4 Pillars of a Strong College Ministry

Through the years, I have been asked what the absolute basics of a strong college ministry are, other than just a movement of God's Spirit.  I think there can be a variety of valid answers to that question.  Here are what I think were the pillars of our ministry during my time at Arkansas State University. That is not to say it was perfect or reached all the students that it should have or that we tried to reach.  

4 Pillars of ministry that make the difference:

1.  I never felt alone.

I never felt that I was the only one that cared about ministry at Arkansas State.  My church loved me and my family and even promoted me and our ministry to the church as a whole.  Others cared.  An Associational Missionary drove an hour to see me one day and encourage me because he sensed I was struggling.  That was huge in what it said to me.  We must work at forming relationships that will nurture us.. Feeling alone in ministry is one of the killers.

2.  We had top notch student leaders.

Some of the sharpest students on campus were leaders in our ministry.  We tried to recruit, celebrate, and invest in student leaders. Part of having good student leaders is them being allowed to lead and their ideas being valued.  Some wise person has said, "We attract what we are."  When we work at excellence, others usually want to join in with that. 

3.  We had exceptional staff.

Never be afraid to hire people who are smarter, more talented, and better looking than you are.  In the end, you will look good.  Supervise them and expect them to fit and work within your philosophy, but give them room to do what they do best.  And, when it is time for them to go on, help them go, and rejoice in their steps.  AND, more sharp staff will want to follow them.  Be sure to give credit in public settings to co-workers.  Go out of your way to make sure they get lots of credit.

4.  Make a long term investment of yourself.

Some jobs and callings are for a season or two. That is usually part of starting out and gaining experience.  But, the ministries that really continue to thrive are where the leader can and has made a years long commitment.  It opens doors on campus and off.  As the College Minister ages, he or she becomes a peer with the administrators.  Trust is built. The ministry is known by the face of the leader.  That does not happen overnight.  Alumni begin to give back because they know what it meant in their lives.

What are the pillars in your ministry or what pillars are you trying to develop?

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.

A College Minister Question for this Time of Year

 Many College Ministers are already into Freshmen Orientations or laying out plans for summer outreach.  Here is a question I think each of us need to ask:

What do I need to do new or different this summer or fall to connect with some students who will not automatically respond to me or our ministry?

In many, but not all places, there are students that will easily respond to or come looking for our ministry.  But, no matter where we serve, there are some who "aint" looking for us or our ministry.  We all need to keep doing the things that have worked for us in the past.

But, is there something we should do differently now or when school starts that gives us a chance at a connection to those who have walked away from faith or have never even heard the message of the Gospel?

One thing I saw recently that I was not aware of was that Twitter has an option where someone can enter a school email address and it will connect them to others with that school email address.  Most College Ministers do not have one, but your upperclass leaders sure do.  What if your Outreach leaders or Freshmen Ministry leaders connected into these groups? 

 What new have you found that works for you or could even just be a possibility?  Some have had great success connecting into #2022 Facebook groups.  Or, have you tried Instagram with something like #Yourschool2026?  I found two such pages for my school.  

Who knows what all is out there?  First, you must ask the question:  What do I need to do new or different this summer or fall to connect with some students who will not automatically respond to me or our ministry?  

It may not be social media at all.  It may be a new habit or action on your part personally. 

 But, first you have to seriously ask the question and let it simmer for a few days.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9

Your Influence Quotient

Tim Elmore is best known for his book, HABITUDES, and his work in public schools and with educators as a whole.  Many may not know that he started out as the College Minister in John Maxwell's church in California.  In 2003 he wrote a College Minister's book for Lifeway entitled, Leveraging Your Influence. In it, he shares what he calls, "Your Influence Quotient". Elmore says our Influence Quotient is determined by our "attraction assets".

Here are Tim's Attraction Assets: 

Passion and Enthusiasm - Possessing an energy and excitement that propels you and encourages those around you to action.

Insight and Wisdom - Having discernment and an intuitive understanding into students and situations

Relational Charisma - Possessing a warm and magnetic personality

Productive Ability - Accomplishing tasks efficiently and thoroughly; being capable of getting the job done with your students

Character and Courage - Doing what is right in your role on campus even when it is difficult

Communication Skills - Expressing your thoughts and ideas clearly, which motivates students to act

Gifts and Talents - Possessing natural abilities, spiritual gifts, and cultivated skills that compel others to join

I (Arliss) think none of us would claim to have it all together in each of these seven areas.  Yet, I think we should both acknowledge what we see as our strengths and which might fall into the weakness category.  Then, be sure we are making the most of that one or two that are really strengths and admitting what is perhaps a weakness.  Then, we have to build on our strengths and see how we can mitigate the impact of our weakness by giving freedom and opportunity to those who have strengths in that area.

How would you grade yourself in these areas or would you agree with Elmore's "Attraction Assets"?

Arliss Dickerson's book Tips for College Freshmen: 124 tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.

The Collegiate Ministers Fellowship Meeting

 The Collegiate Ministers Fellowship will be in Shreveport, Louisiana July 11-13 at the LSU-Shreveport BCM Center.  It is open to any College Minister who wants to attend.  It is three days of whiteboard sessions, connecting with others who have a passion to do college ministry better and just being with others that get it.  It starts at 2:00 on Monday and will end at 11:00 on Wednesday.  All lunches and dinners are provided at no cost by different Baptist entities.  There is no registration fee and your only cost is travel and lodging......and you have to pay for your own golf.

