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.