Why Don't Church College Ministries and Campus College Ministries Work Together?

 So, I was leading a Breakout session at National Collegiate Week in New Mexico when a nice lady who had come to help cook for their college group raised her hand and said, "Why don't church college ministries and campus ministry work together?  You could feel a lot of the air in the room go out.  We just don't talk about that out loud in front of polite company.

So, here is the deal....it is complicated.  Some try and some don't try....on both sides.  The BCM/BSM/BSU College Ministers I know have working with churches as a key part of their job description and generally work hard at making it happen.  

Here are some of the factors that complicate the situation:

1.  "There are plenty of college students to go around." is one of the common things said.  And, that is absolutely true.  But, here is what is also true.  For a college ministry to work and go well, you need good student leaders and there is often a shortage of those. So, there is often some tug and pull for them.  Often churches are able to pay for some "interns" and obviously getting paid to do it and doing it for free on campus is different.

2.  Church College Ministers tend to feel more pressure to produce numbers.  I am not sure why that is, but I have found it to be generally true. For some, that pressure comes from the pastor and for others it is trying to demonstrate the validity of their position and their budget.  A friend of mine who went from being campus based to church based at a large church got fussed at by the pastor for their student numbers being down the first weekend there was not a home football game. Students had gone home for the weekend.

3.  One campus based College Minister said, "The churches hire my best graduates or upperclassmen to do their college ministry and they turn around and do exactly what they experienced on campus in my ministry."  I (Arliss) believe that church based and campus based should look different.  One of the keys of church based college ministry is to connect students to the church as a whole. That is harder than just having a student event.  When the ministries look the same, why go to both?

4.  Generally (and this is a generalization) Campus Based College Ministers and Church Based College Ministers are different.  For some years I worked as a part time consultant in college ministry for Lifeway where I worked on the National Collegiate Ministers Summit, a once every 3 year meeting.  What we generally found was that Church Based College Ministers wanted preaching and Campus Based wanted more "How to" Breakouts.  Partly, Church College Ministers tend to be more speaker types, but I see that shifting now with more wanting campus College Ministers to be speakers.

5.  Church Based College Ministry positions tend to turn over more frequently.  Some years ago in my role with Lifeway, I was trying to get an accurate number of how many churches in the SBC had College Ministers.  It is not nearly as many as you might think. I called the State BCM/BSM/BSU coordinator in each state and to a person, each said, it is hard to give you a number because they turn over so quickly. I think part of that goes back to Number 2.  But, it has seemed that many Church College Ministers see themselves moving toward the pastorate when the opportunity comes and Campus College Ministers don't seem prone that direction as much.  Because of turnover, then new Church College Ministers are scrambling to get a crowd and being "cooperative" gets lost in the shuffle.

6.  Campus Based College Ministers resent that their ministry gets compared unfavorably to Church College Ministries that often tend to have much larger budgets and lots of interns or even multiple staff members.  It is not apples to apples comparisons, but folks on the outside making those comparisons don't see that.

7.  One "Un-cooperative" person in the mix can create an unhealthy tension or competition for all.  Here are a couple of examples.  One BCM Campus Minister invited all the church College Ministers to say a few words and introduce their ministry at their first BCM event.  One announced and promoted his weekly meeting starting the next week that was the exact same day and time as the BCM one.  Another campus based told the story of organizing a Progressive Dinner for Freshmen through all the churches. At the first stop they had all kind of fun things going on and the College Minister announced if they wanted to just stay there instead of going on, they would take them back to campus.  A large number stayed and the rest of the churches only saw about half what they had planned for.

8.  One Campus College Minister said, "The churches want me to give all my students and especially student leaders to them, but I have to be big and strong enough to help the churches."

Should Campus Based and Church Based College Ministries work together?  Yes...without a doubt.  But, it is complicated and takes extra work. Sometimes, one is willing and the other is not or they see differently what that means and how it will affect them.  

"Teacher, said John, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.  Do not stop him, Jesus said.  No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us."  Mark 9:38-40 

"30 Devotionals for College Freshmen"  Amazon.com/dp/B0H8K6L1QX

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

The Role of the College Minister as the Leader of the Ministry

The College Minister is the face of the ministry.  If others see the College Minister in a positive way, they see the ministry in a positive way......and vice versa.

