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If you couldn’t tell from my Tweets, Collegiate Week was a great week gathered with some 18 or 1900 people – and I’d guess 200 or more were college ministers (including spouses). I figured I’d spend a post on a few items you might find interesting from the week, including some speakers / authors worth checking out and other helpful tidbits.
excellence in the first month
First, I told some of the college ministers I was hanging out with that I’d post links to the articles on using the First Weeks well. You can find Linda Osborne’s and Brian Barela’s articles here, and mine here.
solid speakers
The “biggest” speaker of the week was David Platt, a young pastor (and former seminary prof) who has become quite well known in some circles. He’s one of the most incredible speakers-to-college-students I’ve heard, and apparently students (and others) are already reading and spreading his new book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. And his messages are quite podcast-worthy indeed.
But the other platform speaker, Mike Satterfield, was also very good. Either would be worth checking out for use in your own speaking venues; you can link to Platt above or Mike’s info right here.
recommended reads
The book suggestions given by rather veteran campus-based college ministers included… The Unlikely Disciple, Seven Practices of Effective Ministry, Complete Book of Discipleship (Hull), The Trophy Kids Grow Up, Give Me a Dr. Pepper Please, Religion Saves & Nine Misconceptions, Your God is Too Small
c.s. lewis & apologetics / evangelism
As I tweeted the other day, Dr. Bob Stewart of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary presented a seminar discussing “Apologetic & Evangelistic Tips from C.S. Lewis.” It was the only student-focused seminar I attended, but it was quite amazing (and very good for leaders, too). It also proved something I’ve found to be true – seminary professors are regularly “wins” when it comes to seminar speakers.
And here’s the amazing thing: Dr. Stewart has made his PowerPoints from all FOUR of his seminars available. Find them right here (some may have yet to be uploaded).
threads
If you’re unfamiliar with the organizers of this conference, Threads Media, they really are a group that’s worth getting to know. They publish lots of “curriculum,” Bible study resources, and other materials for students and to use with students. While their focus has mostly been college students and young adults, it’s worth checking out and testing out their stuff as you look for small group materials or teaching guides!
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You might know that I’ve been exploring the campus ministry scene in the great town of Fort Worth; as I began preparing this post, I was still there. Then a birthday dinner with my sister and her buddies, and then I finally made it back across the Metroplex to home.
It was a good few days, though! I’ll probably blog sometime soon on how valuable a 3-day excursion could be for you, too – lots of learning, lots of observing, and lots of collaborating are easily available to you in this incredible way.
For now, however, there are other great ways to learn, observe, and collaborate – namely, plenty of cool online discussions that relate to college ministry! Eat up, and enjoy (and don’t miss all the great college ministry methods people have been describing – they’re at the bottom!).
vocational theology & transitions: Mike Hickerson of InterVarsity’s Emerging Scholars Network interviews Derek Melleby of the CCO and Center for Parent / Youth Understanding – about Derek’s book (The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness) and his work on the Transition to College that’s such a struggle for so many Christian kids. A lengthy interview – in a good way. For more on one of those topics, Tim Ehrhardt posts some great thoughts on helping students consider their education and vocation theologically.
why college ministry matters: A great profile of one college minister’s work way up at Syracuse University could be really helpful for sharing the value of College Ministry – and presenting College Ministry as missions. All the more helpful for getting the attention of outsiders, it’s from the major Christian news service Baptist Press.
thinking theologically about the iPhone: The Washington Post looks engagingly at information-obsession, smartphones, and public connection with others. A lot has been written along these lines, but this is better than much of what I’ve seen – in large part because it asks questions more than it offers answers. It could be a really good, basic piece for waking up your students to this important discussion. (HT: Rhett Smith)
weeding out students?: Brian Barela continues his helpful posts on Starting a College Ministry, this time looking at creating purposeful ministry aspects that work to weed out students who aren’t really aligned with the ministry. A tricky topic, and one that I don’t have completely settled in my own mind – but a good read, and definitely worth pondering.
lifechange opens up ministry opportunity: Tim Ehrhardt provides a cool evaluation of our opportunity to minister to students because of – not just in spite of – all the transitions taking place in their lives.
you can help…: …Chad Logan develop a brochure for explaining the basics of Christianity to international students. …Tom Grosh develop a bibliography of resources for understanding the various Generations and how to minister to them!
