Critical Mass and Your College Ministry....Need Some Ringers?

 I have come to believe that Critical Mass is more important than I realized when I first started in college ministry.

Critical Mass is defined by Oxford as, "the minimum size or amount of something required to start or maintain something.."  When I first started, I inherited a ministry that was strong and going.  The second ministry I led also had been functioning and had a core group to build around.  The need for and the lack of a critical mass had never occurred to me.

A few years back I had agreed to help a friend who was trying to revive and strengthen a church college ministry. His ministry had experienced some leadership turnovers and a previous leader who had not worked at tying students to the church as a whole.  When he left, things went to bare bones.  The plan for the fall was to really try to engage with freshmen and I was recruited to lead three "Freshmen Focus" Events.  They would be held before the regular week night group meeting with my doing different freshman specific topics that were widely promoted.  The first one went well and had a reasonable attendance of freshmen and two or three upper class student leaders.  The second week two freshmen showed up and right at the last minute each upper class student texted or called to say something last minute had come up and they would not be there.

It was the two freshmen, the College Minister, and me.  Talk about feeling awkward!  We sat in a larger circle of chairs and I did the presentation.  They listened and were engaged.  They never came back.  I couldn't blame them.  I felt weird and I knew they were feeling weird on steroids.  I resolved that would never happen again in anything I led.  I would guarantee there would be some "ringers" there. A "ringer" in golf is a player recruited to play on a team unknown to the other players who is a super good golfer that can lift the team.  "Ministry Ringers" are those who boost the crowd.

How do you guarantee a Critical Mass?

1.  Recruitment of Core Students - I came away from that weird experience saying, I would always invite more upper class students than necessary.  But, what if there are not upper class students who have been previously involved?  Invite some young adults who "look like" college students or at least can remember college. Even if your "ringers" don't look college age, there will be others there.  That beats the feeling of "nobody wanted to come to this event."  By the way, another reason I am all about music playing before an event is that it helps to fill up the room. And it does not have to be Christian music. When a room is close to dead quiet and anyone's voice bounces off the wall, that helps bring awkward.

2.  More Ringers may be necessary.  A couple of years back I was College Minister in a church ministry with a Critical Mass....HOWEVER.....they did not do well with new people.  New people would come, feel left out, and not come back.  This is where your outside "ringers" may be needed again.  They will mix mingle and make students feel welcome.  They will introduce new students to old students.  

How healthy is your Critical Mass size wise and warmth wise?  I think one of the great lessons from the church planting movement is when a church sends a group of their people somewhere to plant a new church, it guarantees a Critical Mass.  It is not just one or two people saying, "Come to this church we want to start."  It already feels like and is a functioning church.

So, how reliable and warm is your Critical Mass?  Do you need to recruit some "Ringers"?

Arliss Dickerson's college ministry books are available at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.

The Fine Line for Church College Ministry

 I have written and spoken about the four killers of church college ministries.  They are:

    1.  Constant Turnover of College Ministers

     2.  Decisions made for the Overall Benefit of the Church Not Benefitting the College Ministry

     3.  More Divided Time Issues for Church College Ministers

      4.  Church College Ministers are Often More Sharply Evaluated by Numbers.

But, church college ministries have a great plus that campus based ministries do not have.

Young adults have expressed and demonstrated in many ways their desire and need to be mentored by older adults.  One reason for this need is the large number of students that come out of broken homes and need to see good functioning and healthy family relationships.  Plus, students are struggling more with what to do with their life career wise.  Connecting those who are into careers and know the realities is a huge plus.

But, there is a very fine line that church college ministries have to walk.

That fine line is the one between doing things that specifically speak to and connect with college students AND connecting them to the church as a whole.  Many