Eight Questions to Ask About Your College Ministry

 I was stunned when I learned that the best guess by college ministry leaders was that ALL college ministries combined were reaching about 5% of the 12 million full time college students in America.  I have been around so many college ministries that are doing well and many of those are large. And, many of these campuses  have multiple ministries reaching out to the campus.  But, that is not true everywhere.  There are two answers.  There must be more ministries planted on campuses where there is no Christian college ministry.  Second, where there are ministries, we must make an effort to reach more.

If you want your college ministry to reach more, you must ask some hard questions.

1.  What do I personally need to change or do differently?

2.  Are there things we are doing in our ministry that are just not worth the cost in either time or money?

3.  If we drop something to simplify and focus our ministry, what should it be?

4.  What are we doing just out of habit?

5.  Are our events on the right day and time?

6.  How are other ministries affecting our ministry?

7.  What should we learn from other ministries that are reaching a large number of students?

8.  How are campus policies, rules, or the administration affecting our ministry and what can we do about it?

What if every college ministry were just to reach 5% more than they are reaching now?  If we are reaching about 600,000 total now, that would be 30,000 more students reached.  What about you?  Are you in to do one or two things differently to try to reach 5% more than you are currently reaching?

This article is adapted from Reaching MORE College Students:  Next Level College Ministry which is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

Things I Learned Listening to 700 Speakers”

 I calculated one time that I had heard at least 700 speakers at our weekly Lunch Program and have seen it done well, really well, and could that have gone any worse.  Here is what I think are the things that I have learned from those who did it well.  I have tried to practice these in my own speaking

1.  Tell Stories.  Stories get their attention and give them a hook to hang your main point on.  Ed Seabough, one of the great college speakers of the 60's and 70's was a master story teller.  He told me he practiced several times telling a story before he told it to a crowd.  Practice your story.

2.  Speak Casually.  Most college students, especially those you most want to listen, do not respond well to what I call "the preacher voice".

3.  Humor always goes Well.  Telling something stupid you have done, etc.  Just do not tell corny, eye rolling jokes.

4.  Pace Matters.  Often time is limited, but it is important to not get in a hurry.  That is part of speaking casually and more informally.  It is just you and a conversation with a whole bunch of college friends.

5.  Know when they QUIT Listening.  In my experience, when a bunch of them have their heads down, they have quit listening.  It happens to all of us.  That is the point to say something that draws them back into the conversation. One big crowd speaker says he always has a prop or something he pulls out at that point.  Sometimes, just a pause will do it and then almost like you are starting from scratch.

6.  Quit BEFORE they quit!  Better too short than too long.  When it is going well, don't get carried away by the sound of your own voice. It has happened to me....maybe not you.

7.  Speak without a podium or speakers stand.  It just feels more casual.  Put your notes in your Bible.....I always use some sort of notes or outline and just paper clip them inside my Bible.  I know some of you guys and gals are smart enough to speak without notes.

8.  Ask an INVOLVEMENT question.  "How many of you cut class today?"  Or, "How many of you have done something really stupid?"  When I ask something like that, I always hold my hand up.

9.  Do a Give Away.  I sometimes have given a Gift Card to a student who would hold their hand up on one of my Involvement Questions.  It is usually like a $10 gift card to a popular student eating place....nothing fancy. That perks everybody up.

10. Do Q & A!  Let them ask questions and ALWAYS, ALWAYS make them feel good about what they ask.  "That is a great question."  "Boy that question shows you are smarter than me."  Never put down anyone for what they ask. The more you affirm the questions ask, the more they will ask questions.

There is only one Louie Giglio or whomever your favorite speaker is, but we can all do better, if we practice a little. And, I am all about doing it out loud at least twice before I do it in front of a group.  That is, I think, the SECRET TO BETTER SPEAKING.

Could your college ministry be reaching more students?  Check out Reaching More College Students:  Next Level College Ministry at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

9 Tips for Doing College Ministry for the LONG TERM

 We need more long term College Ministers.  It is not just something to be done until we can get our own church.  Larger ministries are usually led by long term College Ministers because of their experience, the trust they have established with others, and their reputation for investing well in students.  Too many move away from college ministry when they are at the point of really taking their ministry to an even more productive level.

