Should You “Tailor” Your Freshmen Contacts?

 Some College Ministers are fortunate enough to get some sort of  "Religious Preference List" or "Interested in Clubs" list to mail to and contact prior to school starting.  The obvious thing is to send all of them the same material or information.

A friend of mine says, "For every difficult question, there is an obvious and easy answer....that is usually wrong!"  I think that is a quote from H. L Mencken.  I just quote my friend.

Should every incoming freshmen get the same info?  Obviously YES!  But wait.  If you are fortunate enough to get a large number of names and contact info, I would suggest what may seem a strange idea.  In my experience at Arkansas State, we learned that the first and second Freshmen Orientations were usually made up of your "leader types".  They were the ones excited about coming to college.  They were the ones that really wanted to make connections and be involved.  We also learned that those that came to the August Freshmen Orientation were mostly those that had been told, "Get a job, join the Army, or go to college."  My favorite Baptist preference email address given to us at one of those was, beerboy@____.

So, here is the thing.  Of course, make contact with every name that you can get.  But, if you get a bunch of names and resources are limited, I would suggest do some sort of extra or different contacts with those in that first and second Orientation list. Or, have you identified an Orientation or two that are different from all the rest?

Some ministries give away a tee shirt or other gift to those that indicate an interest.  But, that would be way out of the budget range for some.  What if you mailed a gift to those from that first Orientation? 

If you know me, you know I am high on personal handwritten notes.  If writing each contact a personal handwritten note is impossible, what about doing it to those from the first Orientation?  What about sending each one of them an Application for Freshmen Leadership Team?

Or, here is another thought:  What about those names that are given to you by pastors or alums, etc?  Maybe those are ones that should get some sort of "Tailored contact".

Getting names and contact info in advance is precious!  Make the most of it.  One More Thought:  Many years ago I attended a seminar on fund raising.  It was quite fascinating.  One gem the leader shared was that they had found when mailing out something that had a "Return Card" in it, they got a larger response when the card had one corner (either top right or left) clipped off.  I have clipped a bunch of corners off the top of return cards.  I asked "Why?" and he said they did not know, just that mailing people try all sorts of different things.

Yes, do everything you can to reach out and connect to every name you get, but should you tailor your contacts in some way or other according to where they came from or how you got them????

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV.

Baptists, Women, and College Ministry

The other day a friend who has been a national leader in Southern Baptist college ministry called to ask, "Do you think the actions at the Southern Baptist Convention will have any effect on women in college ministry?" 

If you are not aware, at the SBC Convention in New Orleans, it was voted to "dis-fellowship" churches that had women pastors.  One had a lead pastor who was a woman and another had women on staff who were ordained and had the title of pastor, but were not the lead pastor.  Also, a motion was made that would be added to the Baptist Faith and Message that in addition to women not serving as lead pastors, also  "does not affirm, appoint, or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind." Many SBC churches call everyone on their staff pastor, such as Children’s Pastor, Youth Pastor, etc.

Obviously, none of this discussion was related to college ministry, but will it have ripple effect?  Or, as some might term it, will there be unintended consequences?  Currently there are multiple Baptist Collegiate Ministries led by women.  When I began in college ministry in the 70's, some of the best known BSU leaders were women.  But, that number has declined over the years.  I attribute part of that decline to the movement several years ago to change the title from BSU Director to Campus Minister.  I think when the term "minister" was used, there became a greater reluctance to place women in these roles for a variety of reasons.  But, as recently as 2006-2011, a woman was the National Leader for College Ministry at Lifeway Christian Resources.

Several years ago, we were in the process of hiring a woman for the Associate position for the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Arkansas State.  Three local pastors came to see me expressing their concerns about our hiring this married lady who was a recent seminary graduate to be part of our BCM staff.  I said, "Guys, last week a freshman girl came to see me upset and wanting to talk about her first visit to the Gynecologist and I am not good with those conversations."  One of the pastors said, "Obviously college ministry is different than the pastorate." That seemed to end the discussion.

We need women in college ministry!

To quote my pastor friend, "College ministry is different than the pastorate."  As more families are breaking down, college students are wanting and needing to talk about very personal issues and to be able to do it with someone who understands and to whom they feel comfortable talking about those issues.  As gender is a more prominent discussion on college campuses and in society as a whole, having both women and men in college ministry is a must.  Young women are looking for godly female role models.  However, it is getting harder and harder to find women for college ministry positions.  We must not do anything that discourages women from responding to and serving in God's call to college ministry.  

None of the several women I have worked with in college ministry were ordained.  Let's not combine those two discussions.  Women being ordained or serving as lead pastors of churches is a very different discussion to women serving in college ministry.

