Summer Outreach to Incoming Freshmen

 Different ministries do different things in outreach to incoming freshmen.  Here is a sampling of some on their why, how, and maybe why not.

Adam Venters at the University of South Carolina says, "Research shows that state schools are seeing a growth in residential students coming to campus.  We need to leverage every resource we can towards outreach efforts.  Individual fraternities and sororities will spend close to $50K each on first week of school activities.  Ministries need to pray harder, dream bigger, plan more expectantly, train student leaders more specifically, and communicate to our networks.

There is no silver bullet to doing outreach.  Instead of thinking what are homers and just doing those, I got this analogy from the book, “Good to Great” by Jim Collins.  We need to think hedge hog!  Hedge hogs when under attack will bunch up together and create a rough spiky fortress.   How can we have a myriad of things that are happening that help us to outreach to large classes of freshmen.  What INCREMENTAL things can I do over a series of months to pursue students with the hope of Christ?"

Steve Masters at LSU says, "One of the ways we reach out to freshmen is by sending their parents a letter. Plus, we do personal phone calls, texts, emails, and e-newsletters. In the Parents Letter, we ask them to partner with us helping their son or daughter get involved in our BCM.  We include a blank Parents Survey that they can fill out and email or mail back to us.  We will get about 50 back over the next few weeks.  Some of the responses are from parents whose son or daughter has dropped out of church. You can sense their great concern.  The survey gives opportunity to list things they have done in church and asks for prayer requests.  Plus, there is a place for them to list the names and contact information of other freshmen.  There is also a place for parents to volunteer to help with certain activities. We have recently formed a GroupMe for our new freshmen and so far, 41 have joined it and 25 have posted something about themselves on it and some with pictures.

Ryan Scantling at the University of Arkansas says, We get contact info on students throughout the summer via orientations, camps, and social media.  We text all of those students and send them a small gift in the mail (BCM stickers, bracelets, and a handwritten card from an upperclassman).  Years later, many students say this is the reason they made the decision to visit our ministry for the first time.

As I have indicated in the past, we learned that the students that came to the first two Freshmen Orientation/Registrations tended to be the more gung ho leader types.  We would send each of them an application to apply for Freshmen Leadership Team.

If you cannot afford to do something for all the names you have, do a gift or a special invitation to those whose names were given to you by area churches, certain Orientations, those that are furthest from home, etc, etc.  Is there some way, you can target some of those whose contact info you have and approach them differently?

What do you do and why? Do you do a brochure, flyer, personal notes, phone calls?  Do you offer a free gift? 

Arliss' book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and A College Student's Guide to Spiritual Maturity is at Amazon.com/dp/B0CXTCTNB1.

Week One at Georgia Southern BCM.....by Chris Bryan

At Georgia Southern BCM we do an intro week for new students called Week One.  Week One starts the day students move onto campus, as we have our leadership team helping move students into dorms and then inviting them to come be a part of the BCM Open House the next day (Saturday) and then also the rest of the events during the next week.  

Each day there are different events. Saturday:  Open House/meet and greet, free food, tables set up for different aspects and ministries of BCM (worship team, missions and outreach, men's/women's ministry, intramurals, etc.)  Each of these tables is manned by multiple student leaders.

Sunday: Go to to a local church together.  Church feeds the students after service.  Sunday afternoon, we invite students to meet up with groups of upperclassmen for touring the campus and finding classes, and then invite them back for games/socializing

Monday:  Outdoor game night at RAC on campus.  Reserved a field on campus for organized games.  Great way to get people having fun together, working together, break down walls and get deeper conversations.

Tuesday:  First worship night of the semester.  Free food for students before our weekly worship night.  We also encourage leaders to invite people for volleyball or other games on campus for late night hangout times.

Wednesday:  No activities officially for BCM.  This gives a chance to breathe mid-week but also gives opportunity for students to check out a local church Bible study on a Wednesday night.

Thursday:  Ice breakers and then a "reveal" for family groups.  We put each new student into a "family group" (small group mixed gender Bible study).

Friday:  Color War/Paint war/water games type fun night.  Lots of fun, memorable pictures, easy for people to pop in and out of this event as they wish.

Saturday:  Family group scavenger hunt (starts in the late morning).  Each new family group is a team and will be asked to travel together to Savannah in a vehicle or two, which gives great conversation time in car rides.  Also, they do a lot of funny/silly stuff for scavenger hunt which ends up being memorable for everyone.

Sunday:  Go to another local church together.  We ask all our leaders (BCM Council and all family group Bible study leaders) to all do this as well.    This gives students another chance to see another great local church and also worship together on a Sunday.

