You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘road trip 15 -vegas & flagstaff’ category.
One of the simple but very, very important things I was reminded of on Road Trip 15 was the difference in what “success” might look like campus to campus. It’s important to realize that our “percentage of the student body reached” formulas (formal or informal) are at best only guidelines.
Sometimes a great ministry – well-established, well-run, full of Spirit and truth – won’t draw the number of students we “think it should.” In fact, one campus may be populated by several ministries like this and still not see nearly as many students reached as some less effective, less efficient ministries somewhere else.
Sure, I hope we see inroads and dramatic revival and even new, God-revealed methods that help grow our impact on campuses formerly thought to be quite difficult. We can’t use Hard Soil as an outright excuse (and I don’t meant it to be one here). But we should recognize it as reality.
- So we celebrate the victories we see, including every life we see changed.
- So we determine to push and tug until our ministry is the very best it can be.
- So for us not already on a certain campus, we’re careful not to encroach on what God is already doing in tough places. We refuse to assume that our college ministry efforts would be helpful. Maybe they would be. But maybe not. Maybe the soil’s just hard, but there are enough campus ministries.
And we who are in Easier Soil settings must beware that we not assume we’re fulfilling our ministries just because we’ve got a lot of people or saw a lot of lives changed last year. It’s a bigger temptation to be mediocre when you can still draw a hundred…
—————————————————————————————
[Click to ask questions, comment, or see any comments on this post!]
My eight-day Road Trip 15 ended yesterday, but of course I have lots to share about what I learned and explored. (See the trip’s itinerary and explorations right here.)
At least twice on Road Trip 15 – maybe more – college ministers mentioned the changes in students since they graduated. And in both cases I’m thinking of, I was talking to campus ministers serving at their alma maters.
In the space of only a handful of years, the climate had changed. Not completely, of course. But enough to matter. (I believe in both those cases, the minister had gone elsewhere between graduation and returning to the school as a minister. I’m sure that helped them notice the differences.)
This reminds me that we all need to regularly update our understanding of students and our campus. They aren’t the same as they were a few years ago. They probably aren’t utterly the same as last semester. Yet I think it’s easy for us to “lock in” to certain moments – maybe what students were like when we were in college, maybe the climate during our first year as a college minister.
If our ministry is perfect for reaching students from 2009, then we’re not fulfilling our ministry in 2011.
Written from home in good ol’ Dallas, TX
—————————————————————————————
[Click to ask questions, comment, or see any comments on this post!]
I got home from Road Trip 15 about four hours ago! Below, you’ll find the last reflection (somehow it didn’t get posted this morning). You can also see all the details of the road trip’s activities right here. And in the next few days I’ll be posting more on what I learned on this fantastic, exhausting trip.
There are points on these trips – sometimes, large sections – that can be a little brutal. Scheduled explorations, long drives, time zone irregularities, and weird sleeping arrangements keep sleep at a premium. Despite adding yogurts to my packing list, eating well – and some days eating regular meals at all – is tricky. My schedule is often jam-packed with interviews, ministry visits, writing notes, and preparing for the next discussion or next activities. Some days just involve a whole lot of talking – like the four hours of seminars and Q&A last Wednesday, or days that end up chock-full of college minister interviews. And while I love all those moments, of course, for an introvert, all my own blabber may weary more than anything…
And when the schedule isn’t full, the Pathfinder and I are usually spending quality time together for hours upon hours. The drives bring a rest of sorts, but even that is a brutal sort of rest (or a restful brutality?).
But the brutality is magnificent.
It purifies, it humbles, it reveals, it even… invigorates.
I don’t have the chance – unlike so many of you – to pour my whole life into specific students at a particular campus. While I do volunteer in my church’s ministry at home, my full-time work is this, advancing the field of College Ministry in any ways I can.
So it’s an honor to have episodes of brutality while serving you on the front lines. What you do has its brutal moments and whole brutal semesters – I’ve been there. But the exertion we expend ties our hearts to this work; we’re sowing treasure in heaven via the soil of these campuses. And there our heart will be also. I pray the brutality keeps capturing my heart; I pray it keeps capturing yours.
