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The national United Methodist campus ministry guys have established an absolutely brilliant Facebook group. This group hits right at the heart of our biggest need in college ministry right now: raising the value of college ministry in the minds of American Christians, and it helps accomplish that in a very simple but very powerful way.
Here’s the Facebook group. Copy it, or urge your denomination or fellowship to copy it. Absolutely genius. (I’m not going to spoil it here, so yes, you’ll have to take a look if you wanna know what they’re doing.)
Then, I ran across the UMC effort (at least here in Texas) to help transition college students well. You can find a short explanation right here, and be sure to click the link to the info form. Also interesting stuff.
The Southern Baptists are doing something similar on the national level; you can see how they’re doing that right here.
These are methods others should copy!
For more on the greatest need in college ministry, see Monday’s post.
For more on United Methodist college ministry, check out College Union and the General Board’s site.
For more on SBC college ministry, check out BCMLife.
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Yesterday, I looked at the difficulties faced by Campus Crusade for Christ in light of the negative connotation of the word “crusade.” I found that interesting in my travels around the country, so I thought you might, too!
Probably the biggest branding difficulty in the world of college ministry right now belongs to the Southern Baptists. In case you’re unaware, their campus ministries collectively are officially called “Baptist Collegiate Ministries” at this point in time. But that name is far from standardized nationwide.
brand difficulties and the BSU (BCM, BSM, etc., etc., etc.)
BCM used to be known as BSU – Baptist Student Union. And as far as I can tell, that name was pretty standard on campuses throughout the country. In fact, that branding “stuck” so well that I regularly hear about “BSU” from those inside and outside college ministry circles.
The problem is, only a few states’ Baptist college ministries actually use the “BSU” name anymore.
It seems that a while back, various states began stepping away from the “Baptist Student Union” designation. I’ve heard of three (possible) reasons for this:
- no longer wanting students and leaders to think of their ministries as simply “student unions for Baptist students”
- confusion with the Black Student Union
- growing disuse of the term “student union” in general
- not wanting to be solely identified as the ministry of a certain denomination
Since any state and any local campus ministry is free to decide its name, over time the above reasons (or others) have led to various names. These names now include:
- Baptist Campus Ministry / -ies
- Baptist Collegiate Ministry / -ies
- Baptist Student Ministry / -ies
- Christian Challenge
- Priority
- Crosswalk
- Northwest Collegiate Ministries
- Baptist Student Union
- and various names of individual local ministries
This is no critique of anybody’s choices in this matter, but it’s instructive for anyone who might be thinking about names for college ministries or “branding” issues.
In the case of the SBC, I think this is a real challenge (in large part because they’re so widespread). Whether they realize it or not, pastors, youth pastors, parents, and others may be ineffective when they hope to point new college students to the SBC ministry on their new campus. The name they know may have changed, or the name they know may not be in use in that state.
I brought up the issue of college ministry names (and changing the names of college ministries) last week in a discussion on longevity. So I thought I’d follow that tangent a bit and look at a couple of college ministries in light of their tricky name-histories. (And it just so happens, these ministries are probably THE two most widely known college ministries in the U.S.)
Recognizing the histories and challenges of other ministries of course gives us wisdom about our own. So you might find this interesting, just as I did as I learned about it throughout the my year of research in 2007-2008.
When a name becomes… problematic
From the standpoint of an outside observer, Campus Crusade for Christ seems to be facing a nationwide challenge in regards to its name. This is a fairly new concern, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it pans out. It’s also an interesting case, since it’s a result of Campus Crusade being caught by nothing but the “unexpected shiftings of vocabular connotations.”
Obviously, the word “crusade” has long had a more general meaning than its use in describing the historical “Crusades.” For instance, its most famous use in recent times is probably in the Billy Graham Crusades. Those who don’t recognize the word’s generic meaning (including college students) can make some pretty obnoxious statements about it being a “stupid choice” for a name.
