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When I first decided to take this trip, it was a result of having two speaking opportunities, about 5 weeks apart, in roughly the same part of the country. (You can view my thinking process here.)
The second of those opportunities is a pretty unique one (at least to me), and it comes up this week.
I’ll be spending Monday through Friday at the national conference of the North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals (NACCAP). Basically, NACCAP is an organization designed for admissions people from Christian colleges to come together. And, in a smart move, they’ve included high school counselors from Christian high schools. (It makes sense that those two groups would want to buddy-up.)
My speaking gig isn’t until later in the week, but I’ll be taking the opportunity (most of the days, at least) to spend time at the conference. Why? Because college ministry learnin’ can take place even when the discussions aren’t specifically about college ministry. We can learn from books like Good to Great; we can learn from missionary biographies; we can (I hope) learn from conferences of admissions people.
But this conference may not be as far afield as it might seem, either. Its attendees certainly connect pretty closely with what we do:
- Christian College admissions people work alongside Christian College chaplains (one type of college minister)
- Christian College admissions people recruit college students – and also decide how Spiritual Life is involved in school promotions
- High school counselors send their students into our world; they, like youth ministers and parents, are passing the baton that we are charged with receiving
- High school counselors may be the only people in most youth’s lives who are thinking strategically about collegiate success
So am I excited to get to hang out with these guys and gals? To learn from them? Even to share with them about our world, our hopes, our collective college ministry wisdom?
Yeah, this should be neato.
Please pray for me as I prepare my talk – sharing with the high school counselors particularly about the “national college ministry scene.” And please pray that I will both learn and help throughout this week!
Written from Motel 6 in Canton, Ohio
Road Trip #11 update (Day 34)
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Wildcat tribe of University of Arizona
new state: Ohio
(click here to see all the explorations from Road Trip #11)
I noted yesterday three “campus-visiting milestones” I’ve had on this trip. And the truth is, I’ve probably visited something like 240 campuses in the past two years, and a good many more than that in the past six years.
But why does it matter? What good is it for me – and you – to visit college campuses and connect with ministers on those mission fields?
- We see the broad differences between contexts. If anyone believes they have “the model” for college ministry, they should spend more time on more campuses. Soon enough, we realize that these individual tribes have striking differences – whether they’re across the country from each other, across the state, or across the street. Then this exposure should bring us to our knees to beg for God’s specific brilliance for any particular tribe.
- We have the opportunity to support our fellow collegiate missionaries. By simply viewing the mission field that another brother or sister serves, I’m respecting and promoting the work they do. Further, as I talk with ministers and ask about their work, I let them know that their field is not forgotten. Stanford University matters. Richland College matters. Emporia State matters. So as the opportunity arises, we walk upon the field that others weep over, and by so doing we honor their work and their world.
- We better understand the actual needs. Until you and I have been “on location,” we have a much harder time knowing what is truly needed. Many collegiate ministry “experts” struggle because of this very point – their experience isn’t broad enough. (This problem has actually come up in several conversations on this trip, so it’s on my mind and is something I’m desperately trying to avoid.)
- Our hearts are stirred. For whatever reason, God has rigged many (or most? or all?) of us to respond to immersion. Being among the campus tribes – even many of them – does something to our hearts. Climb to the top of the bell tower and see the campus before you. Stand among the disoriented pre-freshmen at New Student Orientation. Watch the drama of a Friday night on Fraternity Row. Campus visits call us to this task more deeply than before, even as we return to our own contexts and our own students.
- Our hearts are awed. In the same way, we are hopefully reminded of the awesomeness and beauty of our task. Sometimes it takes a trip to another campus to remember just how wonderful it is to work at such amazing places.
- We get to practice. Finally, visiting campuses gives us the chance to “practice” for our own. As you observe a new campus and (if you have opportunity) connect with ministers, you’re sharpening your skills of observation and exegesis for your own campus. Further, there is no better way I know of to catalyze your own brainstorming than to learn what’s happening elsewhere. By “discovering” a new campus, you’re aiding your ability to discover your own.
