Each year at the end of the year, I promote #Givetwentyfive which is my small attempt to get people who were touched by any college ministry (not just Baptist) to give $25 to it prior to the year's end. I do year's end because there are lots of people who look at their charitable giving toward the end of the year for tax purposes and there are those who receive bonuses, year end profit sharing, etc. I know that is foreign in the college ministry world, but there are other worlds out there.
Ok, so why $25....why not $50 or $100? Most everyone can give $25! Many people think of charitable giving as something that rich people do...not everyday people. Through the years as the director at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Arkansas State, many alums would say, "I would give you some money, but I can't give you enough to help you." Or, "I wish I could give you some money." They felt like it had to be "big money". They are embarrassed to give a small amount, so they give none.
No one knows the number of college ministry alums there are out there. It would likely be in the millions. If each gave $25 ONCE a year, it is incalculable how much that would be! Obviously, $25 times one million is $25 million. Wow!
But, here is the deal: we must really mean it when we say, "Give $25"....people must not feel we are winking and nodding and really want them to give more. A few will give more, but that is just extra blessing. Through the years at ASU, I would say that I would rather ten churches gave $10 a month to our ministry rather than one church give $100 a month. More were interested....more were aware...more would pray AND it would take ten church budget changes to wipe it all out! Also, charitable giving experts say that the person most likely to give you money is.....someone who has already given you money.
Also, being on the receiving end of countless $25 checks is encouraging. Most write a small note with it, but even if they do not, it warms my heart when I see who sent it and that they remember and care.
So, encourage folks to give $25 and you will be blessed! Don't forget to give $25 to the ministry that blessed you.
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).
Monday, December 30, 2019
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Merry Christmas to All!
"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11
Merry Christmas to all of you from Sue and me. Rest, recoup, spend time with family and focus on the ways God has blessed you this fall semester and this year. Tune out the negative voices...the Christian Message is Good News!
Arliss
Merry Christmas to all of you from Sue and me. Rest, recoup, spend time with family and focus on the ways God has blessed you this fall semester and this year. Tune out the negative voices...the Christian Message is Good News!
Arliss
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Reaching More College Students
In my previous writings about LARGE college ministries and their characteristics, one thing that was an obvious factor was multiple staff. In CRU ministries it was 6-12 and in BCM ministries there was not a number, but multiple staff. It seems that large BCM ministries offset staff size with facilities which CRU does not have. Yet most, if not all, large college ministries have multiple staff. The simplest answer to having a large college ministry is having more staff. It is not the only answer, but it is the simplest and most likely.
STAFF OPTIONS
Many in our tribe would say, "Multiple staff....I'm just barely keeping our ministry afloat financially as it is!". Here are three options to consider:
1. Volunteer Staff
Some years ago, a friend working on a large campus told me of a lady in one of the local churches who had been active in a sorority at that university. She had each year organized some Greek events for him. She was not paid anything. It was a calling for her and an expression of her faith. Is there someone who was on the football or volleyball team, etc who might do some ministry in that area for your ministry? Are there just a couple of women who would say they would lead a couple of Bible studies in a women's dorm? Think wide....ask God to help you see who is out there.
2. Part Time Staff
A number of years ago I hired a young mom to work very part time. Her husband was an attorney and she did part time consulting. She told me she usually used her check to buy shoes. She liked expensive shoes. She was of immense value to our ministry. Often college ministries with one staffer are led by men. Is there a young mom who doesn't want to work at all in the summer and during school breaks and wants to be home when school is out that could be a plus to your ministry? Is there a recent graduate of your ministry who has gone to work in your city that could step back in for a few hours each week that would make a difference? Ask the Lord to help you see who that might be.
3. Full Time Staff
Many people called to ministry right out of college or seminary need and want experience from someone who has been down the road. Invite someone to come work with you for one year or two. You pay them something and they raise part of their salary. Or, invite your BEST SENIOR to stay an extra nine months before career. The values are two: it increases your ministry and you mentor them which impacts their life and or ministry for years to come.
