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As you know, I’m fascinated by the many differences between “campus tribes.” One of those differentation points comes whenever our country’s educational system and our country’s military intersect.
I had the neat chance recently to meet a college minister at the Air Force Academy (fittingly, today’s Campus Tribe of the Day), and I met another guy on the Brazil trip who used to serve at the Naval Academy. I’ve got a Campus Crusade friend at the Citadel. And I spent a lot of time around the prestigious Corps of Cadets while attending Texas A&M.
On this Memorial Day, I want to point out a special niche that can be found on plenty of campuses. And on plenty of those campuses, the citizens of this niche might – because of schedule, identity, and/or openness to certain outreach – be worth considering for special ministry. Or even if you simply make a special effort to draw them into your present ministry, I bet you find many of the men and women in this niche to be particularly committed, particularly service-minded, particularly noble.
That niche, of course, is the “military-minded” – whether this is working with ROTC members, those on the GI bill, or even reaching onto campuses that have a large (or fully) military presence.
Anybody serving in the sorts of capacities I mentioned at the top would probably be able to provide tips a’plenty – so if you’re interested in that niche, no need to recreate the wheel: Ask someone who already IS invested.
(I also know Valor is the niche of Campus Crusade that reaches cadets and midshipmen, and The Navigators has a long history of impacting those in the military and those on campuses. Any other suggestions?)
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My visits to CU and OU notwithstanding, this short road trip has afforded more great opportunities to visit some cool campuses that aren’t of that “household name” variety.
One of the things I’ve been pondering recently* is college ministry’s attention toward the millions of collegians** who aren’t attending Duke, Texas A&M, or UCLA.
This is one area in which I (and you) can’t judge any individual calling for a particular ministry or a particular person to reach a “name-brand campus.” Certainly, God does and will call some of us to the better-known mission fields – even fields with a dozen or more present campus ministries.
But as I (and we) observe the sum total of campus missions efforts, I don’t think it’s presumptuous simply to question whether every national ministry is predestined to establish a beachhead at Wake Forest… whether every local church is called to reach the University of Texas rather than Austin Community College… or whether every brand-new college minister is meant to serve a school with a real possibility of producing either a future U.S. President or a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.***
Perhaps we in the field of College Ministry can pray for Macdeonian calls, that some blessed adventurers might be called to reach Front Range Community College, Oklahoma City University, University of Northern Iowa, or the countless other schools that are highly unlikely to beat Kansas in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. If I had dream-invasion skills****, I might just have to use them.
There are millions of students at campuses you’ve never heard of (and that’s just in our country). What are the chances that at least some of us are called to labor for Christ on the less-reached fields, to build works in places where few or no works exist (of any kind)? (Such an ambition would be oh so Pauline, sayeth Romans 15:20!)
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*All this traveling (and my brain) tune me to pondering new ideas all the time. Feel free to ask.
**Collegian = noun. Collegiate = adjective. Always.
***There are four that have produced both.
****Not an implied tie-in to the new Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Rather, an implied tie-in to Acts 16.
Road Trip 14 recap, Day 14 (see all explorations here)
new campuses: Southwestern College (#18), Oklahoma Christian University (#19), University of Central Oklahoma (#20), University of Oklahoma (#21)
new states: Oklahoma (#5)
yesterday: finished up in KS, then made my way to the OKC area
today: continued exploring in the Oklahoma City and Norman areas
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O
One year ago today, I e-published Reaching the Campus Tribes: An Opening Inquiry. The response – then and continuing – has been utterly encouraging.
So I want to THANK YOU. Thanks to the many of you who helped spread the book: electronically, of course, but also via CD, via email… even via paper! Thanks to everyone who has said the book encouraged them, taught them, or catalyzed some part of their work.
If you haven’t read the book yet (c’mon, what are you waiting for?), I’ll tell you what I tell everybody:
You can easily read this book in a day… and it’s even got lots of great pictures!
