The Most Important Thing a College Minister Can Do?

I have written recently about "Worst Mistakes" a College Minister can make.  So, what is the "Most Important Thing" a College Minister can do?  I believe it is their personal example...it is who they are.  And, the realization of how important their example is.

Especially, when a College Minister is new, students are looking at what they do.  But, there are always new students.  The two most important examples in a ministry are the College Minister and the student leaders.  But, the College Minister example is the number one influencer of the student leaders.  There can be no, "Do as I say, not as I do."  That is partly why the longer a College Minister leads a ministry the more that ministry will reflect his or her strengths and weaknesses.

Students are looking for role models or mentors.

The personal characteristics we exhibit literally can draw students to the ministry.  Or, it can turn them away.  I have argued that the most impactful thing we can do is to meet with students one to one.  In that context, they will see clearly who we are and what we are.  It is not a call to perfection because we all fail in that area.  It is not a call to fake it, because that is quickly recognized.  It is simply we must be what we are and be becoming all that we believe God wants us to be.

Emotional and financial support are essential for a ministry to survive and then to thrive.

Feeling alone is one of the two top killers of College Ministers and runs them out of college ministry.  Emotional support is drawn by people seeing who the College Minister is and believing in them.  Others want to see a person of integrity and vision succeed.  They want to help them succeed.  While I have never known of a college ministry where money was being stolen, I have seen ministries where the money was handled in a sloppy way.  That was a characteristic of the College Minister.  As people see and become aware of this sloppy behavior, it breeds suspicion at the worst and lack of confidence at the best.  So, example matters not just inside the ministry, but outside as well.

Parents are looking for partners.

The longer a College Minister serves in a ministry, the more parents and others become aware of that person.  There are so many reasons for parents to be concerned about the welfare of their young person today.  When they see someone they believe can be a positive partner with them in the life of their young person, they both encourage, support, and urge their young person toward that ministry.  We must demonstrate we are someone that parents will entrust to invest in their student and maybe even take or send them hundreds of miles away from home.

Albert Sweitzer said, "Example is not the main thing; it is the only thing."  What is your example?  It is likely the most important thing you do every day in how you work, when you show up, how you are about remembering appointments.....on and on.

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com.

My Concerns for Baptist Collegiate Ministry

 I continue to be amazed at all the good things happening on college campuses through BCM. BSM, BSU ministries with all the campus restrictions amid the health concerns.  These BCM College Ministers have been more resourceful than ever and God has used it.  My concerns are for the overall national picture and how that will shape the future of college ministry in Baptist life.

FOUR CONCERNS:

1.THERE IS NO FORMAL OFFICE OR LEADER OF COLLEGE MINISTRY.  Last spring Lifeway, which had been the home of our national college ministry office, was forced to cut $25-30 million out of their budget due to churches not buying literature because of the pandemic.  As part of those cuts, they deleted the College Ministry Leadership position and the part time consultants for college ministry.  That assignment was given to Lifeway by the Southern Baptist Convention several years ago and no other Baptist entity can take up that role until the Convention, at an annual meeting, votes to assign it.  Some believe there is a possibility that will happen this summer.

2. MEGA CHURCH THINKING OFTEN DRIVES DECISIONS.  There are Mega churches that do college ministry in a big and well done way with lots of staff and budget.  For example, one such church has three full time college ministry staffers and as many as twelve (12) paid interns.  They do a good job and reach a large number of students.  These type churches often say that a campus presence such as BCM is not needed because of ministries like theirs.  However, one estimate is that there might be about fifty (50) churches like this in the whole country.  The problem is there are way more campuses than that.  

3.  MORALE OF COLLEGE MINISTERS IS SUFFERING.  It is easy for BCM College Ministers to fear that their job may be deleted at any time due to declining offerings and lack of college ministry emphasis.  So, it is tempting for a Baptist Collegiate Minister to begin to think it is time to move in another direction for ministry.  Families have to be fed and who wants to work where they feel unappreciated.

4.  NO ONE IS RAISING THE FLAG FOR COLLEGE MINISTRY.  Right now there is no one in the Southern Baptist Convention who has the responsibility to be touting all the good things happening on campuses around the country.  No one is talking about the need....as nearly one third (1/3) of college students now identify as "non-religious".  The North American Mission Board has created a College Evangelism position which is being done well and as a result, developing some awareness.  Yet, there are many areas of every day college ministry such as leadership development, ministry to International students, short term and summer missions opportunity, etc that are not being organized or promoted on a national basis.  