STRATEGY
Here is the warning: An additional person showing up and hanging out will NOT reach more students! There must be some intentionality in strategy. Simply put, this person must connect to some different people. I have long believed the most obvious way to grow a ministry is through an intentional, organized Freshmen Ministry. Freshmen are looking for friends and help in navigating college. They are more open than any other group. And, it is a burden of my heart that many freshmen shipwreck their lives. But, it might be a ministry to athletes. Or, an additional person might identify two dorms that they will focus on. The point is when a second or third person is added, there must be a plan that aims them toward additional students.
God does not just love large ministries. And large is a relative term. In some places fifty (50) is large. The point of this whole thing is to think and be intentional about, "How can we reach more students?"
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).
STAFF OPTIONS
Many in our tribe would say, "Multiple staff....I'm just barely keeping our ministry afloat financially as it is!". Here are three options to consider:
1. Volunteer Staff
Some years ago, a friend working on a large campus told me of a lady in one of the local churches who had been active in a sorority at that university. She had each year organized some Greek events for him. She was not paid anything. It was a calling for her and an expression of her faith. Is there someone who was on the football or volleyball team, etc who might do some ministry in that area for your ministry? Are there just a couple of women who would say they would lead a couple of Bible studies in a women's dorm? Think wide....ask God to help you see who is out there.
2. Part Time Staff
A number of years ago I hired a young mom to work very part time. Her husband was an attorney and she did part time consulting. She told me she usually used her check to buy shoes. She liked expensive shoes. She was of immense value to our ministry. Often college ministries with one staffer are led by men. Is there a young mom who doesn't want to work at all in the summer and during school breaks and wants to be home when school is out that could be a plus to your ministry? Is there a recent graduate of your ministry who has gone to work in your city that could step back in for a few hours each week that would make a difference? Ask the Lord to help you see who that might be.
3. Full Time Staff
Many people called to ministry right out of college or seminary need and want experience from someone who has been down the road. Invite someone to come work with you for one year or two. You pay them something and they raise part of their salary. Or, invite your BEST SENIOR to stay an extra nine months before career. The values are two: it increases your ministry and you mentor them which impacts their life and or ministry for years to come.
STRATEGY
Here is the warning: An additional person showing up and hanging out will NOT reach more students! There must be some intentionality in strategy. Simply put, this person must connect to some different people. I have long believed the most obvious way to grow a ministry is through an intentional, organized Freshmen Ministry. Freshmen are looking for friends and help in navigating college. They are more open than any other group. And, it is a burden of my heart that many freshmen shipwreck their lives. But, it might be a ministry to athletes. Or, an additional person might identify two dorms that they will focus on. The point is when a second or third person is added, there must be a plan that aims them toward additional students.
God does not just love large ministries. And large is a relative term. In some places fifty (50) is large. The point of this whole thing is to think and be intentional about, "How can we reach more students?"
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).
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Characteristics of LARGE College Ministries
Some years ago Tim Casteel, the CRU Director at the University of Arkansas, researched the larger CRU ministries around the country and wrote about each of them and some of the common characteristics. I thought it was excellent and beneficial to our whole college ministry community. Here is my summary of his work.
SIX COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LARGE CRU MINISTRIES:
1. Large staff 6-12
2. Long term leader/Director
3. Strong student leaders who are given much responsibility
4. Strong/Intentional small group ministry
5. They are THE ministry on campus (no other ministry as large).
As I thought through these, I began to try to articulate what I had seen and knew in the Southern Baptist world of campus based college ministries.
SEVEN COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LARGE BCM/BSU/BSM MINISTRIES:
1. Long term Director/Campus Minister
2. Strong tradition/Long term presence on campus
3. Excellent or large facilities
4. Specific Freshmen Ministry
5. A Flag ship type campus
6. Usually THE ministry on campus
7. Strong financial support by alumni or other interested individuals
As you can see, there is great commonality in the lists. No matter our size campus, budget or tenure, I believe there are things every ministry can learn from these characteristics.
SEVEN THOUGHTS FOR DEVELOPING MORE LARGE COLLEGE MINISTRIES:
1. We must work at encouraging and making it possible for College Ministers to serve long term (salaries, benefits, encouragement, etc.). We need long term leaders. College Ministry is not just for the young starting in ministry.
