When word came in the last couple of weeks that the Georgia Baptist Convention was cutting their number of BCM Directors, it was stunning. The Georgia Convention due to declining offerings in local churches has asked several of their employees to take early retirement. Among that number are some of their most veteran and experienced College Ministers. The result is that a major campus will go from multiple staff to one staff member. Other campuses will have no full time Baptist Campus Minister. Georgia has long had a strong commitment to college ministry. The realization is that, "if it can happen in Georgia, it can happen anywhere."
Quite simply, the reality is that when offerings in local churches decline, then there is less money to do what we have been doing. Then, the money sent on to State Conventions gets cut. Should cuts be made across the board? What most impacts kingdom work? What most benefits the ministry of churches? Some argue that when cuts are made that college ministry takes a disproportionate hit because leadership receives less push back in that area.
So, where does that leave us? What are options apart from simply cutting back? If we believe that reaching the young adult generation is important and even paramount, just cutting back is not the answer.
Here are some alternatives:
LEAVE COLLEGE MINISTRY TO THE NON-DENOMINATIONAL MINISTRIES. This has been suggested by some that we simply let CRU, InterVarsity, etc do the college ministry. They raise their own salaries, etc. It doesn't cost us anything. While much great ministry is done by these ministries, we lose the distinctive strengths of our denomination both in beliefs and practices. AND, much of the money these staffers raise is being raised from Southern Baptist individuals.
ADOPT THE VIRGINIA MODEL. A few years back the Virginia Baptist Convention notified their BCM College Ministers they would have to begin raising a percentage of their own salary and that percentage would increase over the years. When I first heard this, I thought how awful! Now, I am not so negative of that approach. They did not quit. They did not say we just don't do college ministry anymore. One reality that bolsters this idea is that today's younger Christians no longer like the idea of just giving their money blindly to their local church and saying do whatever with it. They want to see where their money goes and what it accomplishes. We can like it or dislike it, but that is a growing reality and perhaps one reason offerings are declining.
ASK THE LOCAL CHURCHES TO TAKE UP THE COLLEGE MINISTRIES. This is the model that the North Carolina Baptist Convention adopted some years ago. They went from multiple BCM Ministers with Centers to three employees who are to enlist and train individuals and churches to do it on a local level. Different observers give different reports on their success.
GO TO ONLY THE UNDERSERVED CAMPUSES. This approach argues to cut our number of College Ministers and go to the smaller campuses where no one is doing anything or very little. Big name campuses have lots of ministries and smaller and often more commuter campuses have less witness. This spreads our gospel witness and ministry where it is most needed is the feeling.
GO ONLY TO THE FLAGSHIP CAMPUSES. The argument for this is that "flagship campuses" are the ones with the most students normally and it is easier to draw support for these ministries for either salaries or budget because they are high profile. That argument further continues that "flagship campuses" tend to turn out the most high profile, assertive leaders that will make the greatest difference in the world (and church) to come. Southern Baptists have long advocated the idea of being on more campuses while CRU and others have more practiced the "Flagship model".
DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN STATE CONVENTIONS AND LOCAL CHURCHES. This idea maintains that instead of local churches hiring their own College Minister and there being a local BCM/BSU Campus Minister to combine their efforts and salary money. That allows the local churches and the convention to cut what they are spending and develops a unified approach. Some state conventions now do this on some campuses. But, these alliances are often fragile and complicated. Some churches are willing and others are not. Should we invite all, and simply combine with those who are willing?
These are UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS about options. I believe that is one reason we are not having them. Should Baptist leaders make these decisions alone or should it be more of a denominational dialogue? Good arguments can be made FOR and AGAINST each of these suggestions. Instead of "perfect solutions" maybe we need to be looking for and adopting "workable solutions". As we see young adults walking away from faith and church, is cutting back on college ministry a good idea? Is this the most effective idea for the future?
I challenge all of us to be part of this discussion!
Arliss Dickerson's new book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com
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