In 1988 there were Baptist ministries on 1,042 campuses.  This year there are ministries on about 700 campuses.

THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO:

1.  PRAY!  Pray for College Ministers and encourage any you know.  Remember to pray for State Student Directors in working with Dr. Ronnie Floyd to have a recommendation  to come at the Southern Baptist Convention this summer.

2.  MAKE SURE YOUR PASTOR IS INFORMED.  Cuts and what is not done is never publicized.  Awareness here is huge!

3.  SPEAK TO STATE DENOMINATIONAL LEADERS ABOUT YOUR CONCERNS.  They are making lots of difficult decisions and knowing people's concerns and interests make a big difference.  If you are a BSU/BSM/BCM alum, share your story how God used it in your life.

God is using Baptist Collegiate Ministry (by different names around the country) and the need is greater than it has ever been.  Southern Baptists have been a leader in college ministry.  Let's not forsake that calling.

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com.

College Ministry Lessons from a Football Coach

Just recently I participated in a "Lunch and Learn" event by Zoom with Butch Jones as the guest speaker.  Jones is the new Head Football Coach at Arkansas State University following tenures at Central Michigan, Cincinnati, and Tennessee.  Our Alumni Association does these events periodically.  I originally signed up because I am an ASU football fan.  But, what I got was a terrific seminar on leadership. I want to share five things that came through loud and clear from Coach Jones that I think are super applicable to doing college ministry well.  I don't know that these were his five main points, but they sure were mine.

Here are the Five:

1.  CULTURE -  Jones says, "You can smell the culture of a place when you walk in.". Culture is the idea that everybody is all bought into the same ideas and what they value.  For me, a strong college ministry has a LEADERSHIP CULTURE.  Students are best reached for salvation, discipleship, and involvement by other students.  Student leaders multiply your ministry.  You model what you expect.

2.BRAND/MESSAGING - This is not a religious or spiritual term and it has some negative connotations to some.  Jones spoke of wanting potential recruits and all potential students to see ASU as a place they wanted to come to....to see it as a place of excellence.  And, so he was all about their messaging, social media, etc.  Here is where that goes in college ministry.  What do others think of your ministry?  What is the perception of it on campus?  Is there a perception on campus?  What do your financial supporters or potential financial supporters see and know about the ministry?  Are you communicating to them and are you communicating a message of excellence?

3.  DETAILS - I have been struck starting from his introductory press conference on how he talks about the importance of details.  Today, he said, "We all wear our shirts tucked in.  Will that help us win a football game?  No, But, it will help us be more disciplined and that wins football games."  You may have read my Blog article a couple of years ago, "The Fork Goes on the Left".  I told how we insisted at our outreach Lunch Program that the napkin went on the left with the fork on it and the knife went on the right of the plate.  Stupid some say,  We said, it communicated doing things right and to our best ability.  Second class is not good enough for service in God's kingdom.  

4.  OWNERSHIP - I have always said that the more students invest in a ministry the more they will own it.  And, the more they own it, the more they will invest.  That comes by letting them be partners in some of the decision making.  It comes by letting them know they are valued and by investing in them and benefitting them. He talked of ways they try to benefit their athletes.

5.  COMMIT TO THE PROCESS - This was the NEWEST IDEA to me.  He said it is wrong to be results driven.  If we are results driven, we are up and down as a result of wins, losses.......or college ministry attendance, etc.  Rather, he said if we are committed to our process, we will be much less stress driven and doing the things that will get us to our goals.  I talk a lot in college ministry about STRATEGY.  I think strategy has to match our campus, our students, our resources and our gifts/abilities.  Our strategy is our process.  It is not saying, "I want to have a hundred at our weekly event or see fifty professions of faith this year."  It is developing and working at a strategy or process that moves toward that goal or commitment.

I have said for years that being a College Head Coach and a College Minister are similar in many ways.....just not in salary or staff and resources!  And, the buyout when you get fired is not nearly as good either.  So, don't get fired!

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com.

Doing College Ministry Long Term....Scott Smith

 Lander University, a public university in Greenwood, South Carolina, announced last week that they would be honoring Scott Smith with an honorary doctorate and a scholarship in his name.   Scott has served as the Baptist Campus Minister at Lander since 1985.  Although some Campus Ministers have been honored in such a way by Baptist and other church related colleges, this is the first public university to make such a recognition.  I asked Scott to share some of his tips for long effective service and being seen as such a valuable partner by a state university.  Arliss

I found that I had to make at least one change in the way that I do things each year.  Sometimes they could be a big change and sometimes it was only a change that I could see.  It helped because it forced me to tweak things and make sure that we were doing things in the right way.  Another thing is that we have adjusted our emphasis along the way.

