The SECRET to Effective College Ministry

 I recently posted that the secret to effective college ministry is RELATIONSHIPS.  A friend reminded me of a Gary Smalley quote:  "Life is about relationships, everything else is the just the details."

Our relationships color everything.  They either open doors or close doors.

The most significant thing we can do to grow our ministry is to develop and empower strong student leaders.  That happens through relationships.  Do they know we care about them?  Are we an encourager and mentor to them?  Do we listen to them or just tell them?

Do you know various students on campus that are not connected to your ministry?  There is a grapevine on campus with a word about your ministry.  Part of that grapevine is influenced by your wider relationships with students on campus....students in other ministries......students in Student Government, etc.

College Administrators, Secretaries/Administrative Assistants, Janitors can all have an effect on our ministry.  If they know us and trust us, they are more likely to deal with us in a fair and even favorable way.  They figuratively and literally hold the keys to the campus.

Pastors, Youth Ministers and other staffers can have a big effect our ministry by students they send to us, resources they provide and wise counsel they can give.  Stacy Murphree at Austin Peay recently shared that one of her area churches Vacation Bible School offering for this year was her BCM ministry.  They gave Austin Peay BCM $6,000.  Did you read that.....$6,000!!!  Do church leaders know you well enough to invest in your ministry?

Alumni are becoming a greater factor than ever in college ministry.  As some churches decline and are unable to support college ministry budgets as they have in the past, alumni giving is even more important.  As college ministry staffs are more and more having to raise some or all of their salary, alums that know and believe in the ministry are more important than ever.  But, they need to know, trust you, and know that your interest in them is not just for money.

Friendships and relationships are the prime currency that God uses in the spreading of the Gospel!

Who are you having lunch with this week?  Who are you buying coffee or a coke for this week?

A Personal Note:  I have recently posted at Amazon Books "A College Ministry Formula".  It is a quick re-work of a book I took down a couple of years ago.  It lists what I have said and written in other places are the 5 essentials or building blocks for a strong college ministry.  It has two purposes to help the "Newbies" starting out this year to not have to learn them the hard way over their first 2-3 years. Second, it is a reminder to old and wise pros to not let all the things that develop obscure those things that really make a difference.  It is a whopping 34 pages and is the crazy price of $5.99.  You can check it out here:  Amazon.com/dp/B0FFTHL6HP

Cross Fertilization in College Ministry

 I am a BIG fan of cross fertilization in college ministry.

This week my friend Steve Masters, newly retired BCM College Minister at LSU, posted about the Summer College Ministers Fellowship meeting in Florida this week.  It is a gathering that started about 37 years ago.  It was three days of people writing on a White Board a topic or question.  Plus, each person there would share something they were doing, etc.

Out of those meetings came the best and most productive idea that I utilized in our ministry.  It was Freshmen Survival which for me and many others developed into a wider freshmen specific events and ministry.

But, here is my point:  It happened because College Ministers from 2 or 3 different states got together to share ideas.  I am all about College Ministers from different states getting together.  That way you don't hear the same old thing.  Different states tend to have some different strengths and approaches.

What are YOU doing for Cross Fertilization?  

Four Suggestions:

    1.  Make friends with a College Minister in another state who is on a campus similar to yours or has a ministry that you admire.  Ask some questions.  Go see them and spend a day following them around.  When I first came to Arkansas State, I flew to Texas and spent two days following Ron Wells around at Texas A&M.  When we were getting ready to re-start the Lunch Program at Arkansas State, we went to Mississippi State and talked to and watched June Scoggins do their Lunch Program.

    2.  When you are on another college campus, walk through every religious center on campus.  You see promotional material on the walls, you see handouts.  You even see how a building is laid out or utilized.  I have even walked thru a building and seen material I had written that they had "adjusted" and printed.

    3.  Talk to College Ministers in other denominations.  You don't have to agree theologically to learn from their methods and practices. What is the strongest college ministry of another denomination or a non-denominational college ministry in your state or another state near by?

    4.  Look at Websites.  In a couple of hours you can see a ton of different things by looking at the websites of different ministries...both local and national.  You will also see several that have not been updated from last year.  Is yours updated?

