I have written and spoken often how campus based and church based college ministry are not twins, but rather are cousins. Each has some unique strengths that the other does not have. College ministry is better and more students are reached and blessed when we each lean into the specific strength of the ministry we lead. Conversely, each of us have our "issues" which we have to work with and around.
In my book, Almost Everything About College Ministry (amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX) I wrote about the four church college ministry killers. They are:
1. Constant turnover of College Ministers. There tends to be a much quicker turnover of church College Ministers than of campus based ones.
2. Decisions are made for the overall benefit of the church and can be contrary to the building up of the college ministry. One example is when church times will be and what services are offered when.
3. Church College Ministers have more divided time issues than campus based ones. They have other assignments such as hospital visitation, etc.
4. Church College Ministers are often more sharply evaluated by numbers. Pastors and church members often do not understand the ebb and flow of the college calendar, go home weekends, etc.
HOWEVER, church college ministries have a great plus that campus based ministries do not have.
Young adults have expressed and demonstrated in many ways their desire and need to be mentored by older adults. One reason for this need is the large number of students that come from broken homes and need to see good functioning and healthy family relationships. Plus, students are struggling more with their life career choices. Connecting students to those who are into their careers and know the realities is a huge plus.
But, there is a very fine line that church college ministries have to walk.
That fine line is the one between doing things that specifically speak to and connect with college students AND connecting them to the church as a whole. Many churches do a great job of reaching a large number of students and being a blessing in their lives. But, they do not connect them to the church as a whole. So, what is the problem with that? It is possible to so cater to and direct a ministry at college students that they are not connected to anyone faith-wise outside their age bracket. Going to a great week night college event with cool lighting and a smoke machine can make Sunday morning seem pretty dull.
College ministries need to speak to specific college student issues that are NOT Sunday morning topics. So, we cannot quit being college student specific in what we do. Yet, a church cannot be just a college ministry.
TWO ANSWERS:
1. We have to lay out the challenge for more non-college adults to be willing to wade into college student events. Be a part of what college students are doing. Some of these could be every week people and others could be recruited to just come once. But, students would get used to seeing a variety of ages and even become friends with some of them. And, the non-college adults would see the need and opportunities in college ministry. A church cannot have too many college ministry advocates.
2. We must lay out to students and challenge them as to why it matters for them to connect to church in more that the college specific events. Help them know there is a reason for them to sometimes sit next to someone twice their age....or even three times their age.
I spoke with a man who had a son who was starting to college soon. We started out talking about the son. But, we wound up talking about what the father's church college ministry experience had meant to him and how the friendships he had developed with the non-college adults had blessed his life. He expressed how he wanted that for his son in college.
It is a very fine line and a tough line to walk. A church college ministry must address some very specific college students issues but also connect students to the church as a whole and involve them in Sunday church. And, part of the blessing of a college church is relationships with lots of positive parent and grandparent type figures. That will also help them know how to do church after college.
Could your college ministry be reaching more students? Check out Reaching MORE College Students: Next Level College Ministry at Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN.
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