Written from the Lutz house in Boalsburg, PA (near Penn State)
Road Trip #11 update (Day 32)
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Hornet tribe of Emporia State
campus visits: none, actually, which hasn’t happened in several days
plan: I’ll be in and around State College, PA, for a couple of days, then on to Ohio!
(click here to see all the explorations from Road Trip #11)
Three campus-visiting milestones achieved during this trip:
- Lifetime, I have been to all the schools that have won the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tourney for as long as I’ve been post-birth (September 1979). Among the Final Four contestants during that time, I think I’m only missing 6 schools. (See this site for the list.)
- In the last two years, I have been on campuses in 45 states. (And I’ve been to campuses in 47 states lifetime.)
- In the last month, I’ve seen all 8 Ivy League schools.
I would take the time to explain why this really matters (besides just being pretty neato), but I need my sleep after a long day of driving. Look for that tomorrow.
Written from the Motel 6 in Harrisburg, PA
Road Trip #11 update (Day 31)
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Cardinal tribe of Stanford University (and Cardinal is always singular in this case)
campus visits: Syracuse University (#33), Cornell University (#34)
notable: In my Road Trip 11 full itinerary, I accidentally left out my excellent visit to the Center for Christian Study and Splintered Light Bookstore in Charlottesville. I was able to connect with Bill Wilder and Byron Harris there, which was phenomenal. I hope to post about the Center (which houses the bookstore) sometime, because it’s an excellent example of a less-traditional (and extremely useful) ministry to college students.
(click here to see all the explorations – including those! – from Road Trip #11)
I finally finished the Road Trip 11 “landing page,” with every discussion, visit, and other exploration from the Road Trip. So if you wanna know the amazing people I’ve connected with, the awesome campuses I’ve seen, and more, check it out at www.exploringcollegeministry.com/rt11.
Bonus: that page has the tentative plans for the rest of the trip, too.
As you know if you’ve followed along, this has been an action-packed road trip. Since I left Dallas on April 28th, this trip has included:
- 14 states
- 29 college campus visits
- over 4 dozen college ministry discussions
- 13 church visits
- a couple of speaking / leading opportunities
- several other explorations
Meanwhile…
- There’s a good chance I’ll get to see all 8 Ivy League schools; I’ve seen 6, but the last two could be tricky!
- The hospitality on this trip has been enormous; for example, last night was only the second night I’ve spent in a motel room
- I’ve run into two college mission trips along the way (a group from Texas in Boston, and a group from Florida in New York City)
- I have another speaking opportunity in early June – to a bunch of high school counselors!
- Twitter has turned out to be a productive way to share my adventures AND find out about new ones
- I have about two weeks to go!
Written from the Motel 6 in Portland, ME
Road Trip #11 update (Day 29)
T-shirts the last 3 days: the Wildcats tribe of Villanova University, the Flames of Liberty University, and the Corsair tribe of Santa Monica
Campus visits since Friday: Brown University (#26), Harvard University (#27), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (#28), University of Southern Maine (#29)
Prayer requests: I’ve had a major sore throat for a few days and desperately need sleep. Hopefully both were helped here last night, but we’ll see.
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
Because of Memorial Day weekend, my desperate need to get some down time, and the fact that most colleges just finished up for the school year, I’m going to take the next few days off.
New blog on Tuesday, May 26th!
If you still feel like reading about college ministry, I encourage you to…
- Read Reaching the Campus Tribes if you haven’t already. (It’s a quick read, and I think you’ll be surprised what can be done in an ebook!)
- Check out a few blog topics that interest you (in the sidebar on the left).
- Catch up on recent blogs you might have missed.
- Keep watching the Twitter feed – I’ll still be twittering this weekend!
For an update on where I’m headed, see the blue part below.
Enjoy your weekend!
Written from Stony Brook, NY
Road Trip 11 update (Day 26)
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Quaker tribe of University of Pennsylvania (Penn)
plans: tentatively, it looks like Boston area through Monday, then on to Northern New England for a couple of days, then Penn State for the second half of the week, then on to Ohio. But we’ll see!
