College Students and the Numbers

 The National Center for Education Statistics says in 2020 in the United States there were:

   19.4 million college students

    12 million full time students

In 2020 65% of Americans identified as Christians according to the Pew Research Center.  If 65% of college students were connected to and involved with a college ministry that would be:

    7.8 million college students involved in a college ministry

To my knowledge, no one has ever come up with a figure of how many college students are involved in a Christian campus based ministry or church college ministry.  In trying to come up with such a figure, I have talked with different College Ministers who work locally and nationally.  Out of these conversations, I have come to the figure of 5% of students involved.  On many deep south campuses, it is larger than this.  On campuses not in the Bible Belt, it would be significantly less.

If 5% of college students were in a Christian campus based ministry or a church college ministry, that would be:

 600,000 college students currently connected to a college ministry

Let's be super optimistic and say it is:

 600,000 to 1,000,000

That would leave 11,000,000 college students to reach for witness and ministry.  That is not counting those students who are part time. Think and pray about it.

Arliss Dickerson's book, A College Ministry Success Formula, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B091F5S1RF.

5 Predictions About College Ministry

 Steve Lutz in his book, College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture, published in September of 2011 made five predictions or what he called "5 Disruptions that Could Shake Up College Ministry".  As I reviewed them the other day, I thought 11 years later they are holding up pretty well.  Here they are in brief and sometimes more in my words. A few years back I was on a program with Steve and was impressed with his insights at that time. After looking back at these "Disruptions"......I would say, his crystal ball was pretty good.

1.  The Higher Education Bubble will burst.  With tuition costs rising, more students will go to community colleges and trade schools and enrollments will decline. Today we are seeing some campuses close and others struggle with enrollment numbers and being forced to cut budgets.

2.  Technology will Distance, Disperse and Depersonalize Connections to students.  Students will not spend as much time on campus.  It will be harder to connect to them as they will have more fractured schedules.  Read Covid and on line classes into this one.  Some students are now getting degrees without setting foot on campus or living in the dorm and taking most of their classes on line. They tend to isolate more.

3.  Non-Traditional Students will Become more Traditional.  Students will become older and more part time.  They will be more female and than male and will come from a wider variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds. The number of guys is definitely declining in college enrollments.

4.  College Ministers May face Diminished Access to Secular Campuses.  Some years ago we saw some ministries not allowed official RSO status due to their requiring certain beliefs by their officers, etc. There were some different legal challenges on different campuses.  Many campuses that formally got full  religious preference lists now are fortunate to get a few names. This varies greatly from campus to campus and state to state.

5.  Financial Sustainability will be Challenged.  Lutz said there likely will be a decrease in campus ministry funding.  We have seen this one play out in some different Southern Baptist State Conventions with the significant down sizing of College Ministers.

Thanks Steve for your prophetic voice.  Any more thoughts for the future, we need to think about?  If you want to check it out, it is at amazon.com/dp/0834127652.

What do YOU see as coming trends we need to be prepared to face?  Maybe we can do a better job of thinking ahead now as things continue to change.

Arliss Dickerson's book, A College Ministry Success Formula, is available at amazon.com/dp/B091F5S1RF.

Funny Things Happen in Church!

 I love funny stories of things that happened at church, weddings, and yes even funerals.

My dad was a photographer and photographed lots of weddings.  At one, the groom fainted as the ceremony started.  They sat him down on the front row and revived him.  He stood back up and they started again.  He fainted again.  They sat him down and revived him again.  Then, they started again.  He fainted the third time and they took him outside to revive him.  Brought him back in and pronounced them husband and wife.  I would have done the pronouncement after the first faint!

A friend of mine was doing a wedding and the bride began to spit up.  My friend said, "Let us pray."  He said he would pray a little and peek to see if she were done.  When she was finished, he said Amen and started again.  As he came to the conclusion, he was tempted to say, "Ok, it is time to prove your love and kiss her."

A friend attended a wedding where one of the Brides Maids was so nervous a muscle in her bottom began to twitch and captured everyone's attention.

A pastor friend was performing a baptism when the rather large lady panicked and began to struggle and flail her arms throwing water over the glass partition and drenched the members of the choir.

Another friend did a wedding where they had a dog come down the aisle with the rings attached to its collar.

I had just begun a ceremony when the groom and his guys had just come in and he leaned over to me and said, "Could you real quick say a little prayer?'  I asked why and he said, "I just realized my pants are unzipped."  I said, "Hold on and when I have everyone stand for the bride, they will look back up the aisle and you can zip them up."

At one church on Sunday night the youth all sat on the left side of the fan shaped auditorium.  They were doing baptisms.  One of the men being baptized had not worn any underwear under his baptismal gown and as he went up the steps out of the water, his bare backside was visible to the youth group.  They all collapsed with laughter.  No one else could see what they were laughing uncontrollably about and were furious at them for their mis-behavior during baptism.