But I’ll also add this: I really believe this book reflects much of the collective wisdom that can be found throughout the country, because it was borne from interviews with hundreds of college ministers. We know that what we do isn’t like most other ministries in Christendom; this book simply gives us a framework to make sense of this incredible thing we get to be a part of.
And hopefully – and this is one area that depends on you guys – those outside of college ministry will read Reaching the Campus Tribes, too.
Because they need to understand this. They need to value this work. They need to support this work.
So, again, THANK YOU for helping Reaching to thrive over the past year. I hope it continues to inspire, encourage, and teach. I’m blessed to have any hand in it at all.
thanks to the many who helped spread Reaching online
(if I’ve left someone out, let me know!)
Center for Parent / Youth Understanding · Chi Alpha Campus Ministries (National) · Emerging Scholars Network of InterVarsity · Impact Campus Ministries (part of the NACCM) · Internet Evangelism Day · The Ivy Jungle Network · Jesus Creed blog at BeliefNet · School Christian Fellowships, Canada · Matt Adair, Pastor, Christ Church Presbyterian, Watkinsville, GA · Brian Barela, Campus Crusade, Cal State Chico · Joe and Heidi Barrale, Freedom Life Christian Center, Christiana, PA · Chris Blair, Kats for Christ, Sam Houston State · Chuck Bomar, Founder, CollegeLeader · Chris Bridgeway, Great Commission Ministries national staff · Alice Connor, Lutheran Campus Ministry, University of Cincinnati · Nathan Creitz, ChurchETHOS · Glen Davis, Chi Alpha, Stanford · Jeff Dyer, Calvary Assembly of God, Dover, DE · Tom Grosh, InterVarsity Graduate & Faculty Ministry / Emerging Scholars Network, Central PA · Michelle Geesaman, Pastor, LSU Chi Alpha · Joel Hughes, professor, Kent State University · Kairos College Ministry, Colorado Springs, CO · Brian Kiley, former and future college minister, Pasadena, CA · Larkin Avenue Baptist Church, Elgin, IL · Steve Lutz, Coalition for Christian Outreach, Penn State University · Nick Melazzo, Baptist Student Ministries, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada · Ben Moore, Nazarene Student Ministry, Boise State University · Morschmellow blog, Xenos network · Kirby Oaks, Youth Minister, First Reformed Church, Mitchell, SD · Peace & Power Christian Fellowship, Drexel University · Nick Stromwall, Campus Outreach Minneapolis · University Fellowship of Christians, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia · Bill Victor, statewide Baptist Collegiate Ministry, Missouri · Bill Westfall, Impact Ministries, Boise State University · Wes Woodell, Campus Ministry United · Kevin Wright, Sheridan Hills Baptist Church, Hollywood, FL · Xenos Christian Fellowship, Stow, OH · Youth Ministry Institute, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Written from Longmont, CO
Road Trip 14 recap, Day 5
i finally updated the Itinerary page: click here to see all explorations so far!
new campuses: University of Colorado (#6), Colorado School of Mines (#7), & Colorado Christian University (#8)
yesterday: a breakfast with college ministers and visits to THREE campuses! I also took Mark to the airport, so I am a solo traveler once again.
today: several explorations, mostly in Boulder, including an… adventure.
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On Monday, I started looking at a principle I’ve found fundamental to my own college ministry practice. Today, I want to share how I first learned this stuff; since I can’t say this any better than the guy who taught me, I won’t really try.
A couple of years after college, I got a hold of a sermon discussing how an entire church best produces disciples. The pastor was Denton Bible Church’s Tommy Nelson, who’s pretty well-known here in Texas. (You might have encountered his widely dispersed Song of Solomon series.)
In the first 12 minutes of that message, Nelson shared a principle that has affected most of my college ministry work since then. Yes, he was applying it to the local church – but it’s a very basic methodology applicable to any ministry form.