The College Minister must realize and accept his or her role as the leader of the ministry:

1.  Have a vision and plan for the ministry.  

2.  Communicate clearly and often the vision of the ministry. 

3.  Ask others to lead in a variety of ways (particularly areas where you are not gifted) and allow them to do so.

4.  Never forget that no matter who does what, you are responsible.

5.  Never expect anything of students that you are not willing to do.

6.  Realize that every meeting with a campus administrator is an opportunity for future doors to open or close.

7.  Work at being a respected and responsible member of the campus community.

8.  Be conscious of the appearance of your interactions with members of the opposite sex.  Never let that compromise your reputation and the reputation of the ministry as a whole.  Appearances matter.

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

Check out "30 Devotionals for College Freshmen" at Amazon.com/dp/B0H8K6L1QX.

One Way a College Ministry Grows is by RETAINING Students

 Every college ministry no matter how good it is has students stop coming or don't come back after attending a few times.  Could you be MORE intentional on retaining students?

8 Thoughts on retaining students:

1. Know who attended and when.  Many use an electronic check in system.  But, it can be done the old fashioned way with sign in sheets.  Some use Comment cards each week or during the first month to help keep track of who is there and who is not.  Develop and maintain a list of everyone who has attended this semester as you go along.

2.  When a student misses 2 weeks in a row, they get a contact.  Consecutive misses are a good metric for when someone should be checked on.

3.  Beware of "shaming" contacts. Students do not like to feel like they are being fussed at for not being there.  Maybe it could be a message that says, "Hey missed your face..... just wanted to let you know what is coming up next week.  Hope classes are not getting you down."

4.  Do evaluation sheets at the middle of the semester......NOT at the end.  Some years ago we were going through evaluation sheets after our last Freshmen Nite of the semester.  They all said how great it was.  Yet, we knew we had lost a significant number.  Then, it dawned on me.  Of course, those that loved it were still there.  Do an evaluation sheet after a month or at mid-semester that would help you know if you have some issues that need to be corrected in your big event.....BEFORE they have quit coming.

5.  Invite 5 or 6 students for pizza and talk.  3 or 4 weeks into the semester invite some different freshmen for a talk back session.  Ask questions and listen.  Don't justify or explain.  Ask and listen.  Students think and talk better with free pizza in their mouth.

6.  Contact sick students.  Yes; when you hear someone is sick, make a contact and see if they need anything.  When a student is sick, they can feel very alone and uncared about.  As a student, I was sick in my room with strep throat when my BSU Director knocked on the door with cup of warm soup.  It felt like a life saver and love.

7. At your leader meeting, take a few minutes to talk about who is missing or hasn't been seen in a while.  Besides alerting you to them, you can divide up contacts and just help your leaders being conscious of continuing caring and noticing who is missing.

8.  After the first 2 weeks of your regular weekly meeting, compare your list against last year's list.  Who was active last spring that has not been this fall.

This article was adapted from "Reaching MORE College Students" Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN

You can check out "30 Devotionals for College Freshmen" at Amazon.com/dp/B0H8K6L1QX

How Parents Can Help a College Freshman with Spiritual Connections

Most surveys show 60-70% of college freshmen who have been active in church make NO spiritual connections in college, go to church, etc.

How can You Encourage Your Student to Continue their Faith in College?

1.  They need to understand how important it is to be intentional about making spiritual connections in the beginning.  Most don't plan to drop out.  They just assume it will automatically happen and it doesn't. Deciding to make early connections is key. Most college ministry churches will have special Sundays and fun welcome events the first week or two of school. Obviously, those are the best and easiest time to go.

2.  Parents need to encourage church and/or campus based ministry involvement just as they encourage good grades.  Obviously, this will not guarantee it, but it can make a difference.  If a family goes to Dorm Move-In Day, stay and go to church with them at a college church on Sunday before leaving and going home.  It is easier to go back somewhere they have already been.  And, they didn't have to try to go somewhere by themselves that first time. In phone conversations over the first week or two, ask about attendance at campus or church Christian events.

3.  Make contact with a Campus Ministry or College Church prior to the start of school.  Parents can send name and contact information or go on websites and check things out.  Most provide a place to enter contact info for incoming students. These ministries will make contact usually prior to school starting and provide information about welcome events happening during those first few days. Some even offer pre-school events. It is not too late to do it.  Many will text them with upcoming events or a personal contact from another student. 

Check out "162 Tips and Hacks for College Freshmen:  Fun, Faith & Good Grades" at Amazon.com/dp/B0H466D8Z9. and "30 Devotionals for College Freshmen"  Amazon.com/dp/B0H8K6L1QX