We invite students to register beforehand, so that it's easy to place them in family groups and the small fee ($25) helps cover costs for the week for food & drinks, snacks, T-shirts, prizes, etc.  I am also a believer in the theory of people paying a small amount helps them to mentally "buy in" instead of offering it for free and then not seeing the value right away. 

Many students will show up who have not pre-registered.  We try to push it for the first few days about registering officially when people show up.  Most people who are a part of our Week One event will end up registering after they come to an event or two of ours.  Ultimately,, we would neve turn anyone away from any event we do regardless of paying or not paying.

As far as attendance goes, there is an ebb and flow throughout the week.  Usually, Tuesday is a bigger night because it's our first worship night and a free meal.  Wednesdays were something we did up until two years ago.  Those were the weakest attended.  We stopped Wednesday activities also so people could check out local church studies.

One of the bigger things we are pushing throughout the week is Thursday family group reveals, because we know things can lose steam.  But that bigger night at the end of the week helps this out.  Also, the paint wars and waters games on Friday help with that as well.  The attendance definitely ebbs and flows throughout the week though because students are checking out different ministries and activities.  We usually might be missing a few students from earlier in the week, but there's also new students every night as well.

Chris Bryan is the Baptist Campus Minister at Georgia Southern University BCM.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and A College Student's Guide to Spiritual Maturity is at Amazon.com/dp/B0CXTCTNB1.

6 Rules for College Ministry Promo Materials....by Ryan Scantling

 1. Always spell out Baptist Collegiate Ministry because most don't know what BCM is.  Spelling it out is helpful for those Baptist students looking for us.

2.  As often as I can, I put topics of messages on our handouts so that folks know what we will be talking about.  Students sign up for classes based on subjects of interest; I think they will sometimes come to our services for the same reason.

3.  Include pictures that everyone can identify with.  Students will internally ask:  Is there someone there who looks like me who goes there?

4.  I highlight the non-spiritual events as much as our worship services.  I want folks to know that we have fun by doing crawfish boils, going on trips, etc, and don't just sit in circles reading the Bible. (Both are important so emphasize both.)

5.  I avoid using Christian jargon or insider language.

6.  I try to make the material with the person giving it out in mind.  I want any student in my ministry to be able to take it and pass it to their friend without having to explain everything it says.  I want it to help their outreach, not hurt it.

Ryan Scantling is Baptist Collegiate Minister at the University of Arkansas.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, faith & Good Grades, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and A College Student's Guide to Spiritual Maturity available at Amazon.com/dp/B0CXTCTNB1.

Is Your College Ministry Promotional Material TOO Religious????

 It is that time of year when you are handing out promotional material at Summer Orientations or you are thinking about what to do to send later in the summer or have when school starts  

Let's get honest.....who does your material appeal to?  I see some that looks like it was written to pastors or parents.  Or others, look like it would only connect with super serious Christian students.

Here is the problem:  We know that a bunch of high school students active in churches have stopped being a regular about their sophomore or junior year.  And, we know that lots of students coming to your college are not believers.

So, don't sell out on who you are or do a Bait and Switch....BUT, we know that most freshmen come to college looking for friends and fun.  Does your material look like they could possibly find friends and fun at your ministry?

Since many do not get a religious preference list from schools any more, connecting is more difficult than ever.  I am a proponent of professionally printed posters with LOTS of pictures.  Pictures tell stories and answer lots of questions. Tell about your Bible study groups and your large group worship AND show some pictures that show there all kinds of normal looking college students there…..actually having a good time  

Posters can be stuck all over campus on bulletin boards in classrooms, in places where students hang out, etc.  They can even be texted to students...sure they can.  I met a freshman girl once who blushed when I introduced myself.  She said, "I saw your picture on a poster in a bathroom stall this morning.  I got on an elevator once and saw where someone had just spit on my picture on the poster.  Attractive posters get noticed.  Pay to get it designed professionally or turn some of your super creative, tech savvy students loose on doing it. I do suggest you have input and final approval.

But, here is the more important message:  Make sure whatever you are handing out or hanging up appeals to a wide variety of students......AFTERALL, isn't that who you are trying to reach?  Don't sell out, don't be Bait and Switch....be who and what you are, but do it in a way that just might....just might get noticed and responded to by a whole bunch of students who might not come to campus planning to hook up with your ministry first thing.

I know....I'm not spiritual enough.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.  A College Student's Guide to Spiritual Maturity is at Amazon.com/dp/B0CXTCTNB1.

Which College Ministry Building Block is MOST Important?

 In College Ministry Success Formula (Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV) I list and talk about what I think are the basic 5 building blocks to a strong college ministry.  Of course, the question always comes, "Which is THE most important?"  To me, that is like asking, "Which of the four wheels of a car is the most important one?  I have been accused and probably rightly so of not being spiritual enough because I don't say God or Prayer.  To me that is self-evident, if we are in the ministry.