In the message, Nelson describes learning this himself as a 26-year-old, from renowned Bible teacher (and teacher-of-teachers) Howard Hendricks.
And after 30 years of pastoring, Nelson said this is still the one thing he offers young pastors looking for guidance. “If you get this,” he tells them, “you’re going to be successful. If you don’t, I don’t care how many people [are in your church], you’re going to get frustrated.” He even describes this principle as the “Power Sweep of the church,” comparing it to the unstoppable offensive play run by Vince Lombardi’s teams of old.
Remember, this is coming from a guy with one of the most long-term impactful pastorates in Texas.
So here’s the principle. Any quotes are Nelson’s, as he described what he learned from Hendricks. While I’ll leave things basically in the form he presented it (discussing local churches), I personally apply it very directly to campus ministry.
the principle of backwards ministry
“Normally, when you talk about how to do a church, we do it backwards.”
He described watching Hendricks draw, from left to right, something like this:
A ministry usually begins with its pastor and leadership in place. Then, those people decide structure and activities – when the ministry meets, regular activities, organization, message topics, guest speakers, etc.
Of course, the structures and activities determine what kind of people, at the end of the day, are produced within this ministry. (Nelson calls them the ministry’s “gun barrel,” because that’s the part of the gun that most determines how the bullets fly and what targets are hit.)
In this form of ministry, deciding the structures comes first; the “product” comes about simply as a natural result of all that.
“That’s generally how churches are done, and that is exactly backward.”
Instead – and this time, Nelson said, Hendricks started drawing on the right side of the board – the setup should look like this:
We begin our work by establishing, “Just what do we call ‘success’?”
“When that guy has been through your church five or six years, what do you want him [the stick figure] to look like? … Because whatever you determine is successful, that’s how you’re going to organize…” Further, if that definition of success isn’t correct from the start, “then you’re going to succeed at the wrong areas.”
Only after the “Product” is established do the leaders decide the “How” of the ministry (the structures, processes, and activities), and they base those decisions entirely on the “What” they’re trying to produce! Following that, the leadership is chosen or placed based on the needs of those structures and activities.
[As I've learned since, others have called this "starting with the end in mind." I often call it "purpose-based" or even "outcome-based" ministry.]
Nelson continued, “What’s the most important part of an oxcart? The ox. The cart. The wheel. No – the most important part of an oxcart is the blueprint. Because that’s the mind of the guy who makes the oxcart. And as long as you have a blueprint, you know what an oxcart is supposed to be and how it’s supposed to function.”
You can always acquire oxen and materials to put together a solid oxcart. But “you lose that blueprint, and now you’re going to make – successfully – something that doesn’t correspond to ‘oxcart-ness.’”
“If you’re right here” – Nelson continued, pointing at the right side of the diagram – “this follows and this follows. If you’re wrong here, this’ll be wrong, and this’ll be wrong.”
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All the posts discussing “Backwards College Ministry” can now be found here. And in case you didn’t read it, I fleshed this out from a different angle on Monday.
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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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Annually, I’m thrown off by the fact that February is so stinking short. Monthly payments, appointment scheduling, procrastination – all important activities, and all are perverted by having a month that’s a week shorter than the other months. Approximately.
Do you realize that even though today is the middle of Feburary, Monday = March? Ridiculous!
So if you happen to be reading this on Monday or Tuesday, here’s what I encourage you to remember: Even though this wrap-up of recent online discussions is dated February 27th, that’s only a few days ago! You are not as behind as you may think!
All kidding aside, this is a tiny month. But there have still be some great, college-ministry-related discussions within it. Here are some from the second half that might prove helpful!
specific methods (Hooray for ministers detailing their activities!)
- Transitioning a ministry to a greater emphasis on small groups, by Michael Mears
- Hosting a simple college ministry Q&A, by Michael Armstrong
- Blessing other organizations via en masse attendance (last week’s Fridea here)
- Delegating the ministry’s tasks to more students, by Michael Mears
- Pizza Discussions as outreach, by Bob Fuhs, complete with downloadable discussion guide and training guide!