Grady Nutt told of a friend of his who was doing a graveside service in Texas after a heavy rainstorm.  As he stood at the head of the casket and said, "Let us pray." he suddenly fell silent.  After a couple of moments of his silence, people began to look up and saw him climbing up out of the grave since the ground had collapsed where he was standing.

The pastor of the church where I grew up was baptizing a man when his toupee came off and floated to to the top. 

I hope you have had a smile today.  Have a great week and be aware of God's presence and work in and through your ministry!  And, I would love to hear your funniest church story.

Arliss Dickerson's book, A College Ministry Success Formula, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B091F5S1RF.

The First 5 to 10 Minutes at a Christian Event?

 Someone has said that "People determine within the first 5 to 10 minutes whether they will return to a new event."  

Wow!  If that is only partially true, it is a stunning statement.  So, how is the first 5 to 10 minutes at your collegiate event?  I am not talking about the first 5 to 10 of the actual worship event.  But, what about the 5 to 10 when they enter even before it starts.

Is it clear where to go and how to enter?

Are they greeted?

Is it obvious where to go and what to do?

Does someone walk with them or just send them?

Does someone invite them to sit with them, if they are alone?

Remember that music playing before the event starts helps with the "awkward silence" or feeling out of place.  I am a recent and strong convert to the idea of a playlist of some or all current popular music, (in good taste) not just Christian music playing.  

Remember the "Unforgiveable Sin of College Ministry"

That is NOT getting their name and contact info.  If we do not get their contact info, then we cannot follow-up in any way and it is strictly up to their impressions whether to return or not.

How does the first 5 to 10 minutes at your events stack up?

Arliss Dickerson's book, A College Ministry Success Formula, is available at amazon.com/dp/B091F5S1RF.

Thoughts on College Ministers Raising their Own Salaries

 Should College Ministers raise their own salaries?

I posted on Facebook recently that I had talked with two or three people over a couple of days period who had just learned or were frustrated about many Baptist College Ministers having to raise their own salaries. I got an interesting variety of responses to the post.

Some in the deep south are upset that many BCM Campus Ministers are now having to do personal fund raising to provide their own salaries.  Those are in states where Baptists are strong and in the past these positions were salaried.  Now some positions have been eliminated or in some places the BCM Campus Ministers are required to raise a percentage of their salary.

One well wired Campus Minister said in his state it had been a plus. He indicated it was a plus because they have been able to grow their college ministry staffs by the fact that many more could serve by raising their own funding.

There are a variety of sides to this issue.

 1.  Some Baptist State Conventions do not allow their College Ministers to do fund raising for fear that will subtract from the money given to the over-all Southern Baptist Funding called the Cooperative Program.  So, they are not allowed to enlarge their staff through individual fund raising.

2.  One gentlemen I did not know responded to my post that had been shared by a friend to say that his son and daughter-in-law were doing it in working for a non-denominational college ministry and he thought it was just fine. They were recent college graduates with no children.  There is part of the issue....younger adults with no children.  As College Ministers age and they have families and those children begin to grow up, they require braces, etc.  Then, they go to college. Financial requirements for a single person or newly married couple right out of college are different than a couple in their forties and fifties with two children in high school or college.  I won't even raise the issue of money being put aside for retirement. The staff of many non-denominational ministries that raise their own salaries often serve 3-5 years and then go on to what is next.  That is not a bad model, just not what I think is the best overall model.

3.  We need long serving College Ministers with experience and the ability to organize staff, work with alumni, pastors, and to mentor our newer College Ministers.  It is no coincidence that larger college ministries are most often led by long serving veterans.  One campus with which I am familiar had two non-denominational ministries close down because their younger staff members left and there was no one to take their places.  It is my understanding that each raised their own salaries.

4.  Constant turnover in leadership is one of the killers of a college ministry.  We need long serving permanent college ministry staffs to continue to maintain and grow ministries..

5.  Why are cuts being made and College Ministers being asked to raise all or part of their salaries?  First, money being given to churches and then on to state-wide Baptist Conventions is either declining or staying pretty level and everything costs more.  Second, I believe (this is just me) that as they have to make cuts, it is easier to cut College Ministers positions because they get less immediate pushback.  The pain and result of those cuts will not be felt until a few years from now.

6.  There is a trend to say that college ministry should be done by local churches.  This comes as a result of some high profile church college ministries that are large and doing a really good job.  Here is the problem.....when you track the numbers, there are not many of those type ministries and not a lot of churches that can put the resources and staff (sometimes 3-4 full time and 5 to 10 Intern/part time positions) to have these kinds of college ministries.

7.  Some who raise their own salaries say it is a plus because they can focus on college ministry....not doing "denominational chores".  

What is the solution?  There is no magic bullet one answer solution.  Here are some options.

1.  If all college ministry alumni would give a little money every year, that would go a long way.  And, remember, some College Ministers are not asking because they are not allowed to ask. Spreading the word about the need helps those that cannot say anything.

