Biggest 2017 Stories in the Baptist College Ministry World??

I am always intrigued by the end of the year "Biggest News Stories" summaries, etc.  Here is a quick thought of what might be the biggest stories in the Southern Baptist College Ministry world.  I started to do the whole College Ministry world, but decided to limit it.  Sorry, if you are not Baptist.

1.  Mark Whitt resigned as the SBC's College Ministry Leader to return to the local campus.  He is now at Middle Tennessee State University.  There were no hidden issues here, just God continuing to affirm a call to college students in Mark's life.  Middle Tennessee got blessed!

2.  Bill Noe was named SBC's new College Ministry Leader.  This is news on two fronts.  First, Bill is a veteran Campus Minister having served at the University of Louisville for several years and so, he is not "just some administrator".  He gets our tribe and our every day issues.  But, it is news  that in the process of naming Bill, Lifeway which is the home of SBC's College Ministry office, also increased the standing of this position at Lifeway.

3.  Virginia BCM College Ministers, which had formally been fully funded by the State Convention, began being required to raise a part of their salaries.  This was of great interest to see how this would affect those positions and ministries, but also if other Conventions might follow this example.

4.  The last Collegiate Week Conference was held at Glorieta, New Mexico.  Glorieta which is located in the beautiful mountains of New Mexico had been the home of this conference for many years.  Many in Baptist circles traced many parts of their College Ministry life as students and College Ministers to weeks at Glorieta.  The Collegiate Week Conference has been moved to Falls Creek in Oklahoma for the coming year.

5.  How Campus Church Plants and Baptist Collegiate Ministries fit together and complement each other or compete against each other continues to be a point of discussion and sometimes concern among many.

Love to hear your thoughts on the BIGGEST COLLEGE MINISTRY STORIES.  Happy New Year!!
Arliss

Some Christmas Wishes for College Ministry

This is a combination of some I have shared in the past and some new ones.

1.  That those Baptist Collegiate Ministers who are now having to raise their salaries would be totally funded for the coming year....and with some insurance that is not just for catastrophic happenings.

2.  For all College/University Administrators to realize what a huge benefit campus based ministries are to the campus.

3.  For all College Ministers to think before they post ALL their political thoughts.

4.  For all denominational leaders and Senior Pastors to realize what all their College Ministers do and how hard they work.

5.  For all College Ministry practitioners to realize their way is not the ONLY way to do it and not put down those who are not doing it their way.

6.  For all college administrators to allow campus based ministries to set their own leadership guidelines according to their basic beliefs....as long as they do no harm to another.

7.  For College Ministers to be paid as much as Head Football coaches...including the courtesy car for the spouse....never mind the country club membership.  Most College Ministers I know are lousy golfers.

8.  For church based and campus based ministries to work together for the benefit of all...especially the students.

9.  For each College Minister who speaks weekly to be God inspired with their best talks/Bible studies ever for the Spring Semester.

10. May each ministry have ten new top quality, God loving, witness sharing student leader types appear at the beginning of the Spring Semester.

11.  That EVERY College Ministry alum would give $25 before the end of the year to the ministry that blessed them.  (#Givetwentyfive).

"Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:10-11

Merry Christmas to all!

This will be the last post before Christmas....unless something just HAS to be said.

What College Ministry Alums Say Mattered

I served for nine years as Baptist Student Union Director at Henderson State University.  It was my first college ministry job and I loved it.  Then, I served thirty two (32) years as Baptist Campus Minister at Arkansas State University. We had some great students.    Several of them have been kind enough to write me letters expressing their thanks for our ministry.  Have you ever wondered what your alums took away and as they look back some years later what mattered to them?

Here are some quotes taken from those letters:

"Leadership opportunities were affirming and shaping."

"Being part of a positive group"

"Time of exploration of who I was"

"Always felt you believed in us."

"Accountability for responsibility"

"Refuge from a crazy world"

"You believed in me.  You saw value in me while I was still searching."

"You told me, 'We might have a place for you on our freshmen leadership team.'."

"Weekly one on one meetings/Accountability"

Some of these students came to know Christ and others grew in their walk with the Lord during that time.  Many of them serve in key Christian roles.

FOUR Things Students Need from a College Ministry:

1.  A safe place/Refuge
2.  Affirmation
3.   Responsibility
4.  Accountability

What Do You Do When Your College Ministry is in the Weeds?

If you do college ministry very long, you will have that semester or year when your ministry is in the weeds.  You are working hard...sometimes even harder than usual, but it just is not up to what it has been or what you think it ought to be.  When we speak, we speak about our successes....when you go to meetings, we hear  people speak about their successes.  It is a natural, but wrong assumption, that you are the only one who has an "in the weeds kind of year".  If someone who has done college ministry for many years tells you they have never had a down year or semester.......do not buy a used car from them!

"Trust the Process" is a term used by college coaches that have gone into a rebuilding situation, but have not arrived yet.  I would tweak that to say, "Trust the Lord AND keep working the process".

8 Ways to Keep Working the Process When Your Ministry is in the Weeds:

1.  Make sure you are continually and consistently articulating a strong vision for the ministry.
-It is easy to think we have said that so many times we don't need to say it any more.  But, have these current students heard it often and clearly enough?  It is easy to lose the vision.

2.  Communicate your brand.
-This is commercial lingo for continually communicating to the outside world (the campus) who you are and what you are offering.
-This is particularly key, if you serve a campus where there are multiple ministries reaching out to students.
-What makes your ministry unique and worthy of their time?
-One of my goals in this year as the Interim College Minister at a church is to just get our church back on the radar.  We used to be but somehow, sometime that got lost.

