MUST Speak on Topics

We all have our pet topics and favorite passages we like to speak on.  Someone has said Billy Graham preached one sermon under lots of different titles.  I am a huge proponent of laying out speaking topics for a whole semester in advance.  Or, if a College Minister does not speak regularly laying out topics that they want guest speakers to address.  Some argue that if topics are laid out way in advance, they do not address a current issue.  If there is something current that needs to be addressed, then adjust and speak to that topic.  It is better to be able to switch if need be than scrambling trying to think what can I do this week?  One pastor referring to what to preach on said he knew what Friday night fever was before it was a movie.

Here are four topics I think need to be every year topics.  And, some need to be mentioned in speaking more than once a year.

FORGIVENESS
Many Christian students have walked away from their faith because of a sense of having done something wrong and not accepting or sensing God's forgiveness.  College students come to college looking for fun and friends.  That combination sometimes gets them somewhere they did not plan to go in the very beginning.  They need to hear and be reminded that one act or one season does not preclude them from God's love or his use of them.  Besides talking about forgiveness to those who need to hear it, we need to talk about how to extend forgiveness and help friends receive forgiveness and not to feel outside the family of faith.

This is one of those topics that has to be mentioned regularly!

CALLING
God calls everyone to serve and He calls some to vocational ministry or to ministry for a season.  We need to talk about calling.  How does God call people?  What are different ways that God speaks to people?  How do we know what God is calling us to Do?  Someone has correctly observed that we make too much of being being set apart for service and so, the majority feel they do not need to serve or minister. Yet, we need College Ministers, pastors, youth ministers, Christian counselors, etc.  Also, it is our responsibility in college ministry to give some extra time and encouragement to those who are feeling called to vocational ministry.  I always recommend Jeff Iorg's book, "Is God Calling Me?".  Keep a copy or two of it in your office or back pack (I know that is some's office.).

SPIRITUAL GIFTS
It has been said that Baptists do not talk about Spiritual Gifts much because we are afraid of the "tongues topic".  Yet, I believe ALL Christians are to live, serve, and be who they were made to be in living out their Spiritual Gifts.  Too many think the only gifts God uses are preaching and singing, which leaves out the majority of us.  Our Spiritual Gift(s) is or are the greatest clue to our personality and general satisfaction in our lives.  A Spiritual Gifts seminar is always a great one for any retreat.

LEADERSHIP
We need to talk about leadership regularly for at least two reasons.  The more and stronger leaders we have, the stronger our ministry will be AND we must be developing leaders for the church of the future.  God uses godly leaders in all areas of life from politics to law to business. If we want to impact our society with the Gospel, we need to be raising up godly leaders in ALL areas of life.  For some leadership is a dirty word, we need to help rehabilitate it in the eyes of our students.  Developing a leadership culture is a must for a college ministry to be as impactful as it can be.

What are YOUR "must speak" topics?

Arliss Dickerson is a college ministry and leadership consultant and the author of five books on college ministry available at amazon.com in eBook and print (type in Arliss Dickerson).  "ALMOST Everything About College Ministry" will be available in early summer.