2.  We must have more long range vision that knows there is no way cutting back on college and young adult ministry is not going to bite us in the years to come.

3.  Those of us who believe in the value and necessity of college ministry must speak up and speak out to those in denominational and church life that have sway and make decisions.

4.  Don't forget to pray!  Pray for College Ministers you know.  Encourage them.  Pray for denominational leaders making hard money decisions.

Arliss Dickerson's book, A College Ministry Success Formula, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B091F5S1RF.

The Chairs Matter

 Those that know me know that I am freaky about the way a room is set up for an event.  I recently read an article about four different ways to set up a room for a discipleship group.  I get it.  I think it matters. Some years ago, I became aware that our leadership team was more engaged and got more done when we sat around tables instead of in a circle without tables.  I do not think that means that all groups will get more done around tables.  I think it means the setup of a room affects the mood, reaction and response of the people involved and that we sometimes have to try different setups to see what works best with what group.

4 Things the Setup Affects

1.  The neatness of the room gives a first impression overall.  When a student walks in, do they see chaos or does it look like something worthwhile is about to happen?

2.  The number of chairs related to the number of people present gives a sense of how it feels.  If there are way more chairs than there are people, it feels disappointing or "Why am I here, since not much of anybody else is here?" Too many empty chairs sends a negative message.

3.  It communicates an overall sense of caring and preparation or that someone cares.  

4.  It affects the interaction with the speaker, band, or whatever the program is.  If those in attendance feel way distant from the front or stage, it is difficult to feel a part of what is happening or to interact.

Remember When Setting Up

1.  Try to anticipate how many will attend and set up that many plus about 20% more.  People that come together want to be able to sit together.  So, having a few extra chairs makes this easier to happen.

2.  Decide what shape to use.  If there is the intent to have audience participation or discussion, a more "fan-type" setup may work best.  This is when the rows bend around more where it is possible to see others in the crowd and not just be looking at the back of heads.  Students can see others and makes it easier to hear what is said in discussion or Q&A time.

3.  Have some extra chairs readily available (But, not just piled here and there.) for that hooray event when more show up than you anticipated.

4.  Sometimes students are reluctant to sit on the front row.  But, there has to be a front row.  If this is true in your ministry, make the front row shorter than the other rows.  That way, there are not a lot of empty chairs up front and crowded everywhere else..

5.  Mark off or tape off the back row.  Often, these fill up first.  By taping off the back row, that leaves it available for students who come in after the program starts.  

Try experimenting with different set-ups and see what you learn.

Little things make a difference..  It is often our attention to the little things that makes the difference between good and excellent.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Almost Everything About College Ministry, is available at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.

$20,000 Welcome Week and Other Random Thoughts

One of my pet sayings is, "Spend wisely extravagantly the first two weeks of school."

Some years back, I did an article about the amount of money that some large college ministry churches were spending on Welcome Week.  One had spent $20,000 for multiple events.  Another had planned an event that involved renting buses, etc.  When they totaled up the cost, that one event was going to cost $7.000.  As they thought about it, they realized they hard part time employees that were not making that much and they decided to cancel the event.  It was not wise use of the money.

I recently saw that a college ministry church had a big event on campus and had a staggering number of students attend....in the thousands.  I asked how they had made something like that happen.  Part of the answer was, "They have one College Minister with four full time Associates and four or five Interns."  Wow!  That blew me away.  Hooray for that church making that kind of financial commitment to college ministry.

The End Result?

My friend told me they had been disappointed that only about 20% had filled out Info or Contact Cards. Would they have been better off to have a "smaller event" and been able to make more connections?  But, just because a student did not fill out a Contact Card does not mean he or she will not show up next week or some time in the future at one of their regular events.  In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the story of sowing seed widely....but some soil was way more productive.  I have confessed often to liking and being partial to big crowds.  Are big crowd events always the most productive?

A Frustration of Mine

I will admit to being frustrated by college ministries that are "proud" of their small crowds.  I think they believe that shows they are doing "depth ministry" or they are not "huckstering the gospel".  Maybe....and maybe it shows they are not doing some things they need to be doing.  I believe there is a need for "Large Crowd Events" and "Small Crowd Events".  And if a College Minister determines all his/her satisfaction level by the size of the crowd, there will be lots of unhappy days.  By the way, "large" is different in different contexts.

Random Conclusions

1.  Hooray for churches that have the resources to make a major commitment to college ministry.

2.  But, don't compare the size of their ministry against the size of a campus ministry that has one or two staffers and a much smaller budget.

3.  I am still for "Spending wisely extravagantly"......but, let's keep evaluating what is WISE.

4.  ONE BIG FACT:  The size of a ministry staff will be a major factor in determining how many students are reached.

5.  College Ministry strategy must be well thought out.....even a large staff usually will not overcome poor strategy.

Arliss Dickerson's book, A College Ministry Success Formula, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B091F5S1RF.