May and June tend to be the slower times for campus based College Ministers. It is usually a time of evaluation of the ministry and thinking about what tweaks and adjustments to make for the next school year. The hardest area to evaluate is ourselves. We tend to be too critical of our self or not be able to see ourselves clearly. But, I really believe that is a very important part of getting ready for the next school year. Am I being the best me that God can use in this place?
I have written and spoken a lot about what I call "The Four Seasons of a College Minister" that relate to age and experience. One of the things I have learned in my own experience and dealing with other College Ministers is we tend to have a hard time seeing what age category actually fits us. As I continually say, there are definite strengths to each season. That is part of being honest in what season we are.....making sure we are playing to the strengths of our season.
THE FOUR SEASONS:
The Near Peer (Everybody's buddy...similar age to students).
The Cool Adult (that one who is a real world functioning single or recently married with a young family and some experience on which they base their ministry)
The Respected Veteran (He/she has experience, is trusted by supporters and is putting one year's ministry on top of another...Respected is a key strength here.)
The Builder (The Builder has many years experience and is not only serving effectively, but is laying the groundwork for those who will follow.)
Which are you?
Another Set of Categories Is:
The Pastor (Often an older minister who has been a pastor and is "Brother___________" and their ministry is very much pastoral.)
The Speaker (Their whole ministry is based around their speaking ability and the ministry is built around their large group event.)
The Manager (He or she is a details person and they plan, budget and administrate while they see the students doing most of the on campus ministry.)
The Equipper (The Equipper is all about asking students to do things, lead this, organize that, etc. They tend not to be upfront types, but they are very much in charge of the ministry.)
Often we function in a role just like we saw either our Campus Minister do it when we were students or how our current hero in college ministry is doing it. The only problem is....that may not be the style or age category that fits who we are. God has written his will into our lives by they way he has gifted us. Are you functioning within the gifts God has given consistent with your age and experience?
Early summer is a great time for some self-evaluation. Consider whether you might ask some folks you trust and you know care about you, where they see you fitting in these and if you are functioning to the best in that role.
No comments:
Post a Comment