Try on these tips for staying the long term:

1.  Act your age.  Since some buy into the myth that college ministry is only for the young,  they try to act younger than they are.  Students see through that.  They have buddies their own age.  You can benefit them from an older life experience perspective.

2.  Rest and prepare when students are gone.  When students are not around such as breaks and even Fridays is the time to rest, prepare, read.  Do long term prep.  Also, it is a great time for evaluation.

3.  Tweak...Don't burn and Obliterate!  Unless your ministry is a total failure, it does not need to start from scratch every year.  Build on what is working and adjust to student and campus changes.

4.  Don't Compare.  Don't compare yourself to the "Golden College Minister".  There is always a current Golden Boy or Girl of college ministry.  They and their ministry are not perfect, just as you and yours is not.  Learn something from them, but do not compare.  It is usually destructive.

5.  Go to meeting and DON'T sit in the hall all the time.  There is a temptation since you have done college ministry for a while to think you will hear nothing new.  Two things:  you will be reminded of things you never need to lose sight of AND there will probably be some things you have never heard or they click this time.

6.  Communicate your love for college students.  YES, that will help you survive longer and do it better.  It will remind you of God's calling to you for this ministry.  It is why you came in the first place.  Plus, it will help you do your ministry better. AND, when you sit with and eat with students, you get to eat more french fries!

7.  Mentor younger College Ministers.  That actually will help you stay longer and do it better.  It causes you to continue to think about what and why you do things.  AND, it will help you stay current with how younger generations think. PLUS, they will tell you all the latest aps and ways to use tech in your ministry.  It is a win win.

8.  Listen and maybe even learn from those with whom you disagree.  There are lots of different ways to do college ministry well.  While we may disagree theologically or even style wise, there are ideas other are practicing from which we can benefit.  But, we have to be willing to talk to them and listen to them.  Have you ever hosted a coke, coffee, and prayer time for all the College Ministers on your campus?

9.  Invite your spouse to some events.  While your spouse may work in another area and have a more than full life apart from your ministry, let them see and be part of your world.  It will help them understand why you come home an hour later than you said you would.  Students will benefit from seeing a healthy marriage relationship.

Could your college ministry be reaching MORE college students?  Check out Reaching MORE College Students:  Next Level College Ministry at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

Tom Ruane Passed away

 Tom Ruane, former State BSM College Ministry Leader for Texas, passed away yesterday. His funeral will be Saturday in Waxahatchie. Prior to serving in the state office, he led a large ministry at UT-Arlington. Following his retirement, he has been active planting Cowboy Churches. 

Could your college ministry be reaching more students?  Check out Reaching MORE College Students:  Next Level College Ministry at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

Signs of a College Ministry in Need of Repair

 If multiple ones of these are evident in a ministry, then it is time to think about a "repair plan".  But, no ministry is perfect and one or two of these could be developing and need to be addressed before they affect the overall health of the ministry.  These are adapted from my book, Fixing a Broken College Ministry (Amazon.com/dp/1521876665).

1. Very few new students ever attend.

2.  When a new student comes, he or she seldom ever come back a second time.

3.  Core students do not invite or bring friends with them.

4.  Students tend to not serve in missions or ministry opportunities.

5.  When students graduate or leave school, most do not continue involvement with a church.

6.  The ministry has a bad reputation on campus.

7.  There is no pride within the student leaders for programs or other events to be done with excellence.

8.  The majority of students have no desire to serve or lead in the ministry in any way.  They are strictly there as a time filler or because they have no other place to be.

9.  There is no awareness of the ministry on campus.

10. A total misperception has developed about the ministry relative to theology and practice.

11. Misbehavior by core students or student leaders has given the ministry a black eye.

12. There is no sense of a movement of God in any way.

Obviously, this is not an all or nothing list.  It is not, "If we only have six of these, we are ok.".  One or two of  these can be a major issue.  Now is a good time to think about the health of your ministry.  Thanks for what YOU are doing!

Arliss Dickerson's book, Reaching More College Students:  Next Level College Ministry, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

The Fine Line for Church College Ministries

 I have written and spoken often how campus based and church based college ministry are not twins, but rather are cousins.  Each has some unique strengths that the other does not have.  College ministry is better and more students are reached and blessed when we each lean into the specific strength of the ministry we lead.  Conversely, each of us have our "issues" which we have to work with and around. 

