Things to do BEFORE School Starts

1.  Write a brief one page letter sharing some of the things that happened during this past semester and send it to everyone that contributed, both individual and church.  One way to personalize those that are just copied is to write a brief handwritten note at the bottom.  One Congressman was famous among his colleagues for not letting a single letter go out to a constituent without his quick scrawl at the bottom.  He would bring these letters to the floor of the House and do it while they were debating bills, etc.  It does not have to be fancy.  It can just be a "Dear Friend" letter listing 4 or 5 good things that happened.  Some enclose a return envelope.  Although I am all about a Return Envelope in Alumni Newsletters, I don't prefer it in this letter.  Let it just be a thanks and I appreciate you.  But, you can make your own call on this.

2.  Make a list of students you did not see the last month of the semester.  Send each one a personal message before they come back.  DON'T let it be one of those, "Where have you been you dirty dog?" messages.  Rather, just indicate you hope they had a great Christmas and look forward to seeing them soon and to catch up on their holiday.

3.  If you speak at your large group event, lay out your topics for the whole semester with the scripture.  If you have time past that, do a brief outline of each,  so you are not starting from scratch each week.  Remember, you can always change if something comes up that needs to be spoken to. 

4.  If you have a building or meeting space, is there something that needs to be done to freshen it up for the Spring Semester?

5.  What about those sure fire freshmen names a pastor or alum gave you and they never showed up?  Send them a message or mail them something.  Or, call and check in with them.  They may have realized they messed up last semester not connecting.  Or, their schedule may have changed for the good in terms of connecting to your ministry.  I always gave a little extra effort in connecting with a freshman, if I knew their dad was a pastor, church staffer, or missionary.  In my mind, their folks had earned that.

Watch for one of my occasional Facebook Live videos on different college ministry topics.

You can check out A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula here Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV or A College Student's Guide to Spiritual Maturity here Amazon.com/dp/B0CXTCTNB1

Spread the Word....Give $25

 Just imagine if every alum that has ever come through your ministry were to give $25 by the end of the year, what it would mean to your ministry.

Every year at this time, I post on social media the idea of anyone that was blessed by a college ministry to give $25 to it by the end of the year.  I post a different college ministry picture and ask them to give.

Would you join me?  You can do your own posts or share mine from X/Twitter or Facebook.  Obviously, you can promote your own or just do a general post.  Can you imagine how much money would be given every EVERY ALUM from EVERY COLLEGE MINISTRY, gave $25 before the end of the year how much money that would be?

#Give25

Arliss Dickerson's book, A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV and  A College Student's Guide to Spiritual Maturity is at Amazon.com/dp/B0CXTCTNB1.

Funny Things Happen When You Are Guest Speaking

 All of us in ministry can tell stories about times we have been "guest speaking".  Lots of them center around how much we did or didn't get paid.

Of course, there are the stories of speaking at Youth Retreats when they put you in the cabin with the Junior High boys.

One of my funnier ones (now) was the Youth Retreat where I had had a crazy week and was worn out and then got off late on that Friday afternoon.  I was to meet them at the camp.  When I got there, the Youth Minister said, "We are going to swim in the lake and then for supper, we will roast weenies around the campfire. 

As I said, I was worn out, but I had brought my swimsuit and a beach towel.  The swim felt good.  As I was drying off, he said, "You will speak after we eat around the campfire."  Ok, I thought, then I get to the cabin and get some sleep.

They listened pretty well....and now I thought, I get to go to the cabin.  Then, the youth started pulling out sleeping backs and tucking in around the campfire....as did the Youth Minister.  So, I pulled out my damp towel from having dried off after swimming and began to roll up in it for the night.

The Youth Minister said, "You really travel light don't you."  I said, "Yeah, that's me, I really travel light!" It was a l-o-n-g night.

What is one of YOUR "Funny" guest speaking stories?

Check out Almost Everything About College Ministry at Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX and Reaching MORE College Students at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.  

Why We Need MORE EXPERIENCED and OLDER College Ministers....10 Reasons

 I wrote recently "Larger college ministries are most often led by wise, experienced older College Ministers.  If we want larger college ministries, we  must pay so wiser, experienced College Ministers can afford to stay."  As College Ministers gain and grow in experience, they often have families that are growing up and being more expensive....even having children going to college themselves.  That is not to mention braces, etc along the way.  Supporting growing and maturing families just gets more expensive.  Also, having and affording good health insurance becomes more necessary.  If we want to reach MORE college students, we must make it possible for the wise pros to stay for the long term.

