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.
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