Which One of These Should Your Ministry Do OR Improve for Next Fall?

 Following Spring Break until the end of the semester is prime time for preparation for the fall.  If the first two weeks of the Fall Semester determine our whole school year, we have to do the best job possible in preparation.  Part of that prep is involving our student leaders in planning for the fall and in training, preparing them for their role in it. Apart from the movement of God's Spirit, the thing that affects our ministry the most is our freshmen outreach.  

Four Specialized Freshmen Ministry Approaches to Consider:

FRESHMEN SURVIVAL - This is an event that several Baptist Collegiate Ministries began to adopt and utilize in the early 80's.  It began as a weekend on-campus event at the start of school.  It now goes under different names such as Basic Training, Freshlife, etc.  Many ministries have consolidated it down from a weekend event to one lasting four to six hours.  Regardless of the length, it is a high energy event involving fun get acquainted activities, small groups, and breakouts from the spiritual to the basics of how to do college.  The ministries that do it well recruit to it all summer and use it as the launching pad for the fall. It is often held the weekend prior to school starting, the afternoon/evening of the first day of class or the weekend following the first week.

FRESHMEN FOCUS - Focus is an event done the first two or three weeks of school either prior to or following the regular weekly large group worship event.  It is highly relational with tips for college life such as "Growing Spiritually"; "Dumbest Mistakes Freshmen Make"; "How to Make A's and Have Fun". It helps connect them to your regular weekly event, but also is specific to freshmen.

FRESHMEN NIGHT - This is a weekly event held the full fall semester or the for the first nine weeks or so.  Depending on size and the plan, it can be a weekly version of Survival or Focus.  In some versions, it is multiple Freshmen Bible study groups led by upperclassmen simultaneously in one location with a large group mix/mingle time or even a worship time to start.  This can be developed further by recruiting freshmen to be the worship band for Freshmen Night. Many students who are musicians are looking for an opportunity to be part of a band. So, a freshman band is another recruiting tool.

FRESHMEN LEADERSHIP TEAM (FLT) - Students can be enlisted throughout the summer who would like to grow as a leader and connect with other freshmen with the same interest. Another approach is to promote it during the first couple of large group events of the fall and invite any who want to participate. An FLT group meets weekly for fun, get acquainted things, a tip on leadership each week, and a testimony from an upperclass leader.  Many who use this format end it toward the end of the semester with these students taking the leadership role of all the ministry activities for "Freshmen Week". This approach helps attract student leaders, grow them, and serve as a beginning of their taking an active leadership role in the ministry in the coming years.

So, what is YOUR plan for fall?  Are you doing any of these?  Do you have a different idea?  Does what you are doing need to be tweaked?

You NEVER get a DO-OVER on the first two weeks!

What is your ministry giving to high school seniors or incoming freshmen?  Check out "Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades" at amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.