Time to Think About FALL Freshmen Ministry

 I know that Spring Break has not happened yet....but it is time to think Fall Freshmen Ministry.

WHY?

-Many schools will be have Freshmen Orientation/Registration events throughout the spring.  You need to be prepared to have a good looking handout or display.  

-To have a good looking handout, you need to know what special freshmen events you will be having and when.

-It's a good time to check with area churches about when their Senior Sunday will be and possibly if you can attend or even one of your sharp leaders say a word in their youth Sunday School.

-Now is the time to begin or getting ready to train upperclassmen to be Freshmen Bible Study leaders.

-What material will you use for Freshmen Family Groups or Bible Study Groups?

-Ask your leadership team to begin praying now about the fall and reaching new students.

-Now is a good time to find out someone who does an excellent job in Freshmen Ministry what tips they might have.  What have they done well and what have they learned from their mistakes?  You don't have to learn all the mistakes the hard way.

It's Brand New:  A College Minister's Tips for College Freshmen is available at Amazon.com/dp/B0GFLFNX98.

The BE-Attitudes of a College Minister

1. Be Intentional

Have a plan for your ministry and be working that plan.  Set priorities and work by those priorities.

2.  Be Grateful

No ministry succeeds to any degree without help from others.  Write thank you notes.  Tell people you appreciate them.

3. Be Prompt About Returning Messages

We all know the frustration of needing to hear from someone or thinking they possibly did not get your message.  Your promptness shows you care.  Some responses just need to be Ok or Thanks.

4.  Be in Contact with Alumni

They can pray.  They can speak a good word about your ministry or college ministry in general.  They can contribute.  Contact with alums is a win win!

5.  Be Evaluating

Every semester teaches us something.  Don't miss those messages.  The campus changes.  Your students change.

6.  Be Tweaking

As a result of evaluating, make some adjustments  that need to be made as you go along.

7.  Be Aware YOU are the Face of your ministry AND the Best Tool

Remember, you are never off duty.  Your personality, abilities, relationships, and knowledge will shape the ministry and the longer you serve there the more it will reflect who you are.

8.  Be Aware that Student Leaders are the Second Best Tool and they are Volunteers

Don't take for granted the time and energy they invest.  Always be developing and building up your student leaders.

9.  Be a Witness

By word and deed.  Our deeds validate our words.

10.  Be a Friend

Be a friend and encourager to everyone in college ministry and for your own health, have friends apart from your ministry.

It's Brand New:  A College Minister's Tips for College Freshmen Amazon.com/dp/B0GFLFNX98  

 

The ONE THING for a Church College Ministry?

In college ministry, the key question has to be, "How do we make students  lifetime followers of Jesus Christ, love his church, and be workers in it?"

Some years ago I spoke in a college church to their university students and then to the church as a whole.....and then they took me to the best thing.  It was a once a month lunch for students hosted by one of the church's Sunday School Departments.  There were young adults there and children.  The church supplied chicken and the "adults" had brought sides to go with it.  There was a big crowd of students...that happens with food.

The College Minister told me they did it every month with a different Sunday School group hosting in all different age categories.  They mix and mingle.  They even do a game I call "People Bingo."  You have to find people and get them to sign the square that lists different characteristics such as, teaches at the university, has 4 kids, runs a donut shop, etc, etc.  

Many of those who study the loss of high school students to faith following graduation believe that part of the issue is separating youth ministry from the church as a whole.  When they graduate from the youth group....they have graduated from church.

The more we separate college students from the church as a whole, are we not doing the same thing????

A College Minister in Florida told me of having a once a semester lunch where there were tables of doctors, nurses, teachers, stay at home moms, business people.  Students sat at a table where there were people doing what they wanted or even felt called to do. They made connections that benefitted them school and vocation wise....AND connected to older adults in the church.

If we do ONLY college student oriented events in our church, are we doing only what is best for now, but not best for the future?

The argument might be made that the net lifelong effect is best achieved by connecting students to the church as a whole.

MY SIMPLE FORMULA:  Do BOTH college student only events AND student and different age with students events.  That is something that only church ministries can do that campus based ministries cannot do.

Its BRAND NEW:  A College Minister's Tips for College Freshmen, Amazon.com/dp/B0GFLFNX98

Arliss' Crazy and Sometimes Stupid Rules for College Ministry

1.  Make NO MORE than 4 announcements.

2.  When an outside or entry door has double doors, unlock BOTH doors!  Why have double doors and leave one locked all the time?

3.  BEFORE your major weekly event(s) check the bathrooms for toilet paper....and an extra roll as well.

4.  When setting up for a meal, the fork always goes on the LEFT. Only Oster Forks go on the right.

5.  Do not leave stacks of chairs randomly and carelessly setting around the room.  Put your extras somewhere that can be quickly retrieved, if needed....but neatly stacked and out of the way.

