College Students and Pornography

If you work with college students, you are working with some students who have had porn issues or are in the midst of it now.  That is just how wide spread and pervasive it is.  The Recovery Village says that "35% of all internet downloads are porn related".  A College Minister told me this week he had done an anonymous survey among the guys in their discipleship groups and every one of them said they either were currently struggling with porn or had in the past.  ALL....100% and these were all highly involved in a college ministry.

He did this survey as a result of a graduate who had been a leader in his ministry sharing with him that he had lost his marriage due to his involvement with pornography.  Experts in this field say that as someone becomes addicted to porn, normal human relationships begin to suffer as reality does not measure up for them.

Medical News Today says porn users...

... ignore other responsibilities to view porn.

... view progressively more extreme pornography to get the same release that less extreme porn once offered.

... feel frustrated or ashamed after viewing porn but continue to do do so.

... want to stop using pornography but feel unable to do so.

A psychiatrist told me that the "capture rate" for porn is higher than for alcohol, marijuana, and drugs.  He said there is a percentage of people who will try or use each that will become addicted. That is the "capture rate".  And, the addiction rate or "capture rate" for those that try porn is higher than each of the other three.

Ryan Scantling, BCM College Minister at the University of Arkansas, does a message on purity/porn every spring semester and asks those who are currently involved with porn to abstain for 21 days and "We go through a devotional together everyday for those 21 days."  He indicated this has had a good response.

Porn used to be considered a "Guy Issue",  but Sarah Farley, former College Minister at the University of Georgia and now at the International Mission Board, says she believes about 1 in 3 girls  have some sort of porn issue today.  Due to the "normalization" of it and that it is now considered "healthy" and is so accessible, she believes the number of girls involved with porn will go to 1 out of 2.  Sarah says, "We are fighting a re-definition of sexuality, pleasure and sin. It literally changes the brain."

You do not have to be an expert on porn to begin to help students with this issue. Part of it is opening the topic up and giving students the opportunity to talk to someone they trust and who can help hold them accountable. Plus, you can point them to helpful resources. One resource in this area is www.fightthenewdrug.com.  It has helpful articles and videos that would benefit you in working with students and also in referring students to it.

Are you working with college students?  Then, you probably are working with some students who are wrestling with porn issues.  What are you doing to help?

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

The Number ONE Thing New College Ministers Say

 I have heard it again and again and so I believe it is the number ONE thing new College Ministers say.

"I wish I could go back and do the first month over now with what I know."

It is unfair how much the first month and even the first two weeks affect our ministry for the whole school year and then how much that can affect our ministry for the next four years.  So, whether you are brand new or a grizzled veteran, now is the time to go back and evaluate your first month and write down plans, thoughts and adjustments for next year.  Don't wait till next spring or summer when the start of school is on the horizon.  Do it now while the memories are fresh and accurate.

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

What IF Finances Force Cuts in Collegiate Ministry in the Future??

 In light of the recent cutbacks in college ministry in the Georgia Baptist Convention (which had long been considered a leader in college ministry) and at Lifeway a while back, etc, where do we go from here? Please understand that Baptist college ministry is done on the state level and each state convention makes its own decisions.  Thankfully there are states who have not made cuts and have even strengthened what they are doing in collegiate ministry. Yet, many predict that giving to Baptist causes will go down over the next few years.  So, what if money issues cause changes to be made in other State Baptist Conventions?  I am not a prophet and no one has asked my thoughts and I am pretty sure they will not.  But....

So, what are options for the future?  I am not recommending any of these at this point and don't even like some of them.  But, they are options.  Maybe looking at these would get us to a better option.

1.  Prioritize Campuses - Some campuses are just easier to work on for a variety of reasons.  Some campuses are flag ship campuses and they produce leaders simply because of the type campus they are and the students they attract.  Some have a strong history of a large ministry and it has momentum.  Maybe, it is we will work on these five (5) campuses in this state.

2.  Do matching salaries - A Convention state office will pay this much money on your salary and you raise an equal amount or a percentage.  

3.  Pay 4 or 5 senior top notch Campus Ministers and then let X number of younger Campus Ministers raise their salaries and work under them in multiple staff situations or on smaller campuses.  The younger men and women would be mentored by them and learn from them.  Maybe, they serve one year directly with them and go out on their own to a campus the next year.  They could be permanent or a two or three year commitment.  Be mentored one year in a larger ministry and then serve one or two years somewhere else on your own.  This would multiply ministries.

4.  Ask an individual church to take over the local college ministry.  This has been tried to some degree where there have been cutbacks.  Some money could be provided by the State Convention to that church.

5.  Ask all the Baptist Churches in the town to go together to pay for a college ministry leader who would be on campus.  Actually, this is a really old idea.  But, maybe its time has come again.

6.  Just turn college ministry over to the non-denominational groups like Cru and Intervarsity, etc that raise their own salaries and don't cost us anything.  Of course, they are raising much of that money from Baptists and do non-denominational ministries develop and produce Baptist leaders for the future?  Yet, they are doing kingdom work.

