It just bugs me to know there are 12 million full time college students and all our ministries combined are reaching about 5%. At least this is the best guess of those who work with different college ministries nationally.
After surviving the crazy start of school and all the special events, now is a good time to stop and think a little bit. What did we learn from our efforts the first two or three weeks that we need to file away for next year? What worked; what did not work, and what was not worth the time, effort, and money it cost?
But here is a crazy thought......Should you make some adjustment to your ministry now? I often advocate AGAINST those that are always playing around and changing things. BUT, is there some campus situation that has changed that you did not anticipate? Is the time for your weekly meeting just a little off or has the crowd outpaced what you anticipated? Should you adjust your time or should you add an additional time on the same night?
Or, should you stop doing something you are doing because it is not working or taking too much time and effort? Would it be better to invest that time and sweat in something else?
A few years back I wrote an article entitled, "5 Ways to Enlarge Your Ministry.....Only #5 is Guaranteed." As crazy as it may seem, let me throw out a couple of those now.
Combine multiple events into one night. Should your freshmen family groups meet after your everybody large group event?
Reduce your events to focus on one or two. Is your main event getting the focus, effort, and energy that it needs for it to be all you want and need it to be?
Ask each of your leadership teams to adopt one campus group to pray for, connect to, and reach out to. No, I am not advocating, doubling what you ask them to do or to drop what they have committed to do. Just see about making friends in another campus group. And ask in leadership meeting if anyone has a good story to tell about their new friends or connections.
I did share in that article the GUARANTEED way to reach more students that a very few do. It is simple; they lie about their numbers! Don't do it. Also, don't "Estimate". You are being dishonest with yourself as well as others. I am all about counting. It helps you know where you are and if you keep records through the years, it helps remind you about the rhythm of the semester. Some weeks are just always smaller. It is that first big test week, etc. You and your ministry have not done anything wrong.
One last thing: Someone has said that "People determine within the first 5 to 10 minutes whether they will return to a new event." How is the 10 minutes BEFORE your event starts? Is there music playing (even NON-Christian music), Is it obvious where to go and how to get in? Are people being greeted and made to feel welcome? And, does it start on time?
About that 12 million.....I am still bummed about that 5% thing. Anything YOU can do at this point to increase it by 3 or 4 more students?
This article was adapted from "Reaching MORE College Students" Amazon.com/dp/B0BMW8NPMN
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