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