Written at Motel 6, Amarillo, TX
—————————————————————————————
[Click to ask questions, comment, or see any comments on this post!]
While a good portion of this week’s blogs have still focused on college ministry thought and practice, I’ve enjoyed the sharing the road trip experience, too. And throughout the years, I’ve had occasions to “reflect” like that – in both formal and fun ways.
Most of those posts are in the “Reflections, Focused or Fun” category. In there, you’ll find out how to visit Canada accidentally, why I wear all these T-shirts, why nobody understands my name in the north, what I learned from French worship music, and what happens when Benson attends a girls-only chapel service. And much more.
If you’re up for some additional road trip experiences (and other reflections on life and ministry), be sure to check out that category. You can skim through and read the interesting stuff; just click “Previous Entries” at the bottom to get to each page.
I finally made my official “Road Trip 15″ page, with lists of everything I’ve done on this trip so far. If you’re interested in the discussions I’ve had, my ministry visits, campuses I’ve explored, and even the mileage I’ve driven, be sure to take a look:
My 15th multistate, college ministry-exploring road trip is still underway! (Details here.) I’ve been updating regularly (though a bit chaotically) this week.
While sometimes we don’t realize it, how we “do” our Large Group Meeting is the product of a multitude of choices. In fact, it’s at least 49 choices; I’ve posted before on 49 separate ways I’ve seen Large Group Meetings differ around the country.
But since this week I’m providing an up-close look at Road Trip 15, I wanted to share the unique aspects I found in ONE visit last night. In this case, it happens to be the weekly InterVarsity meeting at Northern Arizona U. (Some of these unique characteristics come from this being an IV chapter, but some are probably rare even within that org.)
Walk with me through the uniquenesses I found at NAU’s IV.
1. Musical marketing. At least an hour before the meeting, the worship team could be heard (warming up, presumably) throughout a large portion of the South Campus of NAU. Since their meeting takes place in a second-floor ballroom, the windows open onto the campus below – and allow for some major acoustical advertisement.
2. Song scheduling. Two songs before the message, three afterwards. (Admittedly, the leader did act like that diverted from the usual plan.)
3. MCs. Apparently they have official, every week emcees – a guy and a girl – for the 2010-2011 school year. They did announcements (twice). This isn’t uncommon among some of the campus-based ministries, but not nearly all the rest of us use this device.
4. Camp and Dance (unique events). I know a “summer week” of some sort is also common among some campus-based groups, but other college ministries don’t do anything like that. Less common, I’d imagine, are formal dances, but they were advertising one last night.
5. They took an offering. This week, the offering went toward their upcoming Chapter Camp this summer.
6. Song styling. Worship had a distinct “world beat,” multi-instrument, diverse feel – down to singing one song in Hawaiian (with an electric ukulele accompanying!) and learning a sign language phrase for another. This is not at all uncommon within InterVarsity, but for the rest of us it’s a unique treat.
7. Speaker profile. Not only does IV at NAU appear to use different speakers each week (which doesn’t fit some of our molds), but last night’s speaker was an alumnus AND an introvert (he noted that). In fact, he basically read his talk. And it was very, very good.
None of these aspects are wildly surprising, of course, but it still might be helpful for some of us to consider varying our speaker lineup, varying the types of speakers we rely on, considering the impactfulness some of our alums could bring to a message.
8. They gave an invitation. Yes, a real-life, do-you-want-to-come-to-Christ invitation. (A second option for others getting a free Bible from the back – if you were willing to read it.) The first song of the post-message worship was even “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” – doesn’t get any more classic than that. Where else have I seen an invitation? Oh yeah, the InterVarsity group (that’s widely known for seeing students come to Christ) at UCSD.
9. Message length (and entire meeting length). Message lengths vary in college ministry, but this one was 25 minutes… and the entire meeting was over in less than an hour. Like I said, everything was quite good – so I don’t feel the shortness took anything at all away from it, and there are clearly some up-sides to brevity, too.
10. Afterparty. I think the encouragement to go to Starbucks at the meeting’s end was pointing us to an after-Large Group hangout. This method pops up all over, but not nearly “all over” enough for my taste. I’m a fan of encouraging community in this way (if it fits your group and your campus).