7.  Ask churches in a college town to make their Youth Minister Youth and College and give them two or three Interns for youth and college.  It costs the church some more, but it produces more at not a huge additional cost.  The State Convention could provide some funding.

8.  Develop a Faculty Network of Baptist Christian professors who would start a Bible study on their campus.  Provide training and materials for them.

9.  Join with other evangelical groups in that town to have a Christian Center or Ministry that has a Center that different groups can use and work out of.

10.  With limited resources, divide up campuses in a state with other evangelical groups.  They will work on this campus and we will work on that campus.

11. Get a bunch of my college ministry books and fly over campuses and drop them from air planes and see what happens.

Let me hear YOUR idea.

Here is my MAIN SUGGESTION:  Let's get a plan ahead of time of where we are going and try to be intentional about it!!!  Just cutting expenses is not the best plan.  And, alums should give $25 every year to the ministry that blessed them.

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

A Strategic Loss for Baptist Collegiate Ministry

 I learned yesterday through different friends that contacted me that Joe Graham, State wide Baptist Collegiate Ministry leader for Georgia, was informed yesterday that his job would end at the end of this month.

The Christian Index, the Baptist paper for Georgia,  in a release yesterday said that, "A prolonged decline in Cooperative Program giving is forcing the Georgia Baptist Mission Board to further reduce staffing levels in order to right-size the organization to meet financial realities. Cooperative program receipts have declined in Georgia from a high of $49.5 million in 2007 to $37.8 million in 2020, an overall drop of $11.7 million.  That includes a $2.6 million decline since the beginning of the pandemic."

About a year or two ago retirement incentives were offered to a number of Georgia Convention employees. This included some BCM Campus Ministers and that reduced their number of local BCM College Ministers.  A friend, who formerly worked in Georgia, told me at one point there were 170 Georgia Baptist Convention employees and now there are less than 90.

In my opinion, Joe's loss is not just a loss to collegiate ministry in Georgia, but to our national movement of college ministry as well.  He has been a strong voice and leader in much that has been done to fill the gap in cutbacks on the national level. 

In the past years with the changes and elimination in national programs and the loss of the collegiate ministry office at Lifeway, the State BCM Directors have led BCNet.  BCNet is a group of committees made up of local campus and church based College Ministers that plan and carry out ministries, programs, and training that benefits our national movement.  And, this past August the State BCM Directors, with Joe's involvement, planned and put on the Collegiate Week at Falls Creek in Oklahoma.  Collegiate Week is a national gathering of students and College Ministers which has been done prior to the start of each school year.  This event was formally done by Lifeway Christian Resources.

Pray for Joe and his family during this time for what is next for him and just in processing this.  Also, pray for collegiate ministry in Georgia.  I was told that the Georgia BCM Directors will be meeting together later this week.  Pray for that meeting and for them as well.

Also pray that decisions made in days to come as finances change that Baptists will be strategic and wise in decisions made.  It is easy to just cut, but how do we do what God has called us to do in the wisest and most efficient way with the resources that we have?

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

Why Do Students CONNECT to a College Ministry?

Why do some students connect to a ministry and some do not?

I believe the simple answer is RELATIONSHIPS.  Students go where they feel known and cared about.  Friends are the X Factor.  What do friends do?  Or, WHERE have I met and made friends?

I believe it is more imperative than ever that we work at providing opportunities and avenues for students to connect personally with others.  AND, we have to remember that because of texting, etc students are not as good at making social connections face to face as they used to be. It does not happen as automatically as we might hope and expect.

What are some possible "Connecting Points"?

-Big Buddy/Little Buddy is where an upperclassmen is paired with a freshman.  They meet at least once a week to visit and to pray or do a fun activity.  This also helps train upperclassmen in the importance of reaching out to younger students  and can lead to a mentoring relationship. 

-Fun Trips such as a Float Trip .  It can be a one day experience or longer.  

-Disaster Relief Trips:  Due to all the destruction by storms lately a lot of ministries are doing DR trips which appeal to a wide variety of students AND promote personal connections as they work side by side.  Some campus administrations have even given money to campus ministry groups doing DR projects.

- Fun Golf Tournament:   I put the word fun here because I think it has to be clear that it is not just for "serious golfers".  Prizes will be "Funniest Shot"; "Most Lost Balls"; "Most Likely to Injure Someone", etc with a steak cookout to follow.

-Golf Clinic:  Have a two hour session with some clubs and balls provided and someone who knows enough to share tips and just promote fun.  It does not even require a golf course...just a big field.

-Cooking Class:  It can be a one time event or a multi-session happening.  As more students live in apartments and there is more emphasis on eating healthy, knowing how to fix some basic and fun things is of great interest.  I lean toward things such as this being a one time event.

-Yoga and Bible Study:  Sweating together promotes getting to know others and quickly does away with inhibitions.  Your PE Department may offer Yoga options, etc, but you can add the spiritual spin to it.