When I turned 40, I realized that my campus was more that just students.  I had spend many years  developing a ministry to students but I had neglected faculty/staff, coaches, and other folks.  That was a real wake up call. It also added an element of newness to our emphasis.  We also decided a few years ago we need to reflect our campus more.  Our BCM needed to look more like our campus.    We needed more diversity, more students that were involved in a lot of different groups on our campus. 

 Last thing:  We were always pretty good at keeping our churches, alumni and friends involved in our ministry.  Many years ago, I felt like I needed to keep the administration really updated.  For 30 plus years I have sent 20 to 30 administrators a packet of information twice a year (May and December) about what all we are doing.  We included a glossy piece, some numbers (administrators love numbers), a thumbnail sketch of the semester highlights and lastly a personal letter from me just expressing my appreciation to be able to work on a state university campus.  It took about 10 years for me to ever hear any results of this. I hope this helps.

Scott Smith, Lander University

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com.

For Parents Doing College Visits

 Spring is the time when parents and their high school juniors and seniors go to visit possible colleges that their son or daughter may attend.  Obviously, being on campus gives a much more accurate view and "feel" of the school and whether that works for them.  Let me add one more thing to consider.

If faith is an essential part of your family and if you want it to be part of your son or daughter's on going life experience, that should be part of the college decision.  We know that a high percentage of high school seniors who are active in church make no faith connection in college.  For some that is intentional, but for many it just does not happen due to new location,  change, time crunch, etc, etc.  A few years back a family I knew visited different colleges and made a selection.  During her freshman year at the school, her mother complained to me about the lack of strong Christian ministries on that campus.  I was familiar with the campus and I had to work to hold my tongue and not say, "Lady, it was that way when you visited there."  

They wanted her Christian faith to be part of her college experience, but that had not been part of their decision process.

SO, HERE IS MY SUGGESTION:

When you visit a campus, check out the religious options.

-If you do a walking tour, ask if there are Christian Centers on campus, as there are many places in the south.  They will quite likely walk you by and show you where they are, if you ask.  They want to make you happy.  Or, they will tell you and you can check it out later on your own.  Or, they will tell you what other options might be.  Often, there is a church near campus that has a ministry to college students.  Their website will usually give lots of information about their college ministry options.

-If you are looking for a Baptist ministry and there is a Baptist Center on or by the campus, go in and check it out. Many other denominations have Centers on or adjacent to campus.  Different things can happen when you do that.

1.  It is easier for your son or daughter to go back later on their own, if they have already been inside and know what it is like and how to navigate it.

2.  You will likely get to meet one of the leaders of that ministry.  Your student will then have some familiarity with them and they with your student.

3.  They can tell you about any events they offer at the start of school just for freshmen and other Welcome Events where they can meet other students.  REMEMBER, who a student makes friends with will have a great deal to do with what they do at school.  Make friends with the party crowd and the chance of lots of party attendance goes up.  Make friends with the academic crowd and the chance of good grades goes up.  Make friends with the faith crowd and the chance of a growing, active faith goes up.

4.  Meeting the leader of the ministry also increases the likelihood of their making contact with your student prior to the start of school and even when they get on campus.

5.  It also gives you the name and number of someone to call, if there is an emergency and you have no idea who to call who might could help.  I have taken lots of students to the garage to get their car fixed.  I have used my Jumper Cables to get lots of cars started.  And, I have sat in the Emergency Room and waited until their parents got there.

"But, I cannot determine what my son or daughter will do faith wise when they get to college." many will say.  No, you cannot, just like you cannot determine if they will make good grades and keep their scholarship.  But, you will encourage them to study and you will ask about their grades and what is going on with their classes.  Do the same thing about faith.  Tell them your hopes and expectations for that.  Ask them about it when you visit by phone after they get to school.  If there are special Christian events at the start of school which has a registration, make sure they are signed up.  

So, as you do your campus visits, check out the faith options.  It just might be the best part of their college experience.

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com.

MORE "WORST" MISTAKES???

 My friend, Jonathan Clark, Baptist Campus Minister at Murray State University, chided me on my first list of 'WORST MISTAKE a College Minister Can Make?".  He chided me about leaving out one I harp on all the time.  So, here it is and one more.