In my book, Almost Everything About College Ministry (amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX) I wrote about the four church college ministry killers.  They are:

1.  Constant turnover of College Ministers.  There tends to be a much quicker turnover of church College Ministers than of campus based ones.

2.  Decisions are made for the overall benefit of the church and can be contrary to the building up of the college ministry.  One example is when church times will be and what services are offered when.

3.  Church College Ministers have more divided time issues than campus based ones.  They have other assignments such as hospital visitation, etc.

4.  Church College Ministers are often more sharply evaluated by numbers.  Pastors and church members often do not understand the ebb and flow of the college calendar, go home weekends, etc.

HOWEVER, church college ministries have a great plus that campus based ministries do not have.

Young adults have expressed and demonstrated in many ways their desire and need to be mentored by older adults.  One reason for this need is the large number of students that come from broken homes and need to see good functioning and healthy family relationships.  Plus, students are struggling more with their life career choices.  Connecting students to those who are into their careers and know the realities is a huge plus.

But, there is a very fine line that church college ministries have to walk.

That fine line is the one between doing things that specifically  speak to and connect with college students AND connecting them to the church as a whole.  Many churches do a great job of reaching a large number of students and being a blessing in their lives.  But, they do not connect them to the church as a whole.  So, what is the problem with that?  It is possible  to so cater to and direct a ministry at college students that they are not connected to anyone faith-wise outside their age bracket.  Going to a great week night college event with cool lighting and a smoke machine can make Sunday morning seem pretty dull.

College ministries need to speak to specific college student issues that are NOT Sunday morning topics.  So, we cannot quit being college student specific in what we do. Yet, a church cannot be just a college ministry.

TWO ANSWERS:

1. We have to lay out the challenge for more non-college adults to be willing to wade into college student events.  Be a part of what college students are doing.  Some of these could be every week people and others could be recruited to just come once.  But, students would get used to seeing a variety of ages and even become friends with some of them.  And, the non-college adults would see the need and opportunities in college ministry.  A church cannot have too many college ministry advocates.

2.  We must lay out to students and challenge them as to why it matters for them to connect to church in more that the college specific events.  Help them know there is a reason for them to sometimes sit next to someone twice their age....or even three times their age.

I spoke with a man who had a son who was starting to college soon.  We started out talking about the son.  But, we wound up talking about what the father's church college ministry experience had meant to him and how the friendships he had developed with the non-college adults had blessed his life.  He expressed how he wanted that for his son in college.

It is a very fine line and a tough line to walk.  A church college ministry must address some very specific college students issues but also connect students to the church as a whole and involve them in Sunday church.  And, part of the blessing of a college church is relationships with lots of positive parent and grandparent type figures.  That will also help them know how to do church after college.

Could your college ministry be reaching more students?  Check out Reaching MORE College Students:  Next Level College Ministry at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

Consider Doing A Mexico Mission Trip......Steve Masters

 If you ever want to go to Mexico on a mission trip by driving, I can help.  There are four places to lodge across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas or Del Rio, Texas.  In Piedras Negras, the Five Cities or Acuna, Mexico.  Two are $5 per night.  Two are $10 per night.  There is a missionary there who can help set up the ministries You can do Bible Clubs for Kids and Teenager Worship services/Discussion groups at night.  You can also paint churches and do school presentations.  For food we did pop tarts and cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch.  The Mexican Church ladies cooked for our dinners. 

 We took 101 students, staff, and parent van drivers.  We had 60 Mexican teenagers at each of our night services at two locations, Piedras Negras and the Five Cities.  So, we fed 260 people each night for four nights and the cost was $14 per student.  We spent an additional $15 per participant for breakfast and lunch. So for $50 per participant, we lodged and fed our group.  We covered the gas cost. We paid a $75 stipend to our interpreters. 

During my first year at LSU, I called three veterans/legends of SBC Collegiate Ministry, Dave Jobe at Stephen F. Austin, Mike Graham at Texas A&M and George Loutherback at Baylor.  I asked them where we should go on our Spring Break trip.  They said there is something about a third world country and ministry.  We have been going there ever since.  That is thirty (3) years this year.

