I would argue that any college ministry should consider getting adults involved. This is a common question from church-based ministries, but providing intergenerational connections and using adult volunteers is a great option for many ministries besides those housed in churches.
What are some ways you can get this done?
- Adopt-a-Student with local Christian adults
- Recruit adults / churches to serve meals (or snacks) to students on-campus, at a church, etc.
- Use families’ homes (for small groups, parties, etc.)
- Initiate “Campus Missions Teams” at each church that has shown an interest (call them “Tiger Mission Team,” “Longhorn Mission Team,” etc., based on the name of your own campus tribe).
- Encourage churches to welcome students into adult small groups / classes, if there’s no (well done) collegiate option
- Bring adults into student gatherings as “hosts”
- Highlight the other opportunities at your church or at various churches (women’s Bible study, special speakers, service projects, Christmas events, etc.)
- Initiate disciplemaking relationships between adults and students
- Initiate mentoring (i.e., between students in certain majors with adults in those fields)
- Life “mentoring groups” (i.e., learning to cook)
- Getting local adults to eat on campus, spend time on campus, and otherwise begin having a “ministry of presence”
- Get adults to teach (including doing “panel discussions” with multiple adults and on-stage “interviews” of local adults)
- Find opportunities to serve local adults (in ways that build relationships with them)