2. Most Southern Baptist situations have one or two Campus Ministers paid and employed by their State Convention (some raise part or all of their salaries). Should Southern Baptists consider allowing those permanent staffers to bring on one or two year intern types who raise their own salaries to increase staff size and outreach? One Methodist ministry on a large nationally known campus has 1500 students at their weekly meeting.....AND about one hundred (100) one year interns each year.
3. ANY MINISTRY can develop a very specific and intentional outreach and on-going freshmen ministry through the fall semester. It can be one freshmen Bible study or multiple ones, etc with Bible study and topics geared to their needs.
4. Campus Ministers must do a good job of communicating the need and how alumni and other individuals can and should consider giving to support the ministry. This also means expressing thanks and keeping them updated!
5. Developing student leaders multiplies our ministries. Investment in student leaders is an investment that returns with interest! Developing student leaders benefits the church for years to come. The more strong student leaders a ministry has the more students it will reach.
6. Great, impacting ministries are not built overnight. Invest and believe in the long term.
7. If you have a facility, make it as attractive, practical, and wisely used as possible. It is a tool.....are you making the best use of that tool?
Arliss Dickerson is a part time college ministry consultant for Lifeway Christian Resources and the author of five books on college ministry available in eBook and print at amazon.com (type in Arliss Dickerson).
SIX COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LARGE CRU MINISTRIES:
1. Large staff 6-12
2. Long term leader/Director
3. Strong student leaders who are given much responsibility
4. Strong/Intentional small group ministry
5. They are THE ministry on campus (no other ministry as large).
As I thought through these, I began to try to articulate what I had seen and knew in the Southern Baptist world of campus based college ministries.
SEVEN COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LARGE BCM/BSU/BSM MINISTRIES:
1. Long term Director/Campus Minister
2. Strong tradition/Long term presence on campus
3. Excellent or large facilities
4. Specific Freshmen Ministry
5. A Flag ship type campus
6. Usually THE ministry on campus
7. Strong financial support by alumni or other interested individuals
As you can see, there is great commonality in the lists. No matter our size campus, budget or tenure, I believe there are things every ministry can learn from these characteristics.
SEVEN THOUGHTS FOR DEVELOPING MORE LARGE COLLEGE MINISTRIES:
1. We must work at encouraging and making it possible for College Ministers to serve long term (salaries, benefits, encouragement, etc.). We need long term leaders. College Ministry is not just for the young starting in ministry.
2. Most Southern Baptist situations have one or two Campus Ministers paid and employed by their State Convention (some raise part or all of their salaries). Should Southern Baptists consider allowing those permanent staffers to bring on one or two year intern types who raise their own salaries to increase staff size and outreach? One Methodist ministry on a large nationally known campus has 1500 students at their weekly meeting.....AND about one hundred (100) one year interns each year.
3. ANY MINISTRY can develop a very specific and intentional outreach and on-going freshmen ministry through the fall semester. It can be one freshmen Bible study or multiple ones, etc with Bible study and topics geared to their needs.
4. Campus Ministers must do a good job of communicating the need and how alumni and other individuals can and should consider giving to support the ministry. This also means expressing thanks and keeping them updated!
5. Developing student leaders multiplies our ministries. Investment in student leaders is an investment that returns with interest! Developing student leaders benefits the church for years to come. The more strong student leaders a ministry has the more students it will reach.
6. Great, impacting ministries are not built overnight. Invest and believe in the long term.
7. If you have a facility, make it as attractive, practical, and wisely used as possible. It is a tool.....are you making the best use of that tool?
Arliss Dickerson is a part time college ministry consultant for Lifeway Christian Resources and the author of five books on college ministry available in eBook and print at amazon.com (type in Arliss Dickerson).
Thursday, December 5, 2019
God Calls More Workhorses to College Ministry than Show Horses!
Everyone in college ministry is looking for a Rainmaker when making a new hire. When churches call me looking for suggestions for their College Minister position, they usually want a speaker who is better than Louie Giglio, who many consider the premier college and young adult speaker of our day. Everybody wants a "Rainmaker".