10 Reasons Larger College Ministries are Usually led by Older College Ministers:

1.  College students are looking for wise and experienced mentors.  Therefore, they are able to develop and empower strong and effective student leaders.

2.  Experienced College Ministers see the importance of relating to college and university officials and are able to do so more on a peer level.  These officials can open or close doors.

3.  Younger College Ministers just starting out want to work for an experienced pro and be mentored by them.  It is easier to recruit top notch staff.

4. Older College Ministers know the difference in the trendy and the principles.

5.  Proven College Ministers are able to draw more financial support from both churches, individuals and alumni who have seen the value of what they do.

6.  Older College Ministers have come to grips with who they are, how God has gifted them, and are able to lean into those strengths.  They are not trying to copy the latest "Golden College Minister".

7.  Older College Ministers have more likely been through the ups and downs, joy and pains of life that have tested their relationship to Christ and strengthened it.  They can pour that mature and solid Jesus relationship into the lives of others.

8.  They are secure in their calling and not just looking and hoping for a call to First Big Church as the pastor.

9.  They have planted their life somewhere and often have been on the same campus for several years, which continues to open doors in the community, on the campus, and even throughout the entire state.  Never underestimate the power of a College Minister planting their life on a campus.

10.  We need the older, experienced and wiser College Ministries to continue in the college ministry family, so they can mentor the younger ones that are somewhere on a campus by themselves.  They need training, encouragement, and knowing that somebody "gets" what they are working on and through.  This kind of relationship speeds up their development and decreases the possibilities of them walking away in frustration.

Joe Graham, college ministry pro in Georgia, says  there is a need to "move beyond making disciples to making disciple makers."  I believe that is one of the strong suits of the wiser, experienced and even older College Minister.  They see the big picture.

Denominational leaders must see the need to provide salaries that will allow their "wise old pros" to stay for the duration.  One State Baptist Convention now allows their long time College Ministers to raise some salary in addition to what they receive from the State Convention. This gives their salary a boost that the Convention was not able to provide. 

Those of us who believe in the benefit and need for seasoned pro College Ministers must advocate for good salaries and benefits for those people.  wise words spoken at the right time are heard.

Arliss Dickerson is a friend to College Ministers, husband to Sue, dad, granddad and lousy golfer.  Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX

When it has Been a HARD Semester

 All of us have been there in college ministry and everybody in college ministry is tired at this point.  I visited with a College Minister friend recently and he shared how tired he was.  Some of it was just end of the semester, some of it was student drama.

What do you do when it has been a REALLY HARD semester?  I shared in my little book, Fixing a Broken College Ministry, how my first year at ASU was harder than my year in the war emotionally.  Students would come into my office to tell me they wished I wasn't there and a couple would even be disruptive in our weekly events.  I even ground my teeth in my sleep. You may not be any where close to that, but it has been hard and you are one hundred yards past tired.

So, here are some suggestions for when you are TIRED and when you are REALLY TIRED:

1.  If you are married, obviously, you have shared things as the semester has gone along.  BUT, as this semester ends, beware of dumping too much on your spouse.  Someone has said, "This is like throwing up on somebody; you feel way better, but it didn't do much for them.

2.  Connect to a ministry pal that knows you, loves you and that you can tell anything to and let them help you process.  They can see things from a more distant viewpoint and give you some feedback. It helps for you to get it off your chest.  Sometimes, we have been too close to it to see it all accurately.  Plus, just spewing it all out can help.  I have a graduate degree in Guidance Counseling.  One of the great things I learned is, just listening to people helps them process things.

3.  Do some things for YOU during this slower period.  Read, go to the movies, go to the gym or whatever helps you chill.  Go to lunch with some friends....just for going to lunch with some friends.

4.  Enlist some people to pray for you and the ministry in an on-going way.  You don't have to tell them everything, but just you need some folks praying.

5.  Put off some of your evaluation and planning until you have been able to detox and see things from a little better perspective.  I have always reminded myself of this little saying, "When things are going well, they are probably not going as well as I think and when things are going poorly, they probably are not going as poorly as I think."  I believe God is always doing more than we know..