Regardless of actual meanings, however, the word “crusade” is more and more rarely used for any other purpose than to discuss the historic, infamous Crusades (and people have become more sensitive to such things). So that has caused difficulties. As a result, some Campus Crusade ministries have felt the need (understandably) to change their name. “Cru” is the simple result in many cases, but there has been a variety of responses – many of which sound nothing like the original name.
(I’m sure there are occasionally other reasons for local name-changes, too. This is one reason I happen to know about.)
Why is that a problem?
One of the primary concerns comes as Christians help students make the transition from high school. Well-meaning pastors and others encourage their youth group graduates to check out Campus Crusade ministries all the time. Sadly, those students may bypass the very ministry they’d been encouraged to find – because it’s called “Real Life” or something.
Of course, this non-uniform name-changing could ultimately diminish the incredibly strong branding Campus Crusade for Christ has built over the last several decades. Honestly, that kind of bums me out. But I’ll be watching intently to see Crusade’s response to this stuff; based on their track record, they might just have something pretty smart up their sleeve.
Tomorrow, the tricky case faced by the Southern Baptist college ministries. [Here's that post.]
Last week, I posted the outline from my recent seminar for Christian high school guidance counselors. The last part of that talk looked at three ways to help high school graduates find good college ministries and succeed spiritually in that world.
We all know that the Transition to college is not going well for bunches of Christian youth. These points are applicable for anyone “sending” high school graduates into college – youth ministers, parents, high school counselors, pastors, and others who want our youth to succeed spiritually. So feel free to share them!
THREE WAYS TO “PASS THE BATON” WELL
1. Prepare students directly
Help high school seniors and recent graduates know the importance of finding strong college ministry and church communities – and finding them quickly.
In fact, encourage students to begin working on this early, before they go to college.
Classmates and other friends attending the same school should work on this together, even if they end up in different ministries eventually. Students should also talk about potential communities with people who are already attending the school.
2. Clue others in to the importance of a good transition
If you’re someone who is spending time thinking about helping students transition well, it’s pretty important to realize that you’re in the MINORITY. Isn’t that a bummer?
So one of the things we all need to do is help others see this great need. This includes pastors, parents, youth pastors, high school counselors, and so on.
Very few people in Christian high schoolers’ lives are thinking about helping them transition well to college in relevant, concrete ways. We have to work to change that! This should be something everyone focuses on!
3. Bring others in to help prepare students
Use groups like CPYU’s College Transition Initiative to explain the scene, the needs, and the ways to prepare.
Give college-transition or staying-strong-in-college books to students (and to those who love them).
Bring in college ministers to share their wisdom with students. (If you’re a college minister, look for these kinds of opportunities, locally or otherwise.)
My talk at the NACCAP conference last week covered two basic, important topics that every college minister should be prepared to chat about with anyone “sending” students into the college world: parents, youth pastors, pastors, or – in this case – high school counselors.
Those topics?
- What college ministry looks like nationally
- What they can do to prepare students for spiritual success in college
I neglected to share with you faithful blog readers about how my seminar went Friday – sorry about that! It seems to have gonereally well, and I heard some great feedback. I was also happy with the PowerPoint I was able to create, using several pictures from my trips to illustrate my points. Fun stuff.
Here’s the outline from my talk. If you want more explanation, just ask! Also, if I can help you OR local “senders” (youth pastors, high school counselors, parents, pastors) think about this stuff, contact me!
“NOTES FROM A YEARLONG ROAD TRIP” · NACCAP 2009
FOUR ASPECTS OF THE NATIONAL SCENE OF COLLEGE MINISTRY
1. The right college ministry can be life world-changing
- There are a bunch of great college ministries out there.
2. There is an enormous Collegiate Attention Gap (among Christians)
- For more on this, check out chapter 3 of my book.
3. Colleges don’t have moving walkways (and neither do college ministries)
- Transition into college is going poorly, and assimilation into strong Christian community is far from automatic.