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
See if you can find the theme:
Yesterday morning, I met with Ryan McReynolds, Northeast Regional Director for Operations for Campus Crusade. Among lots of other things, we discussed Cru’s shift to using missional team models in some areas. In those cases, staff members at one developed campus will help establish and develop Crusade “movements” at other nearby campuses.
I ate lunch with Tim Hawkins, officer and past president of National Association of Christian Campus Ministries and Boston-Metro Director of Sojourn Collegiate Ministry. In Sojourn’s unique model of college ministry, they focus exclusively on small groups; a large group gathering would, he feels, simply duplicate what students are getting in church or elsewhere.
Then I sat down with Dan Cho, Executive Director of Veritas Forum. Dan and I discussed their ministry, which is clearly a complementary model. Veritas hopes to catalyze widespread campus change – but they know that they only play one piece in the overall impact of students and campuses.
This morning, I plan to meet with Michael Keller, one of the leaders of Redeemer Presbyterian Church’s City Campus Ministry in New York City. CCM is fully launching this fall and is, according to the web page, “a church-based, college student focused program.” But though CCM church-based, it’s a nontraditional model: “We are affiliated with, and supported by, local churches in New York City, including Redeemer, Emmanuel, and the Village Church . We are also closely connected to Reformed University Fellowship.” I look forward to hearing about this hybrid, multi-church model today.
Do you see a theme?
Three great ministry discussions yesterday (and hopefully one more today), largely concerned with one thing we should all be willing to consider:
Non-traditional college ministry models.
I don’t mean that we need to consider only these models. I mean we need to consider that many new models are almost certainly needed in many places. Maybe your campus is one of those places; maybe it’s not.
But there are people innovating out there, from the tried-and-true Campus Crusade folks to influential churches like Redeemer Presbyterian to strong ministries that will become better and better known – like NACCM and Veritas.
Maybe, just maybe, there’s some innovating that needs to be done where we are, too.
Last night I got to hang out with an ol’ buddy from my alma mater, Texas A&M University. Stacey is part of a church plant up here in Boston, and we last got to spend time together during the yearlong road trip; among other things, we joined the crowds at the Red Sox World Series parade and could have easily been trampled to death. Good times.
Stacey and I reminisced last night about the college experience we shared. It was a phenomenal college experience, in large part because it was phenomenally Christian. We spoke of a culture of discipleship, mutual encouragement, radical God-seeking, amazing fellow students, and even the fun that we experienced in that special community.
What memories will students have of your campus ministry? Will two classmates ever meet, in a far-off burger place, and share stories of their mutual experience late into the night? Will they speak oh so fondly of spurring and cleansing and laughter and urgency and growth and impact that took place on your watch?
At present, can you ever imagine two students from your ministry meeting – several years later – and being mutually encouraged as they remembered their impact on your campus? What would it take to get there in your ministry?
Or, even better, what would it take for you and your fellow college ministers to develop a memorably Christian culture?
Is it too much to hope that students will remember these days for the rest of their lives?
Is that too much to aim for?
Written from Hope Fellowship Church, Cambridge, MA
Road Trip #11 update (Day 23):
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Cavalier tribe of University of Virginia
campus visits two days ago: Yale University (#21 of the trip), University of Connecticut (#22)
campus visits yesterday: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, #23)
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
Two brief glimpses into the glorious moments that college ministry gets to see each and every year.
(And both, incidentally, were surprises – as in, I had no idea the blessing was coming until about an hour before the blessing came.)
- I got to attend the surprise going-away party for Jerome, the student worship leader of The Bridge collegiate church plant at UConn. While the fact that he’s transferring wasn’t particularly happy, the clear fellowship shared by church members in this baby-church was. It was an unbelievable honor to get to crash their little party. (And dinner was GOOD.)
