Part of doing College Ministry well is having hard conversations. Here are some examples.
I went to visit a College Minister at his office and he was tied up with a student. As he came out, he said, "That was one of those tough conversations. I had to tell him if he was going on the Spring Break Mission Trip, he had to take a shower every day."
Some students indicated to me that one of our Freshmen Ministers was involved in some behavior totally contrary to the lifestyle commitment she had made. I confronted her about it. She denied it and I told her I would take her at her word. I think the information I had been given was accurate, but I also think we must take people at their word. That was a painful conversation!
One of the most committed students I ever had and an excellent student in the midst of a conversation said that she was doing a book report on a book she had not read. I said, "Isn't that cheating." She looked stunned and said, "I never thought about it." The next week when we met, she said, "I read the book."
One of our guys was a natural leader, but had never stepped up in a leadership role in our ministry. One day, I said, "If you aren't going to do a leadership role in BCM, you need to run for president of the student body."
One of our newly elected ministry leaders was a very attractive young woman and well liked. I said to her at our first meeting, "You can get by on your good looks or you can really grow your leadership ability." She became one of the best leaders we ever had.
What HARD conversations are you having with students? It is part of the job AND it is part of doing the job well.
"A College Minister's Tips for College Freshmen" is available at Amazon.com/dp/B0GFLFNX98
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