3.  Make sure you are maximizing the strengths of your ministry and your personal strengths and gifts.
-The busier we get the easier it is to take for granted and lose focus on those things we normally have done well.
-The thicker the weeds get the more we must maximize our strengths...and may need to drop some things that are taking time and effort away from those strengths.

4.  Continue to look for, to develop, and to empower strong leaders.
-Nuff said!

5.  Be consistent in who and what you and your ministry is.
-Unless it is wrong, not working, or outlived its usefulness, don't kick it to the side.
-When a ministry is consistent, students know what to expect and supporters know what they are supporting.

6.  Evaluate and tweak your large group meeting.
-Has it gone stale?
-Are you trying to copy someone else's large group meeting instead of doing your own with you people speaking to their needs, utilizing their and your gifts and strengths?

7.  Maximize quality freshmen outreach.
-There is a brief window as to when it is easiest to connect to freshmen.
-Put some of your best, most Jesus loving, and most passionate student leaders in the area of reaching out to freshmen.

8.  Keep doing discipleship whether in one to one, small groups, or both.
-Lives that God has changed will be used by the Lord to change lives.

You get out of the weeds by trusting the Lord and keeping on!

"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion till the day of Christ Jesus."  Philippians 1:6 (Holman)

Check out 25 TIPS FOR DEVELOPING COLLEGE MINISTRY LEADERS on Amazon.

NOT the Blog Post I Planned to Write

Because I have been involved with college ministry for a long time and that I have worked for Lifeway as a part-time College Ministry Consultant, I get lots of calls asking if I can recommend someone for a college ministry position.  The ones looking for a church based one almost always say very early in the conversation, "They need to be a good speaker/preacher.".  I usually say something like, "There are not many of those out there.".

I have been planning for a while to do a Blog highlighting a particular strong/large church college ministry where the college minister was NOT a speaker/preacher type. It would help illustrate how to do it well and big without the proverbial speaker/preacher.  I was not aware of one because most of my personal connections are campus based folks.  I know lots of strong/large campus based college ministries where the college minister is not a speaker/preacher.  In fact, some of the largest campus based are led by "non-speaker/preachers". I asked two friends who do college ministry consulting and have traveled farther and wider than I have to tell me a large church based ministry that fit that description.  One said he did not know of one.  The second gave me the name of one and I knew the college minister.

So, I sent him a message saying I wanted to do a Blog highlighting his ministry.  He responded that I had been mis-informed.  He speaks 70% of the time.  So, why are there large campus based ministries with a "non-speaker/preacher" and not large church based ministries with a "non-speaker/preacher"?

Here are five thoughts:
1. Campus based college ministries can and do invite guest speakers from different churches in the area.  Church based college ministries obviously do not invite other pastors and staffers from area churches.
2. It is my observation that campus based college ministries are generally more training focused and church based ministries generally are more worship focused.
3. Churches (other than campus church plants) are usually away from campus.  Therefore, it requires "more of an event" for students to go to the church activity.
4. Most campus based college ministers have no desire or sense of calling to the pastorate while many church college ministers see that as a strong possibility.  Therefore, they are inclined to preach and are drawn to the church based ministries.  Many who feel called to college ministry do not see themselves as speakers and are therefore more drawn to campus based that generally does not make speaking a high priority.
5.  You aren't going to like this one!!  Good speaker/preachers are in high demand and therefore have more options open to them.  Churches pay more and provide more benefits.  I am NOT saying church ministers are just there for the money and I am NOT saying campus based folks are there because they cannot get a church.  But, I am saying we all have to provide for our family and also are drawn to places that demonstrate a desire to value college ministry.  Money is one of the ways we demonstrate what we value.

I would love to hear other thoughts and ideas....either as comments here or as personal messages.  And, I still want to highlight a strong/large church based college ministry where the college minister is not a speaker/preacher.  I do want to reiterate my belief that a college ministry can be strong without being large.

Evaluating Your Large Group Collegiate Event

The end of the semester is evaluation time.  What went well and why?  Where do we need to improve?  Here are six questions to ask as you evaluate your large group event.

1.  What is the purpose of it?
Is it for a wide variety of students?  Is it meant to be an entry point?  Or, is it meant for the core crowd or as a discipleship event?  Is what we are doing consistent with our purpose?

2.  Do we have the people, talents, and resources to pull off what we are attempting to do?
Having a large group worship event with a poor band or poor speaker is not helpful.  Sometimes we continue to do something that was successful with a different group of leaders that are no longer there. Is it time to change the event to fit the resources now available?

3.  Are we just doing a poor imitation of "The Poster Ministry"?
It is not unusual for ministries to simply try to imitate the happening ministry or a nationally known event that has resources way beyond a local ministry.

4.  Is our event right, but it is being defeated by lack of preparation and attention to the details?
Your conclusion may be that you are doing the right event, but just not putting in the time and effort to make it successful.  The next question is, Are you willing and able to put in the time and effort it really requires?

5.  Are there other large group formats or styles that should be considered?
Church based ministries usually have more resources to pull off a different format where this is sometimes a struggle for a campus based ministry.

6.  Is our meeting place or time the problem?
It is possible to be doing the right event in the wrong place or at the wrong time.

Excerpted from FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY, an Amazon print or ebook.