Here is the bottom line:  Summer is the time to be hearing and seeing new ideas and thoughts!  What are you doing to see and hear some new ideas or variations on an old idea?

Arliss Dickerson's book, A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV and Reaching MORE College Students is at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN

Evaluating Your Weekly Large Group Event

Does your weekly event help you reach more or fewer students?

1.  What is the purpose of your weekly event?  Is it meant to be an in-depth teaching time?  Is it aimed at those who are "serious" about their faith or is it meant to be a general gathering of students all across the faith spectrum

2.  What is the quality of the event?  It does not have to be a Hollywood production, but it should seem like those doing it are prepared, care about what they are doing, and represent the ministry well.

3.  Is it just a copy of "The IT Ministry"?  Are you trying to copy another popular ministry rather than being who you are?  You likely do not have the resources to be a weekly version of passion or some such event.  Do what you can do well.

  4.  Do students see a wide variety of faces leading with whom they can identify?  Everyone does not have to be a performer or a pretty face.  Remember, everyone up front represents the ministry in some way.

5.  Is there fun connected to it or is it fun to be there?  Fun and serious can mix in the same event or before and after.  It's ok to laugh and have a good time.

6.  Is it too Vanilla?  In evaluating, start with 30 minutes before it begins and through thirty minutes after it is over.  What is the energy level.  I am a huge advocate of music playing well before it is scheduled to start.....even "NON-Religious" music.

7.  Are students greeted and made to feel welcome when they come?  Greeters and mixers are huge.  No matter how good the quality of the event, students must feel welcome in order to come back.

8.  Is the meeting space being well utilized?  That can vary from seating arrangement, to lighting, to being clean and attractive.  Get a fresh eye to give you an opinion of it.

9.  Are the bathrooms clean and prepared?  You know, is there toilet paper, paper towels?  Does it look like it is still left from last week?

Adapted from Reaching MORE College StudentsAmazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN

Is it Time for an Old Idea to be a New Idea?

 Several years ago, many BSU/BCM/BSM ministries appointed teams to travel their state or area leading Vacation Bible Schools.  In some, they did it all and in others they worked with local volunteers. 

As many churches are now having a difficult time staffing VBS due to working moms not available to volunteer in the day time.  Some have gone to night time VBS, but that is still difficult for working parents..  Others are shortening their VBS or doing it for just an hour or so on Wednesday night during their regular Wednesday night time.   Is it time to have Summer Mission Teams travel to help churches have a Vacation Bible School?

Many children make their initial commitment to Christ during VBS.  What will take the place of that, if we do not do full blown VBS?  Is there a better idea?  This travelling team can bring a core of workers, materials and enthusiasm to help make it happen.

So, where do we go from here?  It just may be that Summer VBS Teams by Student Summer Missionaries might be a brand new idea!

Check out Reaching MORE College Students here Amazon.com/dp/B0MW8NPMN and Almost Everything About College Ministry Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.

A Self Test for Student Leadership Development

1.  Is there one type of student leader that is most evident or most missing in your ministry?  Why is that?

2.  How similar or different from your own personality are the key student leaders in your ministry?

3.  How would you rate your recruitment and development of student leaders?

4.  What is one thing your ministry might add or do differently in training and developing student leaders? 

5.  Overall, is there a desire among students connected to your ministry so serve in a leadership role?  If not, why not?

6.  What are some ways your ministry could better demonstrate your commitment to the value of student leaders and highlight them in a positive way?

7.  How would you rate your own personal investment in your leaders and the amount of time given to that?  But remember it is possible to spend too much time with too few students.

8.  Do student leaders who graduate tend to serve in leadership roles in their churches following their college years?

7.  Are there students in your ministry who feel called to vocational ministry?  If so, how are you encouraging and developing them?  Are you giving adequate emphasis to students that God calls some to vocational ministry?

8.  What are some things that you could do immediately to help student leaders feel valued and appreciated?

9.  Make a list of those you consider key leaders in your ministry.

10.  Who are some students who could potentially be key leaders or should be now?

Arliss Dickerson's book, A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV and Reaching MORE College Students is here, Amazon.com/dp/B0MW8NPMN.  Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades is at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.