4. Church seems a long way off.
- Local churches AND students’ home churches often do not have strong College Student Plans, and campus-based ministries and Christian colleges don’t always do a good job of helping students connect significantly to local churches.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PASS THE BATON WELL
(applicable for anyone “sending” high school graduates into college)
1. Prepare students directly
2. Clue others in to the importance of a good transition
3. Use others’ wisdom to help prepare students
(I fleshed out those three ideas in a post the following week – click here for that.)
Written from Motel 6, Springfield, MO
Road Trip #11 update (Day 43)
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Cardinal tribe of University of Louisville
new campus yesterday: Saint Louis University
mileage so far: 5,958
(click here to see all the explorations from Road Trip #11)
High school counselors are not the only group of unlikely allies I ran into this week.
College admissions people are another.
This week, a campus minister told me that the admissions office at his secular school asked for the low-down on campus religious opportunities. When recruiters talk to high school students, they want to know what’s available for future collegians in this important area!
Who else in the whole world spends all their time thinking about helping high school kids transition into your college? So these are people on the front lines of connecting with future collegians, and they’re all about hyping the opportunities available on campus. And these admissions folks seem to walk pretty hand-in-hand with some students, even all the way to the finish line of actually arriving at school.
What could you do to help them do that better? Tips on what’s available from the spiritual community would be one way. And don’t just mention the ministries, but specifics: free lunches, worship services, rides to church, international student activities, Greek activities, fellowship events…
What about publishing (even with some other ministries) a “New Student Guide for the Spiritual Freshman”? Or offering to talk personally to any Christian student who’s thinking about attending your school – but isn’t sure? Or preparing student-centric campus maps that admissions people can get to the incomings?
The truth is, even getting admissions people to mention the possibility of connecting with a ministry and/or church plants a seed in students’ mind – perhaps even a year or more before we have access to those future freshmen. That’s a huge step all by itself. And building even better bridges with your admissions staff may lead to seeing those students primed and ready to plug in once they arrive.
Written from the Duncan house, Champaign, IL
Road Trip #11 update (Day 41)
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Lion tribe of Columbia University
new states the past 2 days: Indiana (#17), Illinois (#18)
new campuses the past 2 days: Miami University (of Ohio – #40), University of Illinois (#41)
(click here to see all the explorations from Road Trip #11)
After spending a week with ladies and gentlemen at the NACCAP conference, something I’m realizing:
Who may be the only adult in many students’ lives strategically and specifically thinking about collegiate success?
Their high school guidance counselor.
Think about it – parents and youth pastors may express concern, but how often is it truly concrete? Or knowledgeable? Instead, nebulous: “Be sure to find a church!” or “Don’t forget where you come from!”
Of course, this situation needs to change; we need parents and youth pastors to know and to teach. But in the short-term, we already have some allies in the To-College Transition! (You know, the situation that’s going absolutely terribly right now?)
Not all high school counselors will be interested in adding spiritual success to their preparation-quiver. But some will – and possibly not just those who believe as we do.
They have students’ ears. (Even in the summer.)
They have parents’ ears.
And they know the need for collegiate preparation.
Written from Motel 6, Speedway, Indiana
Road Trip #11 update (Day 40)
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Nittany Lion tribe of Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)
total mileage so far: 5,400 miles
update: I’ll be in Champaign / Urbana this weekend!
(click here to see all the explorations from Road Trip #11)
The Center for Parent / Youth Understanding (CPYU) has posted the second half of my interview. We talked about not only Reaching the Campus Tribes but the yearlong road trip, and it’s definitely got some cool stuff I haven’t mentioned here yet. (He asked good questions.)
Last week, Part 1 of the interview involved:
- Why I took the big road trip
- A story illustrating why I’m optimistic about the state of college ministry
- A story illustrating areas I’m concerned about our field
Today, the interview finishes up with:
- Preparing students for college
- The response to the book
- What’s next for me
I really appreciate the chance to connect with these guys, and I’m hoping to do so in person later on this trip. I would encourage you to get to know the CPYU if you have a heart for impacting adolescents, whether in college or before.