- Direct (“ministry mode”) evangelism – a 2-minute video discussion, by Brian Barela and Dan Birch, followed by comments
- Teaching about Christ’s work in overcoming habitual sin & other spiritual transformation, by Guy Chmieleski
- Teaching college students about money, by Bob Fuhs
- Valentine’s Dinner for (gal) students from (guy) students, by Michael Mears, with video
religion within the university: First, John Stackhouse just yesterday posted his thoughts about public prayers in the context of a secular university, etc. But religion’s role within university settings has been popular topic of late, and Emerging Scholars Network has provided some great coverage: Here’s a post looking at the question of “Christian privilege” within colleges, and another one with several links on the role of religion within higher ed.
starting a college ministry, continued: Brian Barela continues his excellent posts on starting a campus ministry with a discussion on student-selection – and gets, as he often does, some really helpful comments.
missional campus ministry: Betsy Prosise does a great job of reflecting on college ministry while she’s being trained for ministry. The other day, she noted how campus ministers should be “cross-cultural” in their approach to the campus.
on the college students we serve: Collin Hansen offers a strong summing-up of Smith and Snell’s Souls in Transition, looking at five myths of young adult spirituality. Mark Warrington observes the Millennial desire for community and how that fleshes out in both “Glee” and “Community.” Guy Chmieleski discusses the impact of the “prolonged adolescence” college students experience (well into their 20s), introducing the topic and then offering his own insights. And I reflect on students’ “hunger for their souls”, starting from an interesting quote from a wall at Reed College.
overcoming obstacles to the change you want to lead: Brian Barela provides a helpful, hard-learned theory on how to get change to actually occur, despite overseers who might be… resistant. Good comments, too.
evaluating your college ministry: Guy Chmieleski offers an important reflection on whether our ministries are really impacting our students – and some thoughts on three things that should be taking place.
church history and campus ministry: It’s certainly some “inside baseball” stuff, but Heart of Campus Ministry has produced some neat posts (from Mike Armstrong and from Tim Hawkins) on how being a part of their fellowship of churches (the Independent Christian Church) impacts the ministry to collegians. It’s the kind of discussion that’s really valuable for our field!
reflections on Jubilee (A college ministry conference with lots to offer all of us)
- Mike Hickerson of InterVarsity’s Emerging Scholars Network: particularly notable, this reflection comes from a fellow outsider to CCO and from a particularly academic standpoint
- Recap video, posted by Derek Melleby
- Steve Lutz of the CCO at Penn State: about his interactions with atheists at Jubilee, and then a cool post with ALL the questions (asked and unasked) from the popular Atheist / Christian Dialogue at Jubilee.
- Jonathan Weyer of the CCO at Ohio State: focuses on various aspects of the conference, including his own work with the Atheist / Christian Dialogue
- Chris Bean of the CCO at Cincinnati: noting the highlights for him and his ministry
- From me, my scatter-shot (but resource-rich) reflections on the first day and on the second day
- Pictures from Jubilee, via the Coalition for Christian Outreach Facebook fan page
For the last run-down of important discussions, click here – after all, that was still within this tiny month!
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Yes, many college ministers have gotten to spend this week (and get to spend the next, and maybe even the next) recuperating, planning, and otherwise enjoying a brief hiatus in their primary duties. However, there are lots of college ministers who are functioning full-speed-ahead this week! So this Weekly Review is dedicated to those hard-working (and cold-enduring) brothers and sisters in our field!
Specifically, there are plenty of college ministers serving on Quarter System campuses (as opposed to Semester System) who have already gotten started on the Winter Quarter. (Most of these can be found on the West Coast and in Ohio, but there are others.) And across the nation, many church-based college ministers are pulling out all the stops to minister to home-grown students before they return to school.
