Let me suggest three things that College Ministers both campus and church based should be intentional about right now:
1. MISSING REGULARS.....At your first few events it is easy to enjoy visiting with students about their holidays and hearing from those who did Mission Trips over the holidays or about that great Ski Retreat. And, we even are usually fortunate to see some new faces that come as result of invitations or transfers looking for Christian connections. But, one thing it is easy to not do is....notice what regulars from last semester have not appeared. It has been my experience that often there are students who were connected last semester will disappear in January and no one realizes it. Or, when it is realized, those that have not been around feel like no one cares that they weren't there....so. Often, it is a change in work schedule or a change in when their classes are that may conflict with some of your events. Are they missed? Did anyone care? If your ministry is one of those that does Sign-In Lists, look back over last semester's....see any names that have not appeared this term? Luke 15 is all about looking for Lost Sheep. Take some time to be intentional about seeing if there are lost sheep. It is also a good topic of discussion at one of your first Leadership Team meetings.
2. POTENTIAL FUTURE LEADERS......Many ministries start their new Leadership Teams at Spring Break to allow them a training period prior to the key time of the fall. Now is a great time to look around and begin to think about who some of those people could be. One of the great "Christmas Miracles" that I have observed through the years is that in January I would begin to notice a new level of maturity beginning to develop in some students...both freshmen and upperclassmen. Some students I thought were lucky to be able to find their dorm or the book of Genesis in their Bible seem to have turned a corner in faith or just personal maturity. Should you maybe map out a list of a few of these and plan to spend some extra time with them pouring into them? You don't have to say, "You are on my list of potential leaders.".....or maybe that might be a good idea. It could be a personal challenge that would help them begin to rise to the opportunities ahead or just be open to God's leadership in their life.
3. HAVE A LIKE MINDED GET TOGETHER.....This is a great time to get with those folks that share the passion of the high calling of College Ministry. If you are a campus based College Minister, invite those who do college ministry at local churches for coffee or pizza together for encouragement, sharing of information, etc. Or, invite the other College Ministers on campus (DIFFERENT Denominations and styles of college ministry types even). Or, if you are a church based, get with other church College Ministers in town for just a time to visit, pray, and maybe say something important. One of the killers of College Ministers is feeling alone and that no one else cares. Sometimes, that is our own fault. Call that one that you even feel like is trying to stab you in the back (Yes; we sometimes feel that way...don't we.) or steal your students. It is at those times that I go back and read Mark 9:38-40, "Teacher said John, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us. Do not stop him, Jesus said. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us." Those verses pierced my heart at one point as I read them and realized I needed to hear them. It did not make me agree with everything another college ministry was doing, but it changed my heart some. Sometimes, getting together will help that go the next step......and sometimes, it will not. But, YOU have done the right thing. Get together!
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