I can make an argument that any of the five is the most important.  But, if you FORCE me to choose, I pick "Building Block #1, Who You Are Personally."  Nothing will affect the ministry more than who you are as a person. The longer the College Minister serves as the leader, the more the ministry will reflect his or her strengths and weaknesses.  The ministry in many ways will be a picture of you  Your priorities will show in the ministry.

The College Minister is THE most important tool and factor in the ministry.  Here are four things that go into the College Minister being the number ONE tool and foundation of the ministry.

Your Relationship to the Lord

If the ministry you lead is to truly be a ministry and not simply a club for college student, your relationship to the Lord is key. So, at the heart of the ministry, more than we want to admit, is the leader's relationship to the Lord.

Your Personality

God gave us all a personality. Some College Ministers are extroverted and that shows in their style and method of operation. They usually are good speakers and are an obvious face to the ministry.  Others are introverted and tend to be a behind the scenes operator.  They tend to focus on putting students up front more.  Both can and are demonstrated to be very effective in many large ministries.

Your Personal Strengths or Gifts

Part of our personality shaping the ministry will obviously be our strengths.  Some years ago, I read the book "7 Practices of Effective Ministry" by Stanley, Joiner, and Jones.  My gigantic takeaway was that you have to play to your strengths.  I realize most of us automatically do that.  But, do you really?  Are you maximizing your strengths or gifts for the benefit of the ministry.  Often, we slight our strength because it is something we can do easily and spend time on those things that are a struggle for us.  What do you do BEST?  What are the gifts God has placed in your life?  Are those being given the time and priority for them to be at their best?  But, we must avoid the danger of making the ministry all about me!  It also means identifying our shortcomings and utilizing others that can fill those gaps.

Your Relationships

The more people we know, the more it will benefit the ministry.  The more students we know, the more we are likely to reach.  The more campus administrators know and see us as a colleague, the more doors that will be open to us and our ministry.  A part of that is walking across the campus and through the Student Center EVERY day. Your relationships are the currency of your ministry.

If you, the College Minister, are the #1 Building Block of your ministry, what are your strengths/gifts and are you maxing them to the fullest?

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out." Proverbs 10:9

Check out Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9 and Almost Everything About College Ministry Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.

Life Lessons Learned in Vietnam

 I was told that I was the first Arkansas school teacher to be drafted during the Vietnam War.  I spent January of 1969 to January of 1970 there.  I was fortunate to serve as a Chaplain's Assistant.  I worked for a Chaplain who was a Lieutenant Colonel with about 18 different Chaplains under him spread out through the country with different Battalions of the 18th Engineer Brigade.  We were at Brigade Headquarters located between Cam Ranh Bay and Na Trang.  As a Chaplain's Assistant, I typed his letters, drove the jeep to take him wherever and was to be his protection when we were out away from our compound.  During services, I passed the Communion Tray, played taped hymns for the troops to sing along with, etc.

Some Life Lessons I Learned:

People you do not know and have never met can have a huge impact on your life and future.  When I arrived at 18th Engineer Brigade Headquarters my first day in Vietnam, I was scheduled to be sent to one of the Battalions that was in a difficult place with constant fighting, etc.  There were about ten Clerk Typists at the Headquarters who handled the paperwork and assignments of troops arriving and where they were to go.  One illustration of how crazy the Vietnam war was, three of these Clerk Typists were graduates of Harvard Law School (yes they were Clerk Typists).  One had been Editor of the Harvard Law Review and another had been an Assistant D.A. for New York.  They looked at my paperwork, which told some of what I had done prior to the Army and thought I might be better suited to be the Assistant to the Brigade Chaplain there at Headquarters.  I was an E-2 (the next lowest rank) and this person was normally an E-6.....an experienced veteran in other words.  I was sent down to interview with the Chaplain and it was determined that I would stay there at Headquarters instead of going to the much more dangerous assignment that was listed for me.

Your past influences your future.  It was because of my having served as a Summer Youth Minister four years, been the President of the Baptist Student Union at Southern Baptist College and Arkansas State University, etc  that caused them to consider changing my orders.  What we have done and have not done can determine the doors that are open or closed to us.  Our lives do not operate in a vacuum.  

People can and will tell you crazy stuff with a straight face.  With thousands of American troops everywhere, prostitution was widespread among the Vietnamese.  When we would drive through a small village, there would be men standing on the side of the road advertising for women.  There were even young boys yelling, "You want my mother....she virgin.".  Today, it seems there is less and less premium on unbiased truth.  People can and will tell you crazy stuff with a straight face. Its up to us to be discerning.