6.  Walk across the campus and through the Student Center EVERY day.

7.  Eat where students eat at least once a week.....cafeterias, food courts, campus hangouts.

8.  The outside appearance of a campus religious center is more important than the inside appearance to your donors and supporters......most will only see the outside when driving by.  This is ESPECIALLY true in the summer when parents and prospective students are visiting campus.

9.  Write personal, HANDWRITTEN thank you notes.

10. If your Center or meeting space is dirty, messed up, or haphazard, it says to people that your ministry is haphazzard.

11.  Pray out loud with students in individual meetings, so they will learn to pray out loud with others.

12. It is the LITTLE things done right again, again, and again that make the difference.

It is BRAND NEW:  A College Minister's Tips for College Freshmen.  Check it out:  Amazon.com/dp/B0GFLFNX98 

"In person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing..."

 According to II Corinthians 10:10, that is what they said about the Apostle Paul...you know the guy that wrote all those books in the New Testament.

So, why are those of us in ministry surprised when we or our ministry....or both are criticized?

Some things to do and remember when you receive criticism:

1.  FIRST, consider the source.  Is it coming from someone who cares about you and your ministry?  Or, is it from someone who has no direct connection and may not even have correct information?

2.  Avoid the two extremes:  You can take it all to heart and let it burn a hole in your soul.  Or, you can immediately and totally ignore it.  Maybe, there is something you can learn from it.  So, hear it first and then decide to consider it or ignore it.  Maybe, skip down and read number 7 now.

3.  Consider but avoid dwelling on it.  If there is something to learn there, then take it in.....and that can come from even an unfriendly source.

4.  Consider if that criticism comes as a result of a lack of communication on your part.  Do people outside the ministry know what is going on?  Are your stakeholders well informed?

5.  One good rule is, "If it is anonymous, then it is not worth your consideration."  I have a friend who pastored a large church.  He got an anonymous letter full of criticism.  So, at a worship service he said he had received a letter that was not signed and therefore he could not respond to it.  So, he read it out loud to the entire congregation and responded.  I like that...don't you?  Remember:  Anonymous letters or second hand unnamed critics mean to hurt....that is their purpose and goal.  They are not to inform or give helpful feedback.  Their purpose is to sting.  When you remember that, it is easier to ignore them.

6.  Some criticism comes from a lack of balance.  One of the really difficult things about college ministry is we have some many different things we are supposed to do.  It is easy to get over one end and neglect the other side.  And with all College Ministers have to do, you will never have perfect balance.

7.  If you cannot let go of it, share it with someone you know who cares about you and your ministry and ask them if there is anything there you need to hear.

One last word:  If you hear a fellow minister being criticized unfairly or due to incorrect information, speak up on their behalf.  I know a person saved my bacon like this in a public meeting one time.  The critic had me confused with someone else.  Speak up!

Finally, the guy who they said was "unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing" had a pretty fruitful and successful ministry.  So keep on!

It is BRAND NEW: "A College Minister's Tips for College Freshmen" is an updated and expanded adaptation of my book, "Tips for College Freshmen."  You can check it out here:  Amazon.com/dp/B0GFLFNX98.

Where is College Ministry in the Bible?

 Someone said to me, "I don't see college ministry in the Bible."  I think his point was that the Bible talks about the church.  I don't see church vans in the Bible either.

I see lots of things in the Bible that college ministry is all about.

-Jesus preached to and taught large crowds made up of both true followers and the merely curious.

-Jesus invested deeply in a few for future leadership.

-Jesus went to and connected to a wide variety of people.

-Paul engaged people of the intellectual community in open discussion.

-Some of whom Jesus helped turned away.

-Jesus said, "go and make disciples of all nations."  College ministries all over the country are reaching out to many of the nearly one million International Students in the U. S. and sending Student Summer Missionaries all over the world each year.

-Jesus fed the 5,000.  That was obviously the first college ministry Lunch or Supper Program.  I notice that only a few helped clean up after it was over......that has continued to be true through the years.

I will leave it up to you to find church vans in the Bible.  Let me know.

I have just released through Amazon Books, "A College Minister's Tips for College Freshmen".  It is an updated and expanded adaptation of "Tips for College Freshmen" which has had a great response from individuals and churches.  You can check it out here:  Amazon.com/dp/B0GFLFNX98

College Ministers' Quick Tip #9 It is not a business.....GOD is at the Center of What You are Doing!

 In spite of having to pay ministry bills, write goals, or do monthly reports, never forget that God is using you in students' live and on a campus. God is at work and you will never know all He is up to.  

Your success is determined by your faithfulness.  God honors and  uses faithfulness.

Something new is coming later this month.  Until then, have you read A College Ministry Formula Amazon.com/dp/B0FFTHL6HP?