Posted from Motel 6, Flagstaff
—————————————————————————————
[Click to ask questions, comment, or see any comments on this post!]
I’m on my 15th multistate, college ministry-exploring road trip! (Details here.) So I’m writing whenever I can this week, about both the college ministry learnings and reflections on the trip itself.
I get asked a lot about my “favorite” campuses. But I’m not a big fan of playing favorites. I truly do love all these campus tribes scattered around the country, and I’m excited about the work God’s doing here, there, and everywhere… and the work He’s going to do!
But I have had a multitude of campus experiences, and sometimes those experiences have produced a certain fondness for certain places. Northern Arizona University is like that for me, and maybe not for the reasons you’d think.
Four reasons the Lumberjack tribe holds a special place in my heart:
- This was one of my earliest explorations. Long before God called me to more drastic, truly nationwide exploration, I did take several pretty large road trips. And Flagstaff just happens to be an excellent stopping place between Texas and Southern California. So I’d been to NAU long before I visited here during the Yearlong Road Trip – and that gives it a special place in my heart.
- It’s beautiful. Okay, this might be a reason you’d expect, but it’s true. For a boy from North Texas, seeing mountains, snow, and lots of trees is a very big treat. The campus itself is laid out in a sorta tricky way, but the surroundings are excellent. (The Lumberjack mascot is therefore apropos – and yet another reason I like this place. I appreciate unique mascots.)
- It’s Flagstaff. I went to one of the most conservative public schools in the country (Texas A&M), and while I was perfectly comfy there, I get a kick out of campus settings that are quite different from my own alma mater’s. This is a unique, offbeat sort of place, like Boulder (which I got to visit on my last official road trip). It’s tricky soil from a college ministry perspective, but that means it’s all the more exciting to think of God invading this place with peace and community and purpose.
- I’ve slept here. Like I said, Flagstaff is a great stop between Texas and California. And that hasn’t only meant exploring the campus; once or twice it meant staying here overnight… in the parking lot. In what I’ve sometimes dubbed the “Pathfinder Motel” (or maybe even the Corolla Motel before that?), air conditioned by the wonderfully chilly air here at 7,000 feet. And something about that experience has increased my fondness for NAU too; perhaps “where your bed is, there your heart will be also”?
In case you’re wondering, I’m staying in a Motel 6 this week.
Posted from the University Union, Northern Arizona University
—————————————————————————————
[Click to ask questions, comment, or see any comments on this post!]
I’m on my 15th multistate, college ministry-exploring road trip! (Details here.) So whenever I can write, I’m posting anything that comes up, for fun or for learnin’. Enjoy!
It’s fun – and not so unusual – when chances to speak or consult about college ministry force me to “streamline” my ideas. My mind generally houses a messy desk of stacks and semi-categories – a system that works fine in everyday life, because I can find what I need and everything stays “visible” and accessible. But when it’s time to present – whether in speaking or writing – mental filing and ordering have to take place, even if I hate making final decisions about “what fits where.”
One part of my seminars yesterday answered the question, “Who are today’s college students?” Starting from square one – and speaking to a group of mostly non-college ministers – forced me to answer the question more fully than I generally do. And as I did, I realized where some of my frustration about some college ministry training come from.
I finally settled on a two-angle approach for yesterday’s talk:
- Lifestage: Collegiate
- Generation: Millennial
I discuss the Millennial generation a lot here on the blog. Those issues are relatively new (since the first Millennials entered college only in the middle of last decade). But this discussion really only gets us so far; a full understanding of today’s college students takes into account their lifestage, too.
We’re dealing very specifically with collegiate Millennials. Of course, as college ministers, we tend to be familiar with those issues – a state of transition, the openness and searching of the college years, newfound independence, and so on. These issues don’t change as often as generational ones do. But they’re still very important – and newer college ministers and outsiders (like the senior pastors in yesterday’s audience) might need a refresher course.
Disappointingly, some of the recent books and other discussions related to our field approach students from only one of these two angles. Either they only focus on the collegiate issues and don’t recognize how vital it is to understand their sociological generation, or they treat college students like they’re no different than Young Adults, Youth, or others in the Millennial Gen.