Safety is an issue.  Acuna and Piedras are the two safest border crossings.  Piedras was voted one of the safest cities in Mexico last year. 

I began taking my daughters on the BCM Mexico Mission Trips after they turned seven (7).  I got permission from their principals for it to be an excused absence for a cultural experience.  It was of great benefit to them to go each year.  Four of the Mexican teenagers drove to one of my daughter's wedding

If you would like to consider it and want more information, please contact me.

Steve Masters, lsubcm@eatel.net

Could your college ministry be reaching more students?  Check out Reaching More College Students:  Next Level College Ministry at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

"Too Much Preaching & Too Little Mentoring!"

 Recently, I was in a thread asking what a new College Minister needed to know or do.  I commented something on the lines of "Too much preaching and too little Mentoring".  Some of my friends laughed and said that was so me.  I have confessed previously to liking big crowds....never had a crowd as big as I had hoped for.  But, I also believe the most transformative thing we can do in college ministry is meet one to one with students.  It is not a choice between big crowds and one to one.  It has to be a mix of both.

Recently, a friend told me his church College Minister spent twenty hours a week working on his talk/message for his Wednesday night large group event.  I think my friend was partly asking if this was the norm. I certainly will not claim to know what every College Minister does.  If that College Minister works forty hours a week (and none I know work only forty), that would be half of his working time.  If he works sixty hours a week, that is a third of his time.

I have a friend who is pastor of a fairly large church and who is known for being a really good preacher.  The church has doubled since he has been there, so I would say his preaching is not hurting the situation.  I asked him how much time he spent each week prepping his Sunday morning sermon.  He said, he lays out his whole year at a weekend retreat.  Then, he spends eight to ten hours each week on his message. 

I have shared previously that I think there has developed an over emphasis on College Ministers being speaker/preachers.  Some of the best College Ministers I know and who lead large college ministries are not speaker/preachers.  I am all about a College Minister speaking at the large group event, if that is a plus to the ministry.  I do not know how good of a speaker/preacher my friend's College Minister is, but I will say that I think he is out of proportion in his time as to what will affect and bring about life change and life long discipleship in the most students.  Large group events speak to the lives of those who would never meet with us one to one and we would never have time to meet with all of them one to one. 

This is not a statement that College Ministers should not speak at their large group event.  Rather, it is a strong belief of mine, that we cannot let it be the engine that drives the whole ministry in terms of the time we spend on it.

Some Suggestions to Consider if it takes a significant amount of your time to prep to speak:

-Speak once or twice a month.

-Speak a month and then have someone do a series for the next month.

-Ask one of your students to speak once a month or have two or three "share their story".

-Do a significant amount of study and prep in the summer and Christmas Break that will cut down your prep time when students are on campus.

-Get honest with yourself as to whether speaking/preaching is one of your gifts.  It is ok, if it is not.

How many hours a week do you spend meeting one to one with students or leading a small group Discipleship Group?  How does that compare to your prep time?  So, what do you think?

Could your college ministry be reaching more students?  Check out Reaching MORE College Students:  Next Level College Ministry, at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

  

10 Shalts and Shalt Nots of College Ministry

 1.  Thou shalt enlist and TRAIN student leaders.

 2.  Thou shalt model to students what you EXPECT from them.

 3.  Thou shalt not SPEAK AGAINST other ministries (that is different than having different theological views).

 4.  Thou shalt not neglect your FAMILY.

 5.  Thou shalt be a FRIEND to the whole campus.

 6.  Thou shalt keep contact with ALUMNI.

 7.  Thou shalt MENTOR students more than you preach or speak.  Students will remember a lot more your investment in their lives personally than your best talk.

 8.  Thou shalt make the MOST of the first two weeks of the fall....AND the first week of the Spring Semester.

 9.  Thou shalt walk across the campus and through the Student Center EVERY day.

 10. Thou shalt go to church....for YOU....not just to speak or make a presentation.

Could your college ministry be reaching more students?  Check out REACHING MORE COLLEGE STUDENTS:  NEXT LEVEL COLLEGE MINISTRY at amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.