NOT WRITING HANDWRITTEN THANK YOU NOTES

Almost every college ministry I know about struggles for budget funding.  And, more and more College Ministers are raising all or part of their salaries.  Showing gratitude, first of all, is just polite.  It is just demonstrating gratitude.  But, here for me is even more to that.  First of all, a handwritten note says more than a form letter or even a typed personal letter.  Or, if for some reason, there are more than can be done in a needed time frame, a handwritten sentence can be "scrawled" at the bottom.  There is a story about a Congressman who did not let a letter go out of his office without his writing a handwritten sentence at the bottom.

Have you ever mailed a check to a ministry and heard nothing?  I have.  Then, the check clears the bank and you at least know they got it.  But, did it matter?  Did it meet a need?  What was done with it?  A handwritten note does not have to be long.  You can use the small thank you note type cards.

"Dear Charlie, We received your check for $25.  Thank you so much.  We were signing people up for our Retreat and I used it to scholarship a great freshman.  Thanks for making that possible Blessings to you.  Arliss"

"Dear Sally, Your check for $50 came today and it is always an encouragement to me to know folks like you want to invest in our ministry.  Thank you so much.  When you have time, send me some news about you for the Alumni Newsletter.  Arliss"

For those who send you a check every month, I would not send them a note every month.  HOWEVER, I would send them one occasionally.... at least once a year, I would write a personal thank you note to the pastor of each church that supports the ministry at least once a year.  That is a great December project.

NOT INCLUDING A RETURN ENVELOPE IN ALUMNI NEWSLETTERS

Yes, I have harped on this one previously.  Some say, "Arliss you are old and out of date.  We have online giving."  Here is my response.  First, hooray you have online giving and you should, if you can.  But and however, the people most likely to give you money....and even to give you larger amounts of money are older people!!  And, many of them either do not do on line giving because they do not know how or they do not trust putting their credit card information online.  They like writing a check.

The other thing a return envelope does is to serve as a reminder.  In my experience with using return envelopes in alumni mailings, we would get those envelopes back throughout the next several months.  People would stick them somewhere to give at another time.  No, it does not have to have a stamp on it; it can just be an envelope with your stamped address on it.  I do not know if the experts say having a postage guaranteed indication on it increases the percentage of return or not.  One other thing, older people do not like newsletters on red paper.  It is hard to read.

Ok....so, there are two more nominations for "WORST MISTAKES".  Maybe like the Oscars or Grammy Awards, we will have to create categories and have the WORST in each.  Send me YOUR NOMINATION for the WORST.  You can Facebook me, email me (arlissdickerson@gmail.com) or text me.

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com.

Common Mistakes in College Ministry

 All of us make mistakes but some are more costly personally or to the ministry as a whole.

1.  Fighting the administration over minor issues.  They always win and it affects more things than you realize.

2.  Being too tied to your core groups or just a few students.  Of course you want to be close to and invest in your core students, but you are their leader, not their buddy.

3.  The appearance of improper behavior with students of the opposite sex. We can be perfectly innocent and not be perceived that way.  One of my rules is NEVER go to a girl's dorm room or apartment.  Yes, people have been fired for this even though it was perfectly innocent.

4.  Forgetting that student leaders are students with other responsibilities.  Never take for granted the time they give you and that sometimes they need a little grace.

5.  Not having personal friends other than college students.  Part of your value to students is having another perspective and with no outside life, a College Minister is headed to burnout.

6.  Lack of balance in the ministry and just being all about one thing.  All ministries have priorities, but it takes more than one thing for those priorities to happen.

7.  Trying to imitate your favorite speaker or college ministry hero rather than living and serving out of your own gifts and personality.  Louie is probably a better speaker.

8.  Not keeping good financial records and being transparent about the use of money.  I have never known a College Minister stealing from a ministry, but I have seen lots of sloppy record keeping and poor use of money that did not inspire the support of outsiders.

9.  Being happy with your fifty.  No number is magic and there are always other students that need your ministry.  This is the most common complaint I hear from college ministry supervisors.

10.  Not staying in one place long enough to build the ministry.  Of course, people move and that is not wrong.  But, realize it takes time to grow a culture and build a ministry.  Plan to invest the time until God shows you otherwise.

11.  Being all in on the ministry and being unfair to family.  You don't get back time with your young children and your spouse deserves more than the leftovers.  Don't cheat work or family!

12.  Trying to be an imitation of the latest "It Ministry".  It may not fit our gifts or our school. 

13.  Building the whole ministry around your personality.  This is a tough one because we must live and serve out of our gifts and strengths but we must empower and allow others to make their gifts part of the ministry personality.  Different students strengths different years will shade the ministry some different directions.

