This week I’ve been contemplating some basics about the “back door” of a college ministry – how and why students exit. (Read here and here.) But it’s important to remember that the old principle, “What wins them, keeps them,” applies here. Many students drift away from a college ministry because …
I broached the topic of a college ministry’s “back door” in the last post, but here’s a simple follow-up: Do your students see involvement in your ministry as enough of a “membership” that choosing to leave – or even pausing for a season – feels like it has some friction? …
“Adopt-a-student” programs aren’t unusual within church-based college ministries, but even for those guys it’s an idea definitely worth spending a Fridea on… and it’s worth every other branch of college ministry considering how they, too, can connect students with individual families. The idea, if you’re unfamiliar, is for a church …
Here’s a question for you: If someone new visits your college ministry this week, how likely are they to become regulars? Are they more or less likely than if they’d visited last September? That assessment is this week’s Fridea! There are plenty of variables here, but it might be useful …
Our entire church staff has been asked to read Onward by Russell Moore, which we’ll be discussing at a staff meeting soon. It’s something you could try too – an inversion on the normal book club – encouraging everybody to read a certain book, and offering a study (or a …
A double-Fridea that I’ve posted before but gives you something great to consider for the week after students return! Why not put some extra effort into recruitment in January? I think this is one of our most-missed opportunities to draw students to our college ministries. Plenty of students will be looking for …
It’s paradoxical to talk about developing organic community through structures, including accountability. But the truth is, that’s a paradox we have to live in. Your student leaders will build community if someone’s challenging them to do so… and checking up to see if they’re doing it. How often do you …
I’m on vacation this week – but don’t worry, I’ve already visited Caltech. There might be another “campus tribe” visit or two now that we’ve moved up the coast. In the meantime, I’m reposting some great posts from past Novembers. Enjoy! Today’s practical idea comes from a simple enough notion: …
A holiday like Thanksgiving shouldn’t pass without college ministers pondering how they might leverage it. And yes, Thanksgiving is a prime opportunity – with weird schedules, unique groups of students “left” on campus, and more. I’ve posted these potential opportunities before, but they’re worth revisiting: Service projects. Find out some …
It’d be a good time to remind your students that NOW is the time to greet, meet, and start getting to know those in their world around them. In their dorms, in their apartment complexes, in their classes. The longer they wait in the semester, the weirder it will …
