Happy New Year! Next Post: "The Quick Cheat Sheet for Ministry Expansion"

Last Call for the Bargain!

Last Call:  The Amazon.com Christmas special on the paperback version of FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY is winding down.  Cost during the special is $3.99 and it is returning to the regular price of $4.99.

Merry Christmas to ALL!

May this be a worshipful and blessed Christmas for you and yours!  I'm hoping and praying for a restful and rejuvenating Break for you.

I'm shutting down for Christmas. I hope you are as well!

"Today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you who is Christ the Lord."
Like 2:11

God Called You to Love College Students...Not be Famous or Lead a Large Ministry!

One of my students recently asked me jokingly, "Who is more famous, you or ____________?" and he named a College Minister who is well known for his ministry and for being super active on social media.  I don't remember what smart mouth answer I gave.  But, later I began to think about it seriously.

One of the dangers of social media is we see what others are doing and sometimes feel that is is way better and more significant in God's kingdom than what we are doing.  I have a friend who has led what I would characterize as a "top 25 Baptist campus ministry in the U.S".  As a result of some changes he felt called by the Lord to make, he is now on another campus, doing all the same things well he did at the other campus....and....not getting nearly the response he got on his previous campus.  The two campuses are significantly different.  The resources are different.  He is being faithful to God's calling on his life.  Some might wonder what ever happened to him.  But, the Lord knows where he is!

Another friend serves on what might be called "the least Christian campus in America" and he has been having 35 students at his weekly large group meeting.  He is seeing some students come to Christ.  That is wonderful in the context where he serves.  He would be one of my nominees for Campus Minister of the Year.  But, he probably will not be described by anybody as "famous".

Right now in my "Fifth Season" I am leading what is the smallest ministry I have led in many many years.  Sometimes I am frustrated.  Yet, I feel I am where the Lord wants me right now.  The other night I was frustrated by our drop in attendance.  But, I left excited by the conversations I got to have with some students that night.  It was not about the size of the crowd....it was about God's movement in their lives and my being privileged by God to be present to it.

God did not call us to be famous or lead a large ministry.  He called us to love students in His Name and to be faithful to that.  Most of us will not wind up to be famous....but that is not what we were called to be.  And, we may not lead "a large ministry", but God knows where we are and He will continue to speak into the lives of students.  That is what He called us to.  A few of us may wind up leading large ministries and a handful of us may be a little "famous" in our tribe.

But, if we worry about being famous or how many likes our latest statement on Facebook or Twitter gets, we just need reminding, that was not what we committed our life to.  God is speaking into the lives of college students and we get to be part of it!!


Arliss Dickerson is a part time college ministry consultant for Lifeway Christian Resources and the author of five books on college ministry in eBook and print at amazon.com (type in Arliss Dickerson).

Common College Ministry Mistakes

Over the next few days I will be posting "Common College Ministry Mistakes" on
my Facebook page, College Ministry Resources by Arliss Dickerson. I hope you will check it out. I will be using it to post brief College ministry helps that would not be a full article.
Arliss

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Do Your Ministry Partners Respect Your Ministry?

I have written that the "IT Factor" for College Ministers is R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  In working with college students for the long term God process in their life, it is not charisma or how trendy we dress, it is respect.  But, I want to add another dimension to that.

Do your ministry partners respect your ministry?  In the Southern Baptist world a campus based College Minister is responsible not only for having a ministry on campus, but they are responsible for working with, encouraging and helping the church college ministries.  It is a complicated mine field to navigate sometimes.  Some are very cooperative. Some are eager for help. Some are somewhat cooperative and some even seem to intentionally compete against the campus based ministry and other church ministries.

A simple fact is, if your ministry is not respected, other ministries are less likely to cooperate.  Lack of respect toward a ministry is sometimes caused by poor behavior on the part of the professional leadership or students involved.  However, often lack of respect is caused by either a poor job OR that the ministry is smaller and not considered "significant" by others.

So how do we earn "ministry respect"?  First, we do the best possible job we can do.  Excellence is always a key to respect.  Part of excellence is being what we say we are.  Also, it sometimes means working with those who will cooperate and going forward.  When some are not cooperative, we cannot let that keep us from being cooperative with those who will.  Some ministry leaders have to see the benefit of cooperation.  It has been argued that if we "give away our ministry" others will be more cooperative.  The opposite is often true.  A strong thriving ministry draws cooperation.

There is an unhealthy competitive spirit that is harmful to ministry to students and to God's kingdom overall.  But, I believe there is a "Healthy Competitive Spirit".  When other ministries do well and are not cooperative, we can let that drive us to do the best possible job we can do.  We are not angry or negative toward that ministry.  But, we work on our ministry being all that it can be.