14.  Thinking it can all happen on your own apart from God's leadership and movement.

Most of us can plead guilt to some degree or other on most of these at some time or other.  But, beware of settling there.  As much as possible, have someone on the outside look into your ministry and give you good feedback.

Arliss Dickerson's college ministry books are available at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.

"Using an iPad When You Speak" by Robert Turner

 Robert Turner is the College Ministry Leader for the Pennsylvania/South Jersey Baptist Resource Network  He responded to my blog, "Being a Better College Ministry Speaker....the Game Changer".  Here are some of his practical thoughts on using an iPad when you speak.

"When I had to start using reading glasses, I hated it when I was speaking because I had to keep putting them on and off.  The solution was using my iPad rather than paper, because I could both instantly make the font larger to read without my classes.  And, as it was lit, I could read it better.  Problem solved.  I bought one of the iPad frames with a strap on the back, so I can hold it without having to grab it.  It will not slip off my hand.  This allows me to move about the platform with my iPad and refer to it as needed.  This works with students because seeing a speaker with an iPad doesn't look awkward.  But, when I preach, I just leave the iPad on the pulpit like I would with any preaching notes.

When I use my iPad this way, it is pretty much an extension of my arm and the back almost always faces out and not the screen, I think at some point the students don't even notice it.   I still almost always have a lectern and sometimes I'll remove the iPad and leave it there.  If I'm telling a story and move about, then I will pick it back up later.  I do not necessarily have it with me the entire time.  The point is for your use to be natural and seamless.

And another important point to make, and it may seem obvious, is to ALWAYS be sure your iPad is fully charged and that you've set the screen to always be on and not go to sleep after five minutes or so.  You do not want to have to be continually logging back into your device while in front of everyone.  And, one person said, when publicly speaking from a device to always print it out as a backup in case of a tech issue."

Thanks to Robert.  If you know me, I am always about the practical in how we do what we do much better.  I will be interested to hear any other thoughts on being a better speaker to college students....and to any other crowd.

By the way, when I was growing up I noticed in my church that when we were going to have a guest speaker sometimes they would say he will be preaching.  Other times, they would say he will be speaking.  I asked my dad what the difference was in preaching and speaking.  My dad scratched his head and said, "I think when you speak, you have to have something to say."

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com

Being a Better College Ministry Speaker.....And, The Game Changer

 

Whether a College Minister speaks every week at their large group event or only occasionally, we all want to do it better.  Here are my ten suggestions.  And, I believe there is one thing that is a game changer in doing it well.

1.  TELL STORIES.  Students love stories and it captures their attention.

2.  SPEAK CASUALLY.  Most college students don't respond well to yelling or "preacher voices".

3.  HUMOR ALWAYS GOES WELL.  But, beware of corny jokes.

4.  PACE MATTERS.  Often at college ministry events time is limited, but don't get in a hurry.

5.  KNOW WHEN THEY QUIT LISTENING.  At Arkansas State, when their heads are down, they have quit listening.  But, heads come back up when something new catches their attention.

6.  QUIT BEFORE THEY QUIT.  When it is going well, don't get carried away by the sound of your own voice.  It is always great when they say, "I wish he or she had spoken longer!"

7.  SPEAK WITHOUT A PODIUM OR PULPIT.  Just stand in front of them.  Notes can be inside your Bible....that's for those of us that can't speak without notes.

8.  ASK FOR A RESPONSE.  How many of you have ever.....?  Raise your hand, if........  When I do that, I usually raise my hand.

9.  GIVE SOMETHING AWAY.  I have asked, "Has anybody cut a class today?" Or, whatever and then give that student a $10 gift card to a popular student eating place.  That always starts things well.

10. DON'T READ TO THEM.  I am all about notes...never speak without them.  But, beware of reading a manuscript to them....yes, I have seen it done

BUT, HERE IS THE GAME CHANGER IN BEING A BETTER SPEAKER.

Speak it out loud before you do it.  Stand up in a room by yourself and speak it out loud just like you plan to do it.  If you have never done it, it is awkward.  But, it helps you hear how it sounds.  It helps you hear, if it really makes sense.  I often will realize that a point is not fully developed or that it doesn't sound like it did in my head when I prepped it.  

Also, it gives you a correct sense of the length of time.  Is it too long or too short?  Also, if you are using notes or an outline, it helps you be more familiar and not have to look as them as frequently.  I believe outside of solid preparation, the best tip for being a better college ministry speaker is speaking it out loud at least once in a room by yourself.  Yes, I still do this....even with my Sunday School lesson I teach!

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com