learning from others: Justin Wallace posts a phenomenal apologia for exploring other college ministries – complete with results from a couple of recent visits he’s gotten to make. A great post, and very worth reading. (And if you could use even more basic motivations for collaboration, Russ Martin provides one.)
two famous new presidents: Christianity Today has posted a couple of interviews with the two new (famous) presidents of two major Evangelical schools: Wheaton College (Philip Ryken) and Baylor University (Ken Starr – yep, that one).
a new college ministry partner to consider: Guy Chmieleski had several helpful posts this week – including reflecting on his NYC mission trip from this week. Perhaps the post with the most heuristic value discussed ministry partnership with alumni – an endeavor that could certainly be worth putting some energy toward in the coming months. (But you should check out the others while you’re there.)
How-tos, Methods, and Under-the-Hoods
- …for starting in a new college ministry position: Lance Crowell has been writing a series on how college ministers (particularly church-based ones) should get going in a new college ministry. Solid stuff, with five brief parts so far. You can find the first post here, and then two, three, four, and five.
- …for engaging students in play: Wes Woodell gives detailed instructions for playing “Humans vs. Zombies” – an interesting way to draw people to your group and have a good time, campus-wide
- …for engaging students in discussion: Mike Hurt provides a really solid look at using discussion groups (instead of “lectures”)
- …for engaging students in spiritual conversation: Mike Mattson of a secular recruitment consulting organization describes his interaction with a Christian campus ministry’s great discussion-starting table at USC. Great chance to see an outsider’s take on a method that has become pretty popular within college ministry.
- …for raising up college ministers: Steve Lutz has been posting his content from a talk he recently did on discerning the call to college ministry – and preparing for the call. Definitely worth giving your students who are (or should be) considering a campus ministry vocation. Start here; 4 posts so far.
- …for getting support for college ministry: Jerry Beavers notes an effort within one denomination to re-emphasize collegiate ministry. While the example applies specifically to their group, it’s a really helpful example for others, who need to consider doing the same within their own denominations or networks! Work the system!
- …for evangelism: Tom Greentree takes a look at one simple evangelistic presentation that’s growing in popularity – and even links to a book that helps go further on this tool and its theology.
- …for celebrating Passover with your students in a few weeks: Derek Leman goes all-out on the instructions and other helps. (HT: Scot McKnight)
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As Road Trip 13 is drawing to a close, it seems to be getting even zanier! But while much of my time this weekend has involved driving through Upstate NY in the dark, the daytime has reminded me just how pretty it is up here!
I was really excited that this week’s post listing the college ministry blogs I read (Russ Martin helpfully posted some of these as a public feed), was much-visited and much-shared. As college ministers, we should all be learners – including learning from each other – and blogs are a great way to do that! If you know of other college ministry bloggers, check out that post, and then please let me know!
Now on to some of the fantastic college ministry discussions this week, which include Evangelism resources, college ministry history, new DVD teaching curricula, atheist college “ministries,” and more!
defining success in college ministry: Quite providentially, several college ministry thinkers have turned their attention simultaneously to the very important topic of how we define success in college ministry. (God is a gracious Synergist, isn’t He?) HeartOfCampusMinistry began a weekly series on the topic – with a post by the much-respected Dean Thune. (I’ll be posting in that series in a few weeks!) Aaron Klinefelter wrote a great (and interesting) post on an “ecological” understanding of college ministry success. I posted on why aiming for numbers isn’t (usually) a good college ministry priority. And Ian Clark is asking the same question about how we define success.
atheist campus groups (from ABC news): Yesterday, ABC News ran a story online titled, “Atheist Student Groups Flower on College Campuses.” Check it out here. (HT: Kirby Oaks)
dvd series for college ministries: Famous book guru Byron Borger turns his attention to two new DVD series, each of which might fit a need for large-group or small-group teaching next semester. One is from a group of major (and hip) Christian thinkers about compassion / social justice issues, and the other series is from Don Miller. (Of course, the Hearts & Minds Books blog is always good reading, to learn about… potential good reading.)
a short history of an interesting college ministry: The Austin Stone Community Church has one of the more interesting models of college ministry out there, and they’ve happily begun posting a short history of their transition to this model! (Have you considered doing this? Have you done this? Let me know!) Part 1 is here, and Part 2 is here.