- In another instance of extreme hospitality, I wound up getting to stay at Hope Fellowship Church here in the Boston area. Hope is an amazing church I’ve had the neat chance to encounter several times since 2004 or so. But while I’m staying in the church, so is a Baptist Student Ministries group from Amarillo College. That means I get to semi-participate in the glories of this group’s mission trip to Boston… and there’s nothing about that statement that isn’t AWESOME.
I don’t always get to see the “guts” of college ministry on these trips, so it’s a good day when I do. Tight-knit bonds and the sadness of students moving on – that is the stuff of college ministry. Rugged mission trips, with sleeping on the floor of a church and exploring Harvard before hanging out an ESL class at MIT – that, too, is the stuff of college ministry.
If you’re a college minister, I hope you know how glorious what you do day-in, day-out is. If not, let me come sit in, and I’ll gladly point it out!
Written from Cambridge, MA
Road Trip #11 update (Day 22 – I realized I was a day off before):
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Blue Hen tribe of the University of Delaware
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
What if every Christian college student had the opportunity and training to make at least a stab at viewing their present training as vocation, as calling, as something that can be – and indeed should be – sacred? What if each student in our campus ministries heard that their future jobs and present educations were more than just “work” – if they grasped the value and purpose and culture-shaping and Kingdom-spreading available here?
“Vocation” and its connection to college students has been one of this trip’s major themes so far, so I’ll probably explore this further in days to come. I’m still thinking it through myself.
But this I know: so far, few of us have placed a major emphasis on helping students get their minds around vocation. What if they simply had the chance, while they were in college, even to tinker with the notion of God’s brilliance and purposes for their specific field?
And we may find opportunities for vocation-exegesis beyond stabs and tinkers, too.
Written from outside New Haven, CT
Road Trip #11 update (Day 20):
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Buffalo tribe of University of Colorado (with plenty of Cardinal hoodie-wearing around cold NYC)
campus visit: Hunter College, New York City, NY (#20)
next step: heading toward Boston!
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
Update: You can catch my live notes from New York City church visits today at twitter.com/bensonhines!
Is it overspiritualizing to say that I’ve found Twitter to be yet one more avenue for God’s Providence?
I hope not, ’cause I have (but I don’t want to be too cheesy about it).
After three weeks of Twittering, it’s already proved to be both phenomenally helpful and phenomenally fun at points along this northeastern trek.
I connected with a great guy – Guy, actually, is his name – solely because of Twitter; he’s the University Minister at Belmont University. At this past week’s conference, I had the opportunity to pass on a hello to staff members from North Park University from their official Twitter people (after I Tweeted that I had seen them). I’ve gotten to see people mention my book on Twitter. And churches have responded to me directly after I mentioned the church in a Tweet.
I’ve begun following many college ministers around the U.S. who Twitter. I love watching as they live out this call to college ministry that we all share.
I’ve asked questions via Twitter – like suggestions for college ministries to contact in Princeton, or NYC churches to visit. And I’ve gotten some helpful responses (speedily, too!).
Those following me on Twitter have seen campus pictures, received some quick insights from the Summit collegiate conference two weeks ago and this week’s Young Adult conference, and discovered with me last night that I’d been using fabric softener instead of detergent… In other words, Twitter is a chance to share little things – some frivolous, some useful – that might not make it directly into this blog anytime soon. I love that part – at long last, people get to take these road trips “with” me.
So I’ve really enjoyed it. As I’ve noted before, you don’t have to be signed up with Twitter to enjoy many of the benefits. For instance, you can see all my recent Tweets at http://www.twitter.com/bensonhines. It’s that simple.
And this week is a good time to check it out, because I’ll be Twittering away at my New York City church visits Sunday and then keeping you posted as I figure out my as-of-yet-unplanned next two weeks.
Why don’t you pull up a Tweet and join me?
Written from my last night in Langhorne, PA
Road Trip #11 update (Day 19):
total trip driving mileage: 2,490 miles
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Kangaroo tribe of University of Missouri – Kansas City
next step: churches in NYC today; then…?
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
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