listed in the sidebar at the book site. Thanks, pals! Keep it coming!
help the cause now active: The “help the cause” link at the book site is now active, and you can find that page here, too.
road trip #11: This has nothing to do with the book, but stay tuned for info on Road Trip #11. It’s turning out to be a pretty big one… And I leave in a week!
It’s true.
Reaching the Campus Tribes is ready to go.
There’s a normal, quick-downloading, easy-sharing version.
There’s a good-looking high-resolution version.
There’s an extra-printable, extra-readable version.
Later today, there should even be an iPhone version.
I think you’ll be surprised at what can happen in an ebook.
And, of course, it’s all FREE.
You can download your book at reachingthecampustribes.com.
Reaching the Campus Tribes (A First Inquiry) goes public tomorrow!
Until then, here’s another excerpt from the ebook. This one comes from Chapter 2, “Exploring the Campus Tribes.” While I certainly didn’t belabor my own history in the book, I was able to describe briefly in that chapter how I ended up on a yearlong college ministry research-road-trip in the first place.
Here’s a portion from the middle of that story (from pages 12 and 13, to be exact):
So when church leaders decided to defund the College Minister position at the end of that school year, I was not too surprised. Although I recognized the advances we had made and saw a bright future for our ministry if we would continue to push forward, it was hard to blame the leaders for their decision. Who had trained them in the unique nuances of college ministry? What books or leaders proclaimed its importance? Then why would they evaluate college ministry any differently than youth ministry or the other Christian Education ministries in our church?
what came next
After years of ministering to college students and connecting with other ministry leaders, I already knew how unappreciated and misunderstood college ministry is among American Christians. This newest experience simply made the issues even more real to me, because I too had felt the sting of these problems.
I began to ask God if there might be something I could do right then, as a 28-year-old single guy, to help college ministry grow stronger as an entire “field of ministry.” I had noticed that Christians’ interest in college ministry seemed to be growing; could I somehow help stoke that fire?
It was my friend Steven who first threw out the idea of taking a road trip to see college ministry in action across the nation. I scoffed a bit at first, but the truth is, that suggestion wasn’t as out-of-the-blue as it might seem…
Download the book for free at www.reachingthecampustribes.com!
Chapter 6 of the new book is a quirky little interlude, but I actually really like it being in there. Entitled “Practical Concerns,” it addresses some of the key issues Christians have about practicing college ministry. Chapter 5 of the book discusses why college ministry matters; Chapter 6 (hopefully) precludes the objections that arise even after people have all those great reasons to reach college students.
Here’s the beginning of Chapter 6:
Even though there may be strong reasons to prioritize college ministry, it still must be practical for the many churches, denominations, and parachurch groups who will be involved. So it’s very important to address common concerns about taking on this task.
The most common objections to pursuing college ministry arise from the following areas:
- The short time frame and transitory nature of the college years
- Past difficulties experienced in trying to impact college students
- Not enjoying the fruits of our labors, because students graduate and move on
- The unspiritual or uninterested nature of collegiate culture
- The financial cost involved, without receiving financial return from the students
We might assume these objections most often come from pastors and churches. But they can apply just as much to those in campus-based and Christian college settings, as well as to denominational leaders and members, parachurch participants, and anyone else who might consider connecting to the campus tribes.
I’ll address these concerns in the following pages…
Reaching the Campus Tribes will be released on Monday, April 20th; it can be downloaded for free at www.reachingthecampustribes.com.
A couple of excerpts from Reaching the Campus Tribes, Chapter 3:
Many books could be written (and should be written) about the histories, accomplishments, and advances of Evangelical college ministry in America. Some large national ministries have been impactful for decades. The same is true for many individual college ministries, from the best-known at Christian colleges, secular campuses, and in churches, to the hundreds of ministries less well-known but still powerfully changing students’ lives. I look forward to telling (and hearing) more stories of what God has already done in college ministry, because they are wonderful stories that glorify Him and encourage the Body of Christ.
But as I discussed in the first chapter, I’m writing this particular book to present a better way to think about college ministry. My year of research gave ample opportunity to see that American Christians are in desperate need of a new vision for reaching these people. If we don’t change, we will continue to lose our influence with each successive generation.
…
When Christians wonder about the state of college ministry, it is easy to assume this area is being handled just fine. But we can always pick-and-choose examples in this regard. We may be most familiar with the largest national ministries, with ministries at a specific college, with the strongest ministries in our denomination, or with the most effective college ministries in our region. And with that basic information and nothing to indicate otherwise, it’s easy to assume that all is well…
Parents and youth pastors may assume their high school graduates will find active, effective college ministries when they go to school. They may also assume that those students will find student-friendly churches that welcome them with open arms.
Church leaders may assume that college campuses near their church have solid spiritual opportunities for students, removing any need to get involved as a church.
And when students attend Christian colleges, everyone may assume they will emerge four years later in better spiritual shape than when they entered.
All too often, these assumptions turn out to be untrue.
As I traveled the nation, I discovered three major problems limiting our effectiveness in reaching students…
the book will be released on Monday – for free – at www.reachingthecampustribes.com.
Last week, I shared the table of contents and cover from the upcoming ebook, Reaching the Campus Tribes (going public April 20th).
Today, some words from Chapter 1 that point to the purpose of this book and a glimpse at some of its “bold ideas” for the field of college ministry. Here’s that excerpt:
…So this short book is more proclamation than primer, more megaphone than microscope, an “opening inquiry” rather than any final word. It may seem to have too few illustrations, too few evidences, and even too few pages. But I hope this book raises questions and drives people to find out more. And if this book does fuel an interest in college ministry, then I and countless others will have many opportunities to share examples, spiritual insights, facts, arguments, and “best practices” for this field.
For now, this book is the urgent message I would share with Christian leaders over coffee, not the ultimate “how-to” for this vital area. I have focused here on the big picture, which means I don’t get to discuss all the specific skills, methods, and spiritual needs involved.
But the big picture still gives us bold ideas to consider. For example, I will discuss:
- How ministry to college students is quite different from both young adult ministry and youth ministry.
- How college campuses are a lot like tribes.
- What commonalities are shared by the three “branches” of college ministry.
- How strategic student discipleship is lacking in many Christian colleges.
- Why a large, city-wide worship service for college students is often a terrible way to jump-start a college ministry.
- Why better college ministry will lead to better youth ministry, better young adult ministry, and better missions work.
- Why college ministry is “R&D” for Christianity.
- Why churches with no plan for college students should help their high school kids find another church – and what it actually means for a church to have a College Student Plan.
- How Christians can approach college ministry in many ways beyond the “classic” forms.
- Why impacting college students is a far more practical undertaking than many people assume.
- And many other important ideas.
Reaching the Campus Tribes will be out April 20th!
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