the weary life of a campus missionary: A cool, personal reflection from Alice Connor on what it means to be in the messy, difficult, awesome vocation called “College Ministry.”
evangelism resources for college ministry: Keith Davy lists several resources for evangelism among college students – specifically for discovering “where they are spiritually,” in fact.
service and evangelism: Why do Christians feel like they need to witness amidst their service? Glen Davis offers a helpful response to that question, in light of a recent mini-controversy that popped up on the Stanford campus. (He links to a Stanford Daily article on the issue, which involves Charles Darwin and evangelist Ray Comfort. And free books.)
attending a conference as a college minister: Not only did Nick Melazzo blog his thoughts on a conference he attended this week, but he blogged from the standpoint of a college minister. Hooray. As I’ve argued recently (like Nick noted in his intro post), college ministers should be good at viewing what we learn through the lens of our calling! (Hopefully Nick will be adding to this mini-series on the conference, so check for new entries…)
jimmy fallon meets the millennials (once more): This blog has actually had a pretty big week, too! Besides the aforementioned posts, I also was able to complete another entry in the Jimmy Fallon & Gen Y series, on Jimmy’s use of Eclecticism to reflect / reach Millennials!
written from the collegetown district next to Cornell University; posted from Camp of the Woods, Speculator, NY
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Exploring College Ministry Road Trip 13: Day 49 recap
recap: finished up at Cornell and made my way to Campus Crusade’s NE Regional Staff Conference in the Adirondacks! (see all explorations so far)
T-shirts: the Bearcat tribe of Cincinnati
sunday: I’ll spend the morning at the conference, then make my way to (or toward) Virginia
As a college ministry fan, I was excited to check out “Post Grad,” which opened last night. It’s a romantic comedy that looks at Life after College for today’s college grads. This is a theme that’s really important for us to investigate for ourselves AND discuss with students, especially for two reasons:
- Transitioning students to the real world is an area in which we need major improvement
- 20-something life seems to be less defined and more disillusioning than it was even a decade ago
I’m sad to report, however, that “Post Grad” may not particularly help us – or our students – figure this stuff out.
I’m not trained in Movie Reviewing, but there’s a whole list of “proper” movie reviews to choose from at Rotten Tomatoes. (Of the several reviews I read, the one at Reelviews was probably closest to my own thoughts.)
What I can offer is a review from a college minister’s point of view. And this movie’s plot certainly connects with our field: A recent college graduate (from Creston College), Ryden Melby, has a post-college plan – but then her dream job falls through. This forces her (gasp!) to move back in with her family and search for what’s next.
I like Millennials. A lot. But every generation’s strengths are coupled with weaknesses. And what I found interesting is that this movie seems like it simply shares weaknesses with its Millennial audience, rather than either accurately representing the “real world” OR honestly reflecting the “generational mood” as a whole. So there’s plenty to learn from, even if it’s not entirely what the movie was attempting to “teach.”
For one thing, Read the rest of this entry »
I had the neat chance yesterday to meet with Kevin Twit and Syneva Colle, staff members of the RUF chapter at Belmont University. Kevin is the 14-year director of the ministry.
But aside from the fact that all college ministries are worth getting to know, this one has a particular claim to fame. It’s the home base for Indelible Grace.
Indelible Grace Music is dedicated to pairing old hymns (and Scripture) with more contemporary music. As Kevin writes on their site,
Our hope is to help the church recover the tradition of putting old hymns to new music for each generation, and to enrich our worship with a huge view of God and His indelible grace.
Indelible Grace Music grew out of ministering to college students, primarily through Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). We saw many touched by the gospel, and gripped by the rich theology and great poetry of the hymns of the Church. As these students began to taste more of the depth of the gospel and the richness of the hymn tradition, many began to join the music of their culture with the words of our forefathers (and mothers!), and a movement was born.
(Read the whole IDM philosophy here.)
Indelible Grace’s music has been widely distributed, apparently; not only have they sold 50,000 CDs but the songs make up the official “RUF Hymnbook,” and their lyrics/music are available for free online. There’s more – including a touring band that I believe has led worship at multiple Ivy Jungle conferences.