Enjoy the interview!
Written from Langhorne, PA
Road Trip #11 update (Day 15):
yesterday’s T-shirt: the Lumberjack tribe of Northern Arizona University
new campus visits: Saint Joseph’s University (St. Joe’s!, #13), Villanova (#14), Eastern University (#15), and Cabrini College (#16)
(click here to learn more about Road Trip #11)
The Center for Parent / Youth Understanding (CPYU) has posted the second half of my interview. We talked about not only Reaching the Campus Tribes but the yearlong road trip, and it’s definitely got some cool stuff I haven’t mentioned here yet. (He asked good questions.)
The subject line was the topic for my seminar yesterday at the National Collegiate Summit, and I promised the attendees (and a few other friends) that I would post my notes! So hopefully this will benefit all…
(I’m posting in outline form, with some snippets or links where applicable. I fleshed these out with examples – and hand-drawn pictures! – during the talk.)
Intro
- My yearlong road trip (interested? read here about that)
- All these thoughts are still a work in progress, as I continue to process thousands of pages of notes from the trip.
- While these ideas might be especially applicable for developed ministries, it never hurts for newer ministries to consider these things, too.
Preface: College Ministry as missions
- I’ve discussed this general idea at length in this blog and in the book.
- But for this “big ideas” discussion, three aspects matter in particular:
- Like missions, college ministry is very contextual, so big ideas won’t fit everywhere and, when used, must be adapted.
- College ministries should work to make aggressive progress, “encroaching upon the darkness” more and more as God allows. So we shouldn’t be complacent but should look for areas to improve.
- BUT college ministry should also be strategic and wise – no innovation just for innovation’s sake! I offer these “big ideas” simply as possibilities.
Idea #1: Bless the campus.
- We should consider whether we are as fully integrated into the campus as we can/should be. (This applies to both campus-based and church-based ministries!)
- Would the campus – including its faculty, administration, non-Christians, other ministries, etc. – miss us if we disappeared? Are they excited we exist? Does the administration brag on our ministry as a positive thing about their campus?
Idea #2: Extend your influence to pre-freshmen and post-seniors.
- Things appear to be quite dire at both transitions: from high school to college and from college to the young adult world.
- What if we took responsibility to share our wisdom, resources, training, shepherding, etc., with high school seniors in some way? (Obviously, this would be in cooperation with youth ministers, parents, and others.)
- What if we did the same for the year after students graduated from college?
Idea #3: Be an entrepreneur.
- There have to be more creative ways to draw funding, use real estate, etc.
- In some locations, ministries have created self-supporting endeavors that minister to students and pay for themselves.
- Some creative uses of real estate I’ve seen include student dorms or discipleship communities, restaurants, coffee shops, study libraries…
Ideas 4 through 6 tomorrow. [Here's that post!]
Written from Goodlettsville, TN
Yesterday’s T-shirt: the Boilermaker tribe of Purdue
Campus visit: Lipscomb University (#3 for the trip)
Church visit: Fellowship Bible Church, Brentwood, TN (#1 for the trip)
Two ministry positions that, if implemented throughout America, might radically change our success at helping produce strong Christian adults:
1. An intern* in a Youth Group (whether church-based or parachurch) dedicated to keeping up with, impacting, and helping transition people in the year(s) after they graduate high school. Basically, this person would function as a college minister within the youth ministry.
1a. Since this is in fact a college ministry blog, I’ll note that an intern* within a college ministry could also function in much the same way – as a freshman-focused minister, for example, or (in a church-based ministry) purposefully impacting away students.
2. An intern* in a College Ministry (whether church-based or parachurch) dedicated to keeping up with, impacting, and helping transition people in the year(s) after they graduate college. Basically, this person would function as a young adult minister within the college ministry.
*these activities could also be done by part-time ministers or within the larger job description of someone who is full-time.
Any way you cut it, a champion for the “next steppers” (at either of those next steps) could be just what we need.
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