Why Do the First Three Weeks Matter So Much?

 As July winds down, two College Ministry Axioms particularly ring true and echo in our minds.

1.  Good Falls are made in the summer.

2.  The first 2-3 weeks of the semester determine your whole school year.

At this point, these two axioms interlock.  It is at this point in planning and summer preparation, College Ministers are nailing down their final start of school schedule, if it has not already been done.  Incoming freshmen are or will soon be contacted, texted, called, email, mailed, etc what the first few events are, when, etc.

So, why do the first three weeks matter so much?

1.  Students come to college looking for fun and friendships.

So, they are going to go where there is fun happening or they expect it to be happening.  This is true whether a student is a committed Christian or not.  So, it is important that our ministries offer what would obviously be fun events and where there can be relationships started.

2.  Students go where their friends go.

As students start to develop relationships they will decide together where to go.  No one likes to go to an event alone.  So, where are these new friends/acquaintances going?  What do these people I just met at that Luau last night want to do or where are they going that I can tag along?  Usually, the crowd decision will determine everyone's choice.  Who a student connects with personally at the very start likely will determine their next activities.

3.  Summer camp fun at college lasts about 2-3 weeks before REALITY WEEK happens.

Reality Week is that week when suddenly the realization that this is college and not just one big welcome party or fun camp.  It happens when that first quiz or test is given and BOOM!  They flunk their first ever exam or they have their first experience of not being the smartest one in every class like they were in high school.  Or, they realize they really do have to read the assigned material.  So, what happens then?  MOST TRIM THEIR SOCIAL SCHEDULE.  Out of panic, they swear to themselves to only sleep, eat, and study.....and maybe one other option.  Is your ministry a possibility to be the other option?

4.  A key difference in high school and college is that it is not possible to do everything.

In high school many students have played sports/band/dance team, etc, made good grades and gone to church youth group.  Reality Week often says to them, "In College you can't do everything."  So, it is time to choose.  Again, relationships will play a key role here in making those decisions.  What are my new friends doing and where have I felt the most connected?

5.  Church visiting has about a 2-3 week window.

If students are Christian and have been encouraged to be involved in a church, they usually are planning to visit a couple that offer something for college students and pick one.  Church visiting wears out real quick!  In my experience, about 2 or 3 places is the limit counting weeknight events and Sundays. So, that visiting can even happen within a 7 to 9 day time frame.  And then, they either connect to one of those two or three or decide, "there is just no church like my good old home church. I will just go there when I am home on a weekend and during breaks." In my experience, freshmen wear out quicker visiting churches away from campus than they do campus based ministries.

I am more convinced than ever that the first two to three weeks defines your school year.  AND, I lean toward the idea that for most it is JUST TWO WEEKS!

"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven."  Ecclesiastes 3:1

NEXT:  "5 Questions to Ask about Your First Events"

Arliss Dickerson's college ministry books are on sale in August at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.