In other words, from the efforts and talents of one ministry arose innovation that helped RUFs throughout the country – and other ministries, too.
It’s probably no surprise that this particular innovation arose from
- A school dedicated to Music and Music Business education
- A ministry situated in the middle of Nashville
- A campus minister with a Music and Music Business background
- Ministry years that just happened to include participation by the Jars of Clay guys, Sandra McCracken, and other future music notables.
But I would argue that innovative practices or resources that have nationwide impact should REGULARLY come forth from
- College ministries.
Clearly, what Indelible Grace has done is awesome, and I don’t mean to diminish that at all. But we who serve college campuses are on the frontlines of new generations, on the frontlines of culture, and in situations that (should) force radical creativity and (should) promote radical community and cooperation. It seems that we should see examples of this kind of advancement pop up here and there, time after time, from developed college ministries all over the country. Not 100 a year, obviously. But I figure we should see this kind of thing more.
Just a thought.
Written from Motel 6, Brentwood, TN
Road Trip #12 update (Day 8)
Yesterday’s T-shirt: Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
All the explorations of this trip (so far) can be seen here.
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As I look at the various “themes” God seems to have brought up on the recent 6-week trip, probably the most obvious was the theme of Vocational Discipleship. It was interesting that time and time again, college ministers spoke with me about this issue: Training students to live out their vocation in light of God, His calling, and His reign. It’s worship through our work, sanctifying the “secular,” living as Christians disguised as dentists, teachers, politicians, baseball umpires.
I had a wonderful college ministry experience during my time at Texas A&M. It prepared me for life and ministry in ways I continue to remember fondly – and miss. But I don’t remember once hearing anyone suggest anything about connecting my “school life” with my spiritual life in non-obvious ways. I certainly could be forgetting, but it wasn’t prevalent, that’s for sure.
My mentors and peers weren’t anti-education. I’m sure we encouraged each other to “do our best,” and even if that command is cliché it’s also very Christian. But I have occasionally wondered – during that time and since – why no one ever offered discipleship on living that out in the particulars. As with anyone, my “educational profile” was complex; in my case, I was a Psychology major, strong academically, studying in the Liberal Arts college, thinking about going into Business… or Psychology… or Ministry, taking Honors classes, taking 18 hours (some semesters), taking far less (some semesters)… and so on. Any of those aspects of my “educational identity” could have been approached as “calling” – but what did I know?
Like I said, my experience was fantastic. But this is an area I would say was probably missing.
Fortunately, the prevalence of this lack within college ministry may be changing. Or maybe I just ran into it a lot because I was in the Northeast, where education, academia, and “the public sphere” hold a particular esteem. (Who better to lead us in this?) Either way, it seems like something that should be on our radar. Not only does it ready students for the Transition Out, but it helps them comprehend what it means to be a disciple within that 50+ hours a week they’re going to be devoting to calling.
We have plenty of other discipleship areas on our collegiate radars, too; we fit each piece as /when God leads. But I imagine that helping our students connect their (future and present) profession to their spiritual lives may just be one of those “great in the basics” ideas that should top our priority lists.
Later this week, some resources on this and thoughts on doing this in your ministry!
For more:
I realize this has been around for a few months, but I’ve learned not to take for granted that we’ve all seen every good thing that’s out there.
As I urged with the Seat of Power video last week, I highly encourage you to watch this. It is an incredibly helpful insight on evangelism from an atheist, Penn Gillette of Penn & Teller fame. I promise, it’s 5 minutes well spent, and I bet you show it to your students.
I try to take my opportunity to recommend things very seriously. While I’m always glad to mention links that might be helpful, I know we all get forwards and other things that are a waste of time. Hopefully I don’t ever do that. And particularly with audio and video (which is harder to skim-and-delete), I want to respect your time!
So I only write things like, “I highly encourage you to watch this,” when I strongly believe you’ll be helped by what you see!
That’s all I’m saying.
To prove it to you, I won’t encourage you to check out this video-song celebrating our eschatological breakfast needs (or lack thereof), which may or may not involve beef stew. But if you do have some free time and want to check it out, you might just find a good humorous opener to your next college ministry worship service (or teaching series on the End Times)… [thanks to Mat Alexander for pointing me to this video]
Really, though, that Penn Gillette thing is one of the best college ministry teaching aids I’ve seen in a while.