Those you deal with all the time don't always want the best for you.  While the 18th Engineer Brigade Headquarters was in a relatively safe place, we often received rocket and mortar fire at night.  The rockets and mortars were shot from beside the little village where many of the people who worked for us in the daytime lived.  

Many view the Bible as a "good luck charm".  There was a story that went around in Vietnam about a soldier who was shot by a sniper but the bullet hit the little green Gideon New Testament in his left breast pocket and it saved his life.  Lots of soldiers who did not claim to be Christians carried a little green New Testament in their left shirt pocket.  Having or carrying a Bible is not an end in itself.

Being a Christian has given me a sense of purpose for my life.  I lived in a hooch with six other guys.  They were generally good guys, but only one other claimed to be a Christian.  After being there a short time I thought, "How am I different from these guys who are not Christians?"  We all had good days and bad days, etc.  I realized it was the feeling that since becoming a Christian, I have continually had a sense of purpose for my life. They did not express or feel any sense of overall purpose. That sense of purpose has infused my life since I was nine years old and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.  It is a wonderful gift!

I came home from Vietnam with the overwhelming desire that I wanted my life to count.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Tips for College Freshmen:  124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.  Several of his College Ministry books are currently marked down and available at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV

6 Ways to be a More Effective College Minister

 I am sometimes struck by how good some College Ministers are with students and yet their ministry is not nearly as effective overall as you would anticipate.  Often, it comes down to a poor balance between being relational and task oriented.  I believe if our ministry is to be all the Lord and we would have it to be, we MUST be and do both....be relational and accomplish tasks in an efficient way.

I once heard a person who worked for a national denomination entity asked to describe the College Ministers she knew.  Her main description was, "Unorganized."  I was insulted.....Yet, in many cases I knew she was correct.

So, how can we be more organized or effective?

1.  At the end of the day quickly jot down 2 or 3 things that need to be done the next day.  It may be something that just came up, something that did not get done that day, etc.  Then, when you start to work the next day, you don't fall prey to just doing what pops up first thing that might not be as important.  With those 2 or 3 things jotted down the day before, you have started with a small plan.

2.  Don't read email or Facebook messages before 10:30 a.m.  They can often deter you from the plan you already had for that day.  This allows you to have already accomplished some key things that day before new issues confront you.  Don't ignore messages, but don't let them run your schedule totally.  Your boss knows your phone number, if there is something pressing.

3.  Respond to EVERY email that is not junk mail.  It does not have to be a long intensive response.  An appropriate response  can and often is, "OK" or "Got it" or "Thanks".  That way they know you got the message and that the information has been transferred and received.  The only emails I try not to respond to are those where my response would be negative or argumentative.  Those are often better left alone.

4.  Don't spend so much time tweeting and retweeting about your ministry and other ministries that you are not doing your ministry.  I know the world is breathlessly awaiting your next wise comment on twitter or forwarded tweet.....but cool it.

5.  Remember that some tasks can be started or laid out and then handed over to someone else.  You can become the bottleneck to your own ministry.

6. Have a certain day, morning or afternoon that you do certain on-going tasks or responsibilities.  I once served as  Chair of a national committee that had some on-going responsibilities, calls to make, etc.  I made Tuesday morning the day those got done.  That was freeing.  When one of those issues or tasks came up, I put it in my Tuesday folder, unless it required an immediate response. I did not feel guilty because I knew it would get done.  And, it got done and not just laid on my desk and was forgotten about.

Wonder what word others would use to describe you?

Several of Arliss' books (Fixing a Broken College Ministry; Reaching MORE College Students; A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula and Almost Everything About College Ministry) are on sale at Amazon Books at their lowest allowed price for a limited time.  You can check here:  Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV,

Which is Better...Personality or Organization?

 Many have the view of the perfect College Minister as being one who wows people with his or her personality.  They come to a ministry and instantly people are drawn to them and the ministry booms.  But, not all of us who are called to college ministry are the super personality type......did we mishear God in sensing our call to college ministry?

If the choice is Personality or Organization, I will take  organization EVERY time.....if the two don't go together.  A "Personality Ministry" often disappears when the personality person leaves.  It does not stand the test of time.  A ministry built over time by organization tends to outlast the organizer.

Organization develops a variety of leaders, has a plan, and shares ownership.  If God has blessed you with the big personality, be grateful.....but work on your organization.  I must tell you the vast majority of great college ministries with which I am familiar are led by organization people.

Organizing multiplies your ministry.  It is not all you.

Several of Arliss' books ( Fixing a Broken College Ministry; Reaching MORE College Students; A 3 Part Success Formula; Almost Everything About College Ministry) are on sale right now at Amazon Books at the lowest price Amazon will do.  You can start here:  Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.