6.  Remind yourself that is not the size of the crowd that determines the good and bad of the ministry.  I really, really like big crowds, so this was one I had to really, really remind myself about.

7.  A CRAZY TRUTH my wife told me in one of my down times.  "EVERY semester cannot be better than the one before....it just can't.  College ministry years come in waves and cycles.

8.  Do some project that you have been wanting to do and that you can complete.  It will give you a sense of satisfaction in doing it and in accomplishing it. Lots of our frustration comes from not seeing an end result in much of what we do.  It might be to paint a room (at home or work).  It might be to write a Bible study series.  Just make it some you WANT to do...not have to do.

If you are in the painful spot of feeling like the ministry you are leading is broken, here is that book, Amazon.com/dp/1521876665.  Reaching MORE College Students is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.

Facebook Live Posts

 Occasionally now I am doing a Facebook Live post instead of doing a Blog article.  I just posted one on developing student leaders.  

You can check it out on my Facebook page.  So far, I have done two.  The first was "Reaching More Students" and the second one today was "Developing Student Leaders".

I would love to have any suggestions for topics you would like for me to do.  It is my plan that each will be about 10 minutes.  

Many Blessings to you today!

Arliss

Should There be a Difference in Campus Based and Church Based College Ministry?

I spent 41 years doing campus based college ministry and 2 1/2 doing church based college ministry.  Out of both sides of that, I had the strong conviction that they should not look just alike.

One reason that churches often do what I would call a version of a campus based ministry is that the College Minister or volunteer leaders were active in a campus based ministry that blessed  them and so they do what they saw and experienced.  That is a pretty natural and likely happening.  One campus based College Minister told me that area churches hire his graduates and they then do all the same things that his ministry on campus is doing and students see all the same things instead of benefitting from both ministries.

So, what differences should there be in the two and how do we understand them better?  Church based college ministry have the great opportunity to expose students to and connect them to Christians of a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and vocations.

Campus based ministries should and most try to resist the temptation to become the students' church.  But, it can easily happen even when the ministry does not intend it.  So, campus based ministries should be pointing student toward local churches.  But, when students see the same thing at both places, why should they invest the time and energy in both?

Church based ministries must point students toward their church wide events....not just their student only events.  Why does that matter, if they are getting community and solid Bible teaching at student only events?    If we teach and show students that faith communities will always specialize in their needs and interests, we can be contributing to a "consumer only" view of faith and church.

Both campus based and church based offer opportunities to serve.  But, the church can offer a wider variety of opportunities..  These in turn help prepare students for service in churches for their entire life time.

It has been my experience that campus based ministries can be more specific and intentional in doing leadership training and it is one thing that churches should expect of their campus based partners.

Campus based ministries can and should be more specific in speaking to student topics and questions.  You will not hear many Sunday morning church services or even week night events centered around sex, getting ready for marriage, doing healthy relationships, accepting and giving forgiveness, how to witness to your roommate, etc.  Campus based ministries often do and should offer training in time management, setting goals, etc, etc.  They are not spiritual topics, but needed ones.

Most church college ministries are done by larger churches and cannot offer students the opportunity to lead the worship, play in the band (as a new experience), even to speak at the service, where a campus based ministry can, which is usually not as large.  I have sat through the first time college students played in a band together and led worship.....it was sometimes painful and I have then sat in church a few years later and seen and heard those same students lead worship in a large church.

The SECRET SAUCE OF CHURCH BASED COLLEGE MINISTRY is all the lay people of different ages who can bring students into their homes and show them Christian families doing every day life.  Christian teachers, lawyers, business people can give students a view into what the students are pointing their life toward with their majors and how to live it as a Christian.  Church ministries can and should lean into that.

Instead of competing or ignoring each other, campus based and church based college ministries should be communicating and talking about which can do what for students that is best for them and for God's kingdom in the days to come.

One question we must continually ask is, How is what we are doing now helping point college students to church involvement, leadership and service in the years to come? Neither ministry can just be about the present.  College ministries must be raising up the church leaders of the future....both lay leadership and ministerial.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Almost Everything About College Ministry, is available at  Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX and A College Student's Guide to Spiritual Maturity is at Amazon.com/dp/B0CXTCTNB1.