Wikipedia, that source of all knowledge, defines the term this way, "In business a rainmaker is a person who brings in new business and wins new accounts almost by magic." In ministry a Rainmaker is one who instantly draws a big crowd and brings immediate credibility to the ministry with his or her charisma. That's my definition.
Rainmakers are overrated in ministry! First, I do not believe there are many Rainmakers...there are maybe a handful of people who are so obviously gifted and/or God's hand is on them in such a way that out of the ordinary happens over night.
HERE IS THE PROBLEM WITH OVERNIGHT SUCCESS......
Overnight growth is sometimes even unhealthy. It can disappear as quickly as it comes! This sort of overnight success is usually tied to the personality of that one person. The day that one person is gone....the response is gone. College ministries that continue to have an impact over time are built one day, one semester, one year at a time. In most instances, it takes three years to establish a college ministry or for it to begin to take the overall direction needed, if it has been struggling and is starting with new leadership.
Why three years? Obviously, that is not a magic number and it does not mean to sit and wait for three years to pass. The main ingredient is that three classes will have come in under that leadership and philosophy. There is time to develop a culture of excellence, strong student leadership, and financial support. Three years can pass without ANY OF THAT happening. It must be an intentional process.
The danger of totally building a ministry around a charismatic speaker is that that is all the ministry is. It can ignore one to one discipleship, training of student leaders, and the sending out of students to the next phase in their life.
I love big crowds. But, there is more to college ministry than big crowds and the charisma of one person. One College Minister I know who has had large ministries everywhere he has been is not a very good speaker. He has a ton of ideas and works night and day. Maybe, he is a WORKHORSE.
A Workhorse is defined this way by Collins English Dictionary, "they can be relied upon to do a large amount of work, especially work that is dull or routine.". Bingo! Don't worry if you are not a Rainmaker...most of us are not.....HOWEVER GOD USES WORKHORSES!
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).
Wikipedia, that source of all knowledge, defines the term this way, "In business a rainmaker is a person who brings in new business and wins new accounts almost by magic." In ministry a Rainmaker is one who instantly draws a big crowd and brings immediate credibility to the ministry with his or her charisma. That's my definition.
Rainmakers are overrated in ministry! First, I do not believe there are many Rainmakers...there are maybe a handful of people who are so obviously gifted and/or God's hand is on them in such a way that out of the ordinary happens over night.
HERE IS THE PROBLEM WITH OVERNIGHT SUCCESS......
Overnight growth is sometimes even unhealthy. It can disappear as quickly as it comes! This sort of overnight success is usually tied to the personality of that one person. The day that one person is gone....the response is gone. College ministries that continue to have an impact over time are built one day, one semester, one year at a time. In most instances, it takes three years to establish a college ministry or for it to begin to take the overall direction needed, if it has been struggling and is starting with new leadership.
Why three years? Obviously, that is not a magic number and it does not mean to sit and wait for three years to pass. The main ingredient is that three classes will have come in under that leadership and philosophy. There is time to develop a culture of excellence, strong student leadership, and financial support. Three years can pass without ANY OF THAT happening. It must be an intentional process.
The danger of totally building a ministry around a charismatic speaker is that that is all the ministry is. It can ignore one to one discipleship, training of student leaders, and the sending out of students to the next phase in their life.
I love big crowds. But, there is more to college ministry than big crowds and the charisma of one person. One College Minister I know who has had large ministries everywhere he has been is not a very good speaker. He has a ton of ideas and works night and day. Maybe, he is a WORKHORSE.
A Workhorse is defined this way by Collins English Dictionary, "they can be relied upon to do a large amount of work, especially work that is dull or routine.". Bingo! Don't worry if you are not a Rainmaker...most of us are not.....HOWEVER GOD USES WORKHORSES!
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).
Monday, December 2, 2019
Unfair Criticisms in College Ministry
If we serve in any sort of "public ministry", we will receive feedback and criticism. In this there are some that come as a result of lack of information or knowledge of the situation.