So as we celebrate these guys and gals (and pray for them), here’s this week’s review of some of the best online college ministry discussions:
On brainstorming: Justin Wallace kicked off Heart of Campus Ministry’s new series on The Art of Brainstorming, discussing things he learned about leading team brainstorming sessions. (I’ll be blogging there this Monday, so be sure to check that out!)
Tools for sharing the faith: After his much-celebrated postgame comments this week, I figured I’d point you to Colt McCoy‘s evangelistic “I Am Second” videos and page! And Keith Davy posts about a new Campus Crusade evangelism emphasis, using Short Films to spread the word. As is often true, one campus ministry’s resource developments can be gain for everybody!
Book collaboration & two helpful analyses: Brian Barela not only previews an ebook he’s working on (for those starting a college ministry!), he wants collaboration. And in another post, Brian offers a really helpful analysis of three directions campus ministries might “bend.”
One more cool post went up yesterday, where Barela drew out the reasons a “gray areas” message he heard was so impactful. I would love to see more blog posts like this from around the college ministry world – simply filtering down some activities, messages, and other campus ministry staples to their key principles or “best practices.” (If you read the post, you’ll see what I mean.)
Starting, and starting slow: Matt McComas describes his observations and asks for suggestions as he begins to transition from a big college ministry in Bozeman to a Metro team in Portland (or, as he describes it, “from cowtown to urban hipster”). Meanwhile, his fellow CCC staffer Bob Fuhs provides a solid exhortation to move slowly in such endeavors. Be sure to check the comments on both posts, too.
Book suggestions: Derek Melleby with the College Transition Initiative blogs his fave books from 2009 – many of which might make good teaching, small group, or disciplemaking material.
BIG week on this blog: Exploring College Ministry is well on its way to the most second most hits of any week ever… so thanks a bunch for reading! This week has included a post pushing college ministries to enthusiastically recruit students, a first-of-the-year encouragement for us to consider quitting our big projects (that seemed to scratch where some people were itching!), a Fridea with 9 ways you could consider taking the courageous “Combo Approach,” and a reflection on how Campus Crusade’s local Winter Conference mirrors its ministries on the ground.
College students, young adults, spirituality, and why our work matters: Several items came out for helping both us and other Christians (like pastors and parents) understand the audience we serve! You might want to pass some of these on!
First, Scot McKnight begins a multi-post series at Jesus Creed about Christian Smith’s Souls in Transition. The book is about the spiritual activities and pursuits of “emerging adults” (people 18-29). So it’s obviously directly connected with not only what we do, but also the world into which we’re sending our students. I look forward to hearing McKnight’s take.
Further, Sam Rainer highlights the Pew Forum’s new research project and gives some basics on Millennials. And in a related vein, Tim Elmore points to 12 key ways the world changed in the past decade (you know, the decade when our students “grew up”). Chuck Booher, Senior Pastor of Corona, California’s Crossroads Christian Church, pens a helpful article in The Christian Standard with some basics on understanding and connecting with college students and young adults. Bob Hetzler notes a good way to find out what collegians and young adults think about a church.
And finally, Rhett Smith gives a great look at the issues surrounding how parents can help their students plug into a ministry when they go to college. And he asks for thoughts on this very important issue (and has received several comments so far).
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Several of the blogs I read (and others linked on Twitter) have been posting on the topic of “New Year’s Resolutions,” or its cousin, “Goals for 2010.” This is not that kind of post, because at present, my adventurous sojourn makes forward-looking a little tricky.
Fortunately, I continue to know my calling: To help further the field of College Ministry. While the steps involved in that are a bit hazy, God continues to be clear on next steps – which is all I really need.
God has continued to develop my understanding of that calling and the activities I should and shouldn’t pursue, and I thought I’d share a bit of wisdom He has used to shape me in the last few years. It directly relates to ideas like “resolutions,” “goal-setting,” and even understanding God’s will. I figured now would be a good time to offer it – both for you and potentially for your students, who likely need this wisdom more than anyone else in the whole world.