To best understand today’s college students, we (and those who support us, oversee us, or want to work alongside us) have to look at their lifestage AND their generation.
Posted while I’m somewhere between Las Vegas and Flagstaff
—————————————————————————————
[Click to ask questions, comment, or see any comments on this post!]
This morning I’m speaking. It’s why I took this trip in the first place, remember.
Actually, this may be the longest speaking engagement I’ve had. I’ll be meeting with something like eleven local Las Vegas ministers from 9am to 1pm, with a good two seminars’ worth of speaking and ample Q&A time.
I’m excited and plenty nervous; I’m hopeful that even though I’ve got a lot to say, it can be presented in a style that resonates… not one that just “informs.”
I’m excited that I’ll be able to use a lot of my road trip pics during this seminar. In some seminars and for some purposes, PowerPoint slides make sense. And when they do, that means I get to use my pictures to illustrate my points. It’s good times (and good memories!).
I’ve done this enough to realize that afterwards, I’ll be about as exhausted as I ever get – not just physically (and we’ll see how much time I spend on my feet in those four hours), but also mentally / emotionally. I’m a natural introvert, so I get really withdrawn following chances to speak. I can’t imagine how pronounced that effect will be after four hours of having to hear myself talk…
I’m not complaining. It’s a happy exhaustion.
Pray for me.
I’m on my 15th multistate, college ministry-exploring road trip! (Details here.) So whenever I can write, I’ll be posting an “under the hood” look at what I learn and experience on these trips. Enjoy!
This morning I had great chats with two college ministers here at UNLV: Mattie Goins, director of InterVarsity’s chapter here, and Steve Timmons, head of the Christian Challenge ministry here (and the guy who brought me in to speak tomorrow). As usual, these college ministers were able to give me an amazing “insider’s” view of this campus – including the tricky, sticky efforts to reach it for the Lord.
I might post later in the week about the uniqueness of this Rebel tribe, once I’ve got time to get pictures posted. But what I wanted to list here were some of the interesting ideas today’s conversations left me with.
1. Why aren’t we all about planting college ministries on community colleges and other under-reached campuses? Mattie described efforts in her region along these lines, but people who are willing to stand up for reaching less “name brand” campuses are few and far between. That stinks.
2. I’d be intrigued to hear from ministries that are the ONLY Jesus-devoted org on their campus. It would be fascinating to hear the experiences and insights from those ministries that have no counterparts in college ministry reaching their particular tribe.
3. Short-lived church efforts are legion. This wasn’t news to me; in fact, there’s a small chunk of my book devoted to the topic. But a history of “turbulence” or “fragility” in church-originated college ministry work came up again today. Not so coincidentally, fixing this is a big focus of tomorrow’s seminars…
4. Come from abroad or learn broadly. I was also reminded of how helpful it can be to have college ministry staff that has experienced another campus. Too often our ministry worlds are way too small. If we do have limited experiences, then we’ve got to make up for it by learning others’ contexts all the more.
5. But… be local or get local. But Mattie reminded me of the flipside, too: There’s value in understanding Las Vegas and UNLV as she (a local and UNLV alumna) can. Outsiders sometimes don’t realize nuances that locals do. So for us who aren’t actually locals or alumni of our ministry campuses, we’ve got to do all that’s necessary to “get local” – learning our context beyond just surface measures, and loving our context as our very home.
6. Money. Needed. This came up with both ministers, too, but Steve described the recent vote to defund various college ministry work around the state of Nevada. (Southern Baptist ministry is, in many states, funded via churches collectively rather than through individuals.) For all of us, it’s worth considering alternates and additions to the funding we’re used to. My Books-to-Impact project is one way to help campus ministries do this, but I betcha there are many others we can come up with! Maybe it’s time to start trying.
By the way, this idea-generation happens in nearly every conversation I have with campus ministers – I’m left with something cool to ponder for our field, whether it’s something I’ve never thought about before or just something unique I haven’t considered for awhile. Asking good questions – and even moreso, just plain listening to a college minister talk about his or her ministry – yields a surprising bounty of ponder-able goodness!
Written from the Student Union of the University of Nevada – Las Vegas
—————————————————————————————
[Click to ask questions, comment, or see any comments on this post!]
Recent Comments