The personal actions of the College Minister can affect the "ministry respect".
 5 Things the College Minister Can Do to Bolster "Ministry Respect":
-Always respond to and return messages as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours.
-Express thanks where thanks is due.  When a partner helps, do not take it for granted!
-Communicate.  Let them know things you are doing that might affect them and ask for any information they want to share with you.
-Highlight things that are happening through cooperative efforts.  Share the credit.
-Never bad mouth other ministries.....even when they deserve it.  It is hard...I know!

My scripture when I wrestle with this issue is 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."

Respect can be lost instantly and earning it takes time.  Are you working at earning respect for your ministry?  A respected ministry can make more of a difference.


Arliss Dickerson is a part time college ministry consultant for Lifeway Christian Resources and is the author of five books on college ministry available in eBook and print at amazon.com (type in Arliss Dickerson).

Baptist Campus Seeking a Campus Minister

Williams Baptist University located in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas is seeking applicants for their Director of Campus Ministries. The Director of Campus Ministries is responsible for the creation, implementation, and management of a comprehensive campus ministry program that promotes discipleship, worship, evangelism, and domestic/international missions through the mission and vision of WBU.  The person filling this position will also direct the WBU Worship Team.

REQUIREMENTS
-Master of Divinity (M.Div) or equivalent, three years of relevant experience, or a combination of education and relevant experience
-Demonstrated Ability in personal evangelism and discipleship
-Commitment to evangelical missions
-Ability to direct and oversee a worship team

Applicants should complete WBU's online application at htts://williamsbu.edu/careers/support-staff-applications and then email a resume, statement of faith and references to hr@williamsbu.edu.  A review of applicants will begin immediately and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.  Those having questions or seeking more information may contact Dr.Brett Cooper, Vice President for Development, at bcooper@williamsbu.edu.


Arliss Dickerson's book, FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available in paperback at Amazon.com for the reduced price of $3.99 during the holidays/

Going Big or BIGGER

Most ministries are not averse to having a larger crowd.  I am often asked how to break the "attendance ceiling".  What is a "big crowd" is determined by the campus setting, the part of the country in which you serve and resources such as budget, facilities and staff. Fifty is a big crowd some places while two hundred might be considered a small crowd in a different setting. While numbers do not determine success, each number is a person. But, we must beware that we do not do what simply will draw a crowd.  Many years ago I spoke for an event on a campus and there was a "Beer Bust" going on next door.  They had a bigger crowd.  That does not mean the Christian event was not valuable.  So, the value of your ministry is not determined by the size of the crowd.  But, we all want to reach and impact as many as possible

So, as you consider how to make your event big or bigger.  Here are some questions to ask and what some ministries have done.  You do not have to like a suggestion to learn something from it.  But first, be honest about what your situation is..

Here are some Questions to Ask:
1.  Is our facility determining our capacity?  Should we change locations?
2.  Are we doing well what we are doing?  I often say, do well what you do well.
3.  If your ministry is in an area where there are other collegiate worship events, is your ministry emphasizing the unique aspects of your event.  Be the best YOU that you can be.
4.  Do you work at having an "Invite Culture"?  Often students are happy to come and never think about inviting or bringing anyone with them.
5.  Do we have too many events in one week and it dilutes energy and focus from our "main event"?  Would it be better to do fewer events on a regular basis?
6.  Should we target a different type of student or part of campus?
7.  Are we doing "same old, same old" and expecting a different response?
8.  The Tough Question:  Have I become enamored by the sound of my own voice and made it too much about me?  Should I invite others to speak at least some of the time?

Here are some things that some ministries have done to have the largest possible weekly worship event.
-Pay each week to bring in a well-known Christian speaker.
One such ministry I am aware of averaged 700 to 1,000.

-One ministry I recently learned about asks their graduates to consider raising their salary and staying on one year.  Each year they have about 100 of these "Graduate Assistants" who work at enlisting and bringing students to their weekly meeting.  They regularly have 1400 each week on this large campus.

-Obviously worship bands and music are huge. One method is to bring in well known worship leaders and use local speakers or staff speakers.

-Some ministries rotate their meetings through different fraternity and sorority houses.

-Many ministries now schedule their Freshmen small groups to meet following their weekly large group meeting.  This involves the Freshmen group leaders in working to get students at the weekly large group event.

-Would a "Supper Program" be an option?  Many ministries have Lunch Programs, but these are limited in time due to fitting into a lunch hour.  Would it be possible to do a meal each week prior to your evening large group event?  Some churches enlist a different Sunday School Group to do the meal and be present for a variety of age group connections.

Remember, you can always try something once or twice to get a feel for the possibility of it being a regular thing.

Arliss Dickerson's book, FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available in paperback at Amazon.com for the reduced price of $3.99 during the holidays.  Some have found it to be helpful in taking a ministry to "the next level".