We not only need women in college ministry, we need MORE women in college ministry.  Let's beware of unintended consequences!  Be an ENCOURAGER to any women you know who are currently serving in college ministry.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV.

Jethro's College Ministry Growth Plan

 One of the great things about summer is the time to evaluate, plan, and recoup.  As you do this, consider if your ministry might do some things differently this next fall and reach MORE students than in the past. Consider the Jethro College Ministry Growth Plan. 

Exodus 18 tells the story of Moses' Father-In-Law, Jethro, coming to see him and bringing his wife and children.  The next day he goes to see Moses at work.

"The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, he said, What is this you are doing for the people?  Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?  Moses answered him, Because the people come to me to seek God's will.  Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws.  Moses' father-in-law replied, What you are doing is not good.  You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out.  The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone."  18:13-15, 17-18

Then Jethro gave him the solution:  "But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens....have them bring every difficult case to you"  18:21-22a

5 Observations from Jethro's Solution:

1.  Hard work is NOT enough.  Scripture says that Moses was working from morning till night.  It was wearing him out and was not working out well for the people. In your desire to take your ministry from a good level to the next level, the most obvious answer may, "just work harder."  But, that is likely the wrong answer. Many leave college ministry simply because they have burned out personally or they realize the are being unfair to their family or are even in danger of losing them.  Just working harder is not the solution.

2,  Others can often see our situation more clearly than we can.  It was not that Moses did not care.  He would not have been working like a dog, if he did not care.  Usually, the most difficult situation to see clearly is our own.  We are too close to it to see it accurately.  Two options:  Invite a trusted college ministry pro to come look at your situation and make suggestions.  Second, go visit a similar, but larger ministry and simply observe it for a day or two.  Ask lots of how and why questions.  And, you may be able to see your own situation better at a distance.

3.  You cannot do it alone.  The larger a ministry is, the more help it requires.  Your ministry may be at its peak for what you can do.  It may mean more staff.  It may mean more volunteers.  Giving time and priority to enlisting others is not neglecting the ministry.  It is not saying you are inadequate.

4.  Develop different levels of student leadership and responsibility.  Jethro said, "appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens."  Effective well trained student leaders is one of the keys to successful college ministry.  Remember that students are at different maturity and experience levels.  Some are capable of more than others.  Some are ruined for future leadership by asking too much too soon.  All leaders do not fit the same mold.  Providing a variety of leadership opportunities is significant in reaching MORE.

5.  The leader must do what only the leader can do. There are two parts to this.  Sometimes a College Minister is trying to do too much and is not utilizing their particular gifts and strengths to the max.  Secondly, some decisions and actions must be done by the leader such as providing vision and direction for the ministry.

Adapted from "Reaching MORE College Students"  Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV.

The 4 Levels of College Student Connection and Commitment

 The college ministries I have led have been accused of having "too much fluff"?  I plead partly guilty!

Students come to college looking for fun and friends.  Some shipwreck their life as a result. I believe a fun and relational atmosphere is huge in connecting students to a ministry, to each other and most importantly...to an initial and/or growing relationship to Christ.  I think it is also important to recognize that students will function at different levels within a college ministry.  I believe we must start where students are and help grow and draw them to a deeper relationship to Christ.

Four Levels of College Student Connection and Commitment:

LEVEL ONE: The Guys and Girls here are fun. This is the most basic and initial connection or commitment.  Your ministry has fun students and some fun activities.  It looks like a place they want to check out further and maybe even show up occasionally.

LEVEL TWO:  I love hanging out and Pizza. This is where they are feeling they have found a group and are experiencing some community. Some have a commitment to Christ but have never grown in it.   They are beginning to have a sense of belonging.  Being here is a plus to their life and college experience.

LEVEL THREE:  Jesus loves me this I know.  Just like the little child who has accepted Christ.  They are relating to their previous acceptance of Christ as Savior or they have just accepted Christ.  Faith is real, but very basic.

LEVEL FOUR:  I will serve.  They want to serve in the ministry and are committed to the idea of serving Christ through the years to come.  They are growing into and becoming disciples.

How would you say these different levels show themselves within your ministry?

Which level is the largest group in your ministry and is that healthy?  Is there just one level in your ministry?  Why is that?  I am all about having lots of  "Level One students" but if that is all we have, we have just become a Club on Campus.  

We might proudly say, Nearly all our students are Level Four.  Is that a good place to be?

What do you see in terms of the number of students connecting to your ministry at different levels and what do you need to do to best address each of those levels?

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV