College Ministers Getting More Done and FEELING It

Anybody who has done college ministry long has the feeling of often working like a dog, putting in long hours and still not sure if much was accomplished.  Part of that is a result of working with people and just not knowing all that God is doing in their lives and how He might use what you have done.

Daniel Pink in his best selling book, WHEN, THE SCIENTIFIC SECRETS OF PERFECT TIMING, shares how to end the day with a sense of accomplishment.  These words are his with some editing on my part.

"When the workday ends, many of us want to tear away....to pick up my children, race home to prepare dinner.....but the science of endings suggest that instead of fleeing, we're better off reserving the final five minutes of work for a few small deliberate actions that bring the day to a fulfilling close.

1.  Begin by taking two or three minutes to write down what you accomplished since the morning.  Making progress is the single largest day-to-day motivator on the job.  But without tracking our "dones," we often don't know whether we're progressing.  Ending the day by recording what you've achieved can encode the entire day more positively.  On good days, the exercise delivers feelings of completion, on bad days, it often shows me I got more done than I suspected.

2.  Now use the other two or three minutes to lay out your plan for the following day.  This will help close the door on today and energize you for tomorrow.

3.  BONUS:  If you've got an extra minute left, send someone....anyone....a thank-you email.  Gratitude is a powerful restorative.  It's an equally powerful form of elevation."


While his books are NOT New York Times Best Sellers as Pink's books, Arliss Dickerson is the author of five books on college ministry available in eBook format for 99 cents each at amazon.com.  His book, FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available in paperback.

Freshmen Orientation/Welcome Table Ideas - 1st in a Series

With summer in full swing, many are in the midst of Freshmen Orientation events or planning for start of school Welcome Fairs, etc.  What do you do?  What do you give away that will help new students be aware of your ministry?  In my next Blog or two, I will share some examples of different giveaways, etc, etc.  Here are three (3)  examples of Summer Orientation approaches.

SARAH FARLEY, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA BCM shared this:
"I think its important to have candy that not everyone else has because you want people to ask,  'Hey, where did you get that?' They love ring pops and it works!  I had several come up tonight just because they saw people with  one and and wanted one.

I'm getting them to sign up and give me their information.  I went old school and we do paper cards for them to fill out.  We are seeing studenst be pretty receptive!  Two things I think are big deals:
-We ask them their name and call them by it and tell them welcome!  We use the words COMMUNITY and FOR ALL BACKGROUNDS.

 I think the big deal is that we are using the words like this:  Hey, my name is Sarah, I/m with BCM - we are a student led religious organization that wants to help students connect with other students, build community and learning about Christ.  We are not just for Baptists, we are a place for every college student-no matter what your faith background is or even if you don't believe or have one, we have a place for you and would like to have you be part of our community.  Here fill this out and we will contact you about getting involved.

That has been a game changer....using the words community and no matter what your background is....I had 3 tonight that were "nones" and 1 Hindu (all Americans) sign up to get involved.  We are very clear about using Christ but by adding the words community and for all religious and no religion, I think it has helped."


CHAD MCCLURG, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA, MONROE (ULM) offers a free tee shirt to the first fifty (50) who sign up at each Orientation.  They have four (4) different color attractive tee shirts that can be picked up at the BCM Center.


MARK WHITT, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
"We are handing out BCM sunglasses along  with a promo card with our first Welcome Week event (late night pancakes on Move-In night) on one side and the entire Welcome Week Schedule on the other side.  Our card is round (like a pancake).  These same cards will be handed out during Move-In and first campus event a few hours before pancakes start."

What are YOU doing?  What's the best thing you have seen done? What is a CRAZY IDEA you have thought about doing???  Let me know, arlissdickerson@gmail.com.

Arliss Dickerson is the author of five books on college ministry available for 99 cents each in eBook format at amazon.com.  FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY is available in paperback.

College Ministry Intern Position Available for Fall

The Baptist Collegiate Ministry  at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta is looking for a male intern for this fall.  Georgia State is a richly diverse campus and the BCM reflects this diversity, with both American and International students involved.

It is a paid position that includes housing.  The internship gives an opportunity to develop collegiate ministry skills in a team based setting with mentoring and support.  The intern is allowed to take one to two seminary classes each semester, if desired.

Contact Teresa Royall at 770.910.4316 or troyall.bcm@gabaptist.org for questions or interest.

This word from Arliss:  The Georgia Intern Program is highly thought of throughout the country and many of their former interns are now serving as a staff member or lead College Minister on many campuses.

Arliss Dickerson is the author of five college ministry books Available in eBook format for 99 cents each at Amazon.com. FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY is also available in paperback.

What Do You Hand Out at Freshmen Orientation or Welcome Booths?

New Student Orientations are in full swing on many campuses and then there is the coming of the start of school in August/September when college ministries are handing out promo materials for their ministry.

But, what do you give out that students will look at or even better hang onto?  I want to do a long list and so, would you send me YOUR ideas, things you have done, things you have seen others do, or even things that have crossed your mind?  Please!

Here are just a few to get us started in this discussion and sharing of ideas.

Bottle openers with your ministry time and website on it.

Door Magnets are done in a variety of ways.........with the football and basketball schedule on it......with phone numbers for food places that deliver......with a list of eating places that give student discounts.....with a list of three or four key phone numbers on campus.....with a list of all important dates on campus (last day to drop or add a class, fall break, etc).

PLEASE send me your ideas or thoughts that I can pass on.  I NEED YOU! You can email me at arlissdickerson@gmail.com.  You can message me on Twitter @arlissdickerson.  You can facebook me.  You can even text me at 870.761.2235.

One last Tip:  The most important thing on a brochure or flyer besides your ministry info is at least one good picture.  Pictures tell more than pages of written info.

Arliss Dickerson is the author of five books on college ministry available in eBook for 99 cents each at Amazon.com.  FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY is also in paperback.