A growing phenomenon now being quietly discussed in education circles is the increasing gap between the number of guys and girls attending college.  More and more guys are opting out of college.  Some colleges with very strict entrance requirements are quietly relaxing some of those to just get more guys.  It is not just college ministries that are wrestling with reaching guys.  So, connecting guys is an even greater concern and issue for us as well.  

Will any of these work for you? 

Who knows!  Here is the point, I believe we have try more things that are simply aimed at helping new students make personal connections.  I hope to share some "Connecting Points" in the future that different ministries have done that help students connect.  Let me hear from you.

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

The College Ministry Multiplier....FREE BOOK

 I believe that student leaders are the multiplier of our ministry.  They can do things that free us to do other things.  They can connect to students we would never be able to meet or relate to.  Plus, when we train and develop young leaders, we are benefitting churches for years to come.

My eBook, 25 Tips for Developing College Ministry Leaders, is free for the next five (5) Days.  You can get it here amazon.com/dp/B01KSUYR0A.  

Please pass the word.  Thanks for what you are doing!  

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

"You don't have to think old just because you grow old" in College Ministry

 Colin Cowherd, the sports talk radio guy, in talking about Nick Saban's success at Alabama said, "You don't have to think old just because you grow old."  He went on to talk about Saban's long period of success because of his adjustment as the game and the rules have changed.  That resonated with me not just because I am old, but because I am one of, if not the biggest, advocate for more long term older College Ministers.

Many of our larger ministries are led by older and long term College Ministers.  Many college ministries are not reaching near their potential due to the continual turnover of College Ministers and newer and younger College Ministers having to learn the same lessons each time there is a change.  Don't get me wrong, I am not against young College Ministers.  I just do not believe, as many do, that college ministry is only for the young. We need lots of you great guys and gals to stay for the long term.

As we age, we have to continue to be a student of students and changing attitudes.  It is a small and maybe even silly example but years ago I realized that I did not need to be designing our tee shirts. . Our young Assistant and some of the students designed the tee shirts that our students loved and wore all over campus. I didn't have to love the shirt. The tee shirt company told us what the current favorite colors were for that year. Who knew that certain colors were designated as "the colors" that year? If it had just been up to me, we would have had red tee shirts every year.

Many years ago in the early 70's I learned my first college ministry maxim from Max Barnett, "Methods are many and principles are few; methods often change, but principles never do."  As we age in college ministry, we must be aware of what is principle and what is just method.  You must always be true to your principles and ministry principles, but not wed to a method.  Thinking young sees new methods that are consistent with time proven principles.

Another of my favorite sayings comes from that great philosopher, John Wayne, the movie cowboy of years go:  "Life is hard; life is harder if you are stupid."  We are stupid when we do not adjust and change. Part of being a successful long term College Minister is listening to students and continuing to learn.  And, we don't have to like tattoos or get a tattoo to continue to love college students and work with those that think a tattoo is a great Christmas present.

College campuses continue to change.  Students continue to change.  I think in many ways the Pandemic has speeded up change.  What worked pre-pandemic may not be the best approach now.. Are you willing to consider new options? 

2 Guides to Young Thinking:

-Continue to ask WHY you do a particular activity or ministry.

-Make ministry decisions based on what IS, not what WAS.

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight , so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ."  Philippians 1:9-10

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

Random Start of School College Ministry Thoughts

 Encourage another College Minister. This is the easy time for College Ministers to be discouraged....working night and day and some things maybe not going as hoped or planned.  Even if you are encouraged, someone else is down.  Call and encourage another College Minister.   And, the way to encourage them is not telling them how great it is going for you.  Ask how they are doing and listen.

Sponsor another college ministry. Should your ministry be helping another college ministry?  Send them a check.....$25 is a gift from heaven for some ministries.  Pick one and stay with them or do something for a different one each time.  

Missing upperclassmen? With the emphasis of reaching new students these first couple of weeks, it is easy to not realize some regular upperclassmen from last year have not been around at all.  Think back over last years regulars.  Anybody you need to check on?

Thank your leaders.  Don't take for granted the extra work, time, and energy your leaders are putting in during these first few days and events.  Make a clear and strong effort to thank them as a group and individually.

Encourage that leader who is dragging.  It is not unusual at this point to have some of your leaders just busting it, but someone is not doing much or seems to be struggling.  Invest in them and encourage them before they feel they just have fallen too far behind.

Homesickness is real or do I fit at college?  One thing for us to be aware of is those students who are feeling very left out or struggling with this new adjustment.  I have had two conversations in the last 24 hours with an aunt and a mother concerned that their student will quit and come home.  We sort of grin about homesickness, but it is real to the one who is homesick.  And that student who has made A's without ever trying suddenly feels lost.  Part of our "pastoral ministry" is encouraging ones like this AND talking with moms and aunts..  One freshmen I saw as a future leader of our ministry went home Labor Day weekend and just never came back. 

Second and third week of school is a time of getting around on campus and loving on students.

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