That piece of (what I consider) enormous wisdom?
Don’t start something if you can’t push through the Dip.
If you’ve been reading for awhile, you know I’m a Seth Godin fan, but it might surprise you that one of his works is actually one of my very favorite books of all time. That short book – which I’ve read four times in the past two years – is The Dip.
The title theme, the infamous “dip,” refers to “the long slog between starting and mastery” (page 17). The claims of the 2-part book, then, include:
“Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny majority of people who are able to push through a tiny bit longer than most.”
BUT ALSO…
“Extraordinary benefits also accrue to the tiny majority with the guts to quit early and refocus their efforts on something new” (both quotes from p. 4).
In other words, the book urges,
Quit the wrong stuff.
Stick with the right stuff.
Have the guts to do one or the other (also p. 4).
And I believe this is wisdom: For those starting a college ministry. For those starting a new initiative within their campus ministry. For new bloggers. For those hoping to write a book (which I’ve heard lots of people talking about lately). For planting a church. For lots of other things that we college ministers are likely to begin sometime soon.
And it’s wisdom college students need, too – that they might understand that following a new passion or a new idea each week isn’t God’s desire for their lives, now or later.
If they (or we) can’t push through “the Dip” to completion or mastery, they (or we) probably shouldn’t begin. And our question, as Christians, is not only “Can we?” but “Should we?”
No, The Dip is not a Christian book. But it contextualizes a principle that seems to be the thrust of I Corinthians 9:26-27:
So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (ESV)
“Beating the air,” the commentators note, probably doesn’t refer to “shadow boxing” (even if that is the popular exposition). It refers, instead, to missed punches in an actual fight – “air punches,” akin to the much-mocked “air ball” in basketball. The idea is parallel to the one that precedes it: Wandering from one’s own lane during a race.
We – and our students – are meant to run with aim and consistently “land our punches” (or, to use Jesus-analogies, to finish our buildings and win our wars). I don’t mean that there will never be something like “trial and error,” but biblically it’s not commended as standard operating procedure. If we are really going to “make the most of every opportunity,” we celebrate the fact that God has not called us to all things – and He has not called us even to all the things we desire to do, hope to do, or recognize would be valuable. He’s got for us “good works prepared beforehand,” and that portion is beautiful enough.
So if you need help deciding what those “works” might be, and if you believe wisdom can come in small, secular packages, you might find some counsel in the book fully titled, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick). I can’t encourage you more to get – and read – this book, particularly if you’re considering any sort of new endeavor like the ones I mentioned above. It’s 80 pages, and the pages are small.
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Two Frideas this week: One for those in well-developed college ministries, with a flip-side Fridea for those in newer ministries!
It’s very clear to me that one of the “weak links” in the field of college ministry is successfully starting college ministries. That area seems to need some improvement. And today’s ideas might just be two ingredients for that improvement.
First Fridea: Help plant a college ministry elsewhere (or even on your campus)!
One of the ideas for multiplying collegiate impact I’m most intrigued by involves well-developed college ministries helping “birth” new college ministry work. This, I believe, could be a great (and perhaps sometimes better) alternative to the classic “cold start” model or the “metro” model. (The former refers to simply starting a college ministry in a new location from scratch; the latter model involves using an off-site staff team to foster ministries in a regional or citywide setting.)
This sort of “ministry multiplication” is already happening around the country; while I can’t say it’s prevalent, it’s certainly not unheard of. Just last week I got to discuss the work the Fargo / Moorhead Chi Alpha group is doing to help restart a ministry up the road at UND. Florida State’s Campus Christian Fellowship is working to plant a ministry on a local community college. And it was exciting to hear this summer from Ryan McReynolds about Cru’s national “Missional Team” strategy, which encourages strong ministries to plant additional Cru “movements.”
In fact, those newly-planted ministries might be on other campuses, but they can also be works on the same campus – an ethnic ministry or international student ministry, for instance.