Two items I thought might interest you (if you haven’t seen them already):
Passion City Church
Christianity Today’s Q&A with Louie Giglio explore the new Passion City Church he (and other key people) are planting in Atlanta. Very helpful for understanding his mindset on this.
See the church’s blog here.
Kings on NBC
I have no idea what the morality level of NBC’s new show “Kings” will be, but the show (premiering in exactly two weeks) is based on the story of David. And by “based,” I mean that it seems to follow the story surprisingly closely, though as a modern retelling.
The creator has actually commented that the show will have lots of “Easter eggs” for religious audiences – places where we who know the David/Saul story will notice very particular biblical connections. Already, some of those seem so blatant (like the fact that “David Shepherd” is the main character’s name) that I worry it will be a little cheesy. But of course it feels cheesier for us already familiar with the story.
Anyway, it’s possible this show will be good fodder for collegiate discussions, and it does certainly highlight the fact that the Bible isn’t simply true but is interesting, as well. And I appreciate that they’re diving into a text that isn’t explored as often for this sort of adaptation.
Links for more:
Continuing the “Big Idea” series on potentially transformative college ministry ideas, I arrive at #7:
Help students transition to college.
As you may have picked up from previous posts, some key assumptions underlie my discussion of the “Transitions” topic:
- Unsuccessful assimilation of Christian high school kids into collegiate spiritual community is one of the biggest problems facing college ministry
- This issue is not primarily the responsibility of college ministers, but of those impacting high school students (parents, youth pastors, pastors, etc.)
- But college ministers can still help this happen – and happen better
- I think helping this happen could radically transform both students’ lives and our own ministries
This is a topic I’ve talked about before, but I certainly think it’s important enough to include in this Big Idea series. So instead of rehashing, here’s an annotated list that might be helpful for reading (my thoughts, at least) about this vital topic:
70% of Church Kids Don’t Stick Around: Penned right before my big trip, this describes a key study that details just how big a problem “Transitions” is.
At the Hinge: An argument for getting involved with college students before they’re college students.
Fish Transish: Multiple ideas for helping new students transition, for application by college ministers or to pass on to your local friendly youth ministry peeps.
January is for Seniors?: Connecting with high school seniors before they’re college students.
Helping Fish Transish: A possible teaching series for preparing new college students.
Three Ways Recruitment is Ministry: Why our recruitment actually helps students transition well.
5 Ways College Ministers Can Cheat: Five ways to be involved with high school students to help prepare them for college.
Summer Students and the Awkward Dovetail: Various thoughts for churches working with home-grown students in the summertime.
Low-Hanging Grease: Why working on Transitions helps people care more about college ministry in general.
Orientation (A Reflection): An essay reminding us just how important successful transition is.
What spiritual teaching should students get as we start / restart a college ministry?
It feels natural to teach students in one of two ways:
- Teach now in the same way you intend to teach later. Why not hit the ground running?
- Teach something now that will catch students’ attention and draw new students. Why not give them what they want?
However, I’m not particularly a fan of either strategy during the first semesters of a college ministry. I can’t get away from the feeling that when a college ministry begins, it needs a focus on building. It needs a trajectory, a short-term aim, a chance to get on its feet, a building of a foundation.
The teaching we provide should be an enormous part of that. (By “teaching,” I mean the entirety of spiritual discipleship the ministry offers our students in large groups, small groups, or one-on-one.)
So… when I’m praying about and thinking about what a new college ministry needs, these would be some of my big questions:
What has God been doing that He might want to continue? Are there any clear spiritual “themes” the group / campus / church / supporting ministry / community has been experiencing? Might some particular messages or studies help stoke that fire God started?
What are the immediate spiritual obstacles? Are there any clear errors that must be dealt with? While helping our students to maturity is a long-term pursuit, God may reveal immediate problems that should be dealt with ASAP.
What spiritual themes would prepare us for where God is taking this group? Once God reveals the ministry trajectory, I’ll look to echo and pursue those desires in our ministry’s teaching.
What “basics” does this group need to become great in? I’m generally a fan of “great in the basics” teaching for college students – and that emphasis is probably even more important when we’re laying the early foundation for a longstanding mission. I want to present truths that will (hopefully) characterize our ministry for years to come.
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