"The Summer Meeting" as many have called it through the years started in a Grandy's Cinnamon Roll Restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas one night following a regional College Minister meeting at Southwestern Seminary in the early 80's.  This "after meeting meeting" was eight or ten College Ministers sitting around a table sharing ideas when someone said, "This is better than the conference; we should do this more."  The next summer, a small group met at Arkansas State University with no agenda other than starting with a whiteboard and the question, "What do we want to talk about?"  That continues to be the format.  While there are some very informal talks made....mostly, it is just a lot of "How do you do that?"

There was one point where a few called it "Top Gun School" which led some to mistakenly think it was an exclusive invitation only meeting.  Rather the nickname was meant to convey it was for those who just wanted to get better and better at reaching college students for Christ.  Steve Masters, BCM Campus Minister at LSU, has been the Coordinator of it for the last several years.  This year Corey Oliver, BCM Campus Minister in New Orleans, is taking on the leadership and coordination.  And, he will be cooking some of the meals which is GREAT good news!

I credit this meeting and the National Collegiate Ministers Summit as being the two best, most encouraging and most helpful events I have attended.  "Freshmen Survival" which many college ministries do in some form or other came out of a Texas College Minister (Dave Jobe) sharing he had done a conference for freshmen prior to classes starting.  Many of us quickly copied the idea and found it to be one of the best things we ever did.

To attend, you just need to let Corey know you are coming.  You can text him at 504.616.4216.  This is necessary to plan for food and set up.  While it is primarily BCM/BSU/BSM types there, Church College Ministers are invited and welcome.  Oh and you have to pay for your own knee surgery, if your old knee crumples in one of the late night basketball games.  I suggest you stick to golf or a movie.  But, just like the topics....that is up to you.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.

College Students' Expectations After Graduation

 A recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that employers plan to hire 31% more graduates from this class than they did from the class of 2021.

One interesting fact that they discovered in surveying this years seniors is that they tend to over estimate what their earnings will be.  For example, journalism, psychology, and liberal arts majors expected to make $107,040 one year after graduating.  But the actual average salary is $44,800.

Obviously, this information is likely a little too late to help in working with this year's graduates.  But, it is a strong reminder that one of our tasks as we connect to, meet with, and disciple upperclassmen, is to help them see things in a more realistic way.

I am all about those ministries who do Senior "Adulting" seminars and help them with everything from budgeting to cooking, etc. As you finish this semester and evaluate it, I hope you will give thought to what are you doing to help those seniors transition into the "real world". 

Besides just helping them, what does this have to do with ministry?  Many cannot do what they feel called to do because of the large amount of student debt they must immediately start to pay off.  Perhaps, they borrowed so much money because of their unrealistic expectations. 

We all enjoy looking through rose colored glasses occasionally. But, that is not the best way to prepare for where God may lead us in the future.  Do your students a favor...don't be a grump about the future.....but help them connect to realistic expectations.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9

Have a Plan for Contacting Incoming Students

 Part of how "Good falls are made in the summer." is contacting those students who will be coming to your campus in the fall.  Whether you get 2 or 3 names or you get hundreds of names, what you do with them and how you contact them goes a long way toward what will happen this fall.

1.  Contact them as soon as you get their name.

As a college football fan, I am always interested in why an athlete says they signed with a particular school.  One thing you hear often is, "They were the first to show interest in me."  I think early interest in them matters.

2.  Write them a PERSONAL, HANDWRITTEN note.

They will get a ton of formally printed letters or flyers.  A handwritten message will stand out.  It does not have to be more than 4 or five sentences.  Use nice looking cards or make a card with some picture or pictures from your ministry.  The days of these being way too expensive are way gone due to all the online services.  Handwritten says "I am interested in you personally."  One Head Football coach known for his success requires his Assistants to write a certain number of handwritten cards to potential recruits each day.

3.  Send them multiple things over the summer.

Some years ago one University said they believed they had to mail to an incoming student seven (7) times to make sure they got their information.  I don't know that seven is a magic number, but I do buy the idea of multiple contacts over the summer.

4. Have an upperclass student contact them.

Both a contact from the Campus Minister and a contact from a student are important.  This can be your Student Outreach Team or just different students who you can count on.  They key words here are, "count on">

5.  Give them something or offer them something.

What you give them can be as simple as a flyer that says, "The 5 Dumbest Mistakes Freshmen Make at _________University".  Or, it can be "6 Study Tips".  For those with more budget, it can mean sending them a sharp ministry tee shirt.  But, it better be good, attractive and comfortable.  Or, make them an offer.  "If you are interested in knowing more about our ministry, just send me a message with your tee shirt size and I will be glad to send you some information along with the shirt. Some have done sun glasses with their name on it, etc. One BCM guy told me he was going to send them my "Tips for College Freshmen".   It starts a conversation with them.  If you send a message with an enclosed postcard to return, clip one of the corners off of the card.  One marketing company learned that postcards with a corner clipped off got returned by a higher percentage.  Who knows?

6.  Add them on social media.

This can be done one of two ways.  They will see your regular ministry posts.  OR, create a special Freshmen account and post tips throughout the summer to benefit them and let them know of different events of interest.  You could send a "Weekly Freshmen Tip".  It could be everything from favorite student restaurants that give discounts to best snack places on campus.

7.  Ask them to send you names of friends who will also be coming to your campus.

Incoming students can be the best source of the names of other incoming students.  Ask.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.