If you’re a developed ministry, November is a great time to pray through the question: “God, would you have us ‘share the wealth’ by planting other ministries sometime in the future?”
The flip-side Fridea for newer ministries: Look for a ministry “mentor.”
On the other hand, couldn’t a newer college ministry take the opposite tack? Any kind of college ministry (whether it’s in a church or on a campus) could locate a strong “mentor ministry” to help it walk through its first year or two. During the odd and fragile period of a ministry’s beginnings, wouldn’t it be great to have friendly and knowledgeable help, including:
- Exegeting your campus context
- Ideas for activities
- Long-range thinking
- “Loaner” students / student leaders
- Recruiting help
- Design help (for advertising, T-shirts, materials, etc.)
- Training (for leaders or student leaders)
- Funding or fund-raising
- Wisdom for “special situations” that arise
If you’re a newer ministry, November may be the time you’re wondering if things are going as well as possible. I’d encourage you to pray through the question, “God, is there another group who could help us get started really well?”
[Next week's Fridea takes some of these ideas in a different direction, for any ministry.]
posted from Motel 6 in Kalamazoo, Michigan
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Road Trip 13: Day 33 recap
recap: a great day in Chicagoland, with some big surprise meetings (see all explorations so far)
mileage: 6,489 miles so far
new campuses: Wheaton College (#25), North Park University / Theological Seminary (#26), University of Chicago (#27)
new states: Indiana (#14) and Michigan (#15)
T-shirt: the Bruin tribe of UCLA
friday: on to University of Michigan, where I’ll spend the weekend
If you learned that on your next mission trip overseas you would encounter a high concentration of tribe members in one profession, how would you prepare?
One of the cool college ministers I’ve been able to meet on this trip is Aaron Friesen, College Pastor at Magnolia Avenue Baptist Church in Riverside, CA. The church is situated right by California Baptist University, but like many church-based ministries, they connect with multiple campus tribes. Aaron and his boss, Mike Lovato, wandered with me among the Highlander tribe of UC Riverside, and at some point I asked what UCR’s emphases might be.
Afterwards, Aaron did a little research and was nice enough to send me what he found; it turns out that UCR is, among other things, strong in Business Administration, and it has one of the “Top 100″ LGBT chapters in the country.
This past week, I got to visit UNLV. One of their focus areas quickly became clear – and, if you think about it, makes a lot of sense. (Can you guess what it is?)
That’s right – the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration sits on campus in a cool building that actually seems to resemble an open-air hotel lobby. Yes, he was the founder of those Harrah’s casinos. And it’s not surprising for University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to specialize in that area.
So here’s my question: How often does college ministry impact connect with campus emphasis?
What might it look like to have specific studies for Business majors? Outreach to LGBT members, and others in that community? Discussions about Christian hospitality on a campus interested in the hospitality industry?
Clearly, there are some niche ministry efforts in our field. But I’d argue that there aren’t nearly enough. We might find that by going “deeper” in reaching single communities, we might just have the chance to reach more students, reach them better, be ultra-relevant to our audience, help students connect their future vocations with Jesus, integrate with the campus itself, directly “invade” dark places (when campus distinctives fall into that category), and more.
So have you ever brainstormed / prayed through that idea, picking some unique aspect of your campus and dreaming about intersecting it with Jesus? This could be an official (or unofficial) emphasis, a strength, a weakness, even its location or love for a certain sport.
Try it – even with some zany areas – and you might stumble upon something exciting. (And be sure to let me know!)
Meanwhile, have you seen any interesting niche ministries?
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written from Cedar City, UT
Road Trip 13: Day 22
recap: catching up, hunkered down in southern Utah
two brief campus visits: Dixie State College (#14) and Southern Utah (#15)
T-shirt: the Owl tribe of Temple University
monday: I begin 24+ hours of driving in 3 days, with some explorin’ along the way (see all explorations so far)
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