Here are what I believe are some UNFAIR CRITICISMS:
"That campus based church plant reaches way more students than the traditional campus model." This criticism was comparing a campus church with twenty five (25) staffers against a campus based ministry with two staffers. Of course, a larger staff reaches more. If we must compare numbers, divide the number involved by the number of staffers.
"The Ministry at this campus is not reaching nearly as many as the ministry at that campus." One of the things that can be very unfair in that criticism is that all campuses are not the same. Comparing a residential campus against a primarily commuter campus is apples to oranges. They are not the same. Students' attitudes and availability time wise are very different. A ministry with a $100,000 budget is different than one that is just fighting to keep the lights on.
"There must be something wrong with that ministry because that student is not involved and they were very involved at their home church." (We have ALL gotten that one!) Here is one problem with that criticism. Being drug to church every Sunday by parents and sleeping on the back row during the service is NOT INVOLVED. Secondly, the Campus Minister may have done everything within his or her power to connect a student. Part time jobs, friendships and school schedules are all factors in what students do.
"The College Minister was not in their office when I called at 9:00 a.m." First, a good College Minister should NOT always be in their office. There are places on campus to be and there are meetings to be had off campus. AND, College Ministers are often on campus until late in the evening. Should they be at the office by 8:00 every morning?
"College Ministers beg for money too much." An alum of our ministry once told me we were begging for money all the time because in our summer newsletter we asked alums to consider giving $25 a year to the ministry. To me that is a long way from begging for money all the time. Folks raising this CONCERN should be aware that many college ministries today are receiving less funding from churches due to the cutback in giving in local churches. As funding goes down, ministry costs do not go down. To do the same as ten years ago costs more. Making people aware of a need is not the same as begging all the time.
"That college ministry does not send any students to our church." That is true. We do not get to determine where students go to church. They make that decision. We can inform and promote, but they choose where they go.
Hang in there when criticism comes. At least they know you are there! Learn who and what to listen to and then go on from there.
Arliss Dickerson's book, Almost Everything About College Ministry, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX and A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV.
Here are what I believe are some UNFAIR CRITICISMS:
"That campus based church plant reaches way more students than the traditional campus model." This criticism was comparing a campus church with twenty five (25) staffers against a campus based ministry with two staffers. Of course, a larger staff reaches more. If we must compare numbers, divide the number involved by the number of staffers.
"The Ministry at this campus is not reaching nearly as many as the ministry at that campus." One of the things that can be very unfair in that criticism is that all campuses are not the same. Comparing a residential campus against a primarily commuter campus is apples to oranges. They are not the same. Students' attitudes and availability time wise are very different. A ministry with a $100,000 budget is different than one that is just fighting to keep the lights on.
"There must be something wrong with that ministry because that student is not involved and they were very involved at their home church." (We have ALL gotten that one!) Here is one problem with that criticism. Being drug to church every Sunday by parents and sleeping on the back row during the service is NOT INVOLVED. Secondly, the Campus Minister may have done everything within his or her power to connect a student. Part time jobs, friendships and school schedules are all factors in what students do.
"The College Minister was not in their office when I called at 9:00 a.m." First, a good College Minister should NOT always be in their office. There are places on campus to be and there are meetings to be had off campus. AND, College Ministers are often on campus until late in the evening. Should they be at the office by 8:00 every morning?
"College Ministers beg for money too much." An alum of our ministry once told me we were begging for money all the time because in our summer newsletter we asked alums to consider giving $25 a year to the ministry. To me that is a long way from begging for money all the time. Folks raising this CONCERN should be aware that many college ministries today are receiving less funding from churches due to the cutback in giving in local churches. As funding goes down, ministry costs do not go down. To do the same as ten years ago costs more. Making people aware of a need is not the same as begging all the time.
"That college ministry does not send any students to our church." That is true. We do not get to determine where students go to church. They make that decision. We can inform and promote, but they choose where they go.
Hang in there when criticism comes. At least they know you are there! Learn who and what to listen to and then go on from there.
Arliss Dickerson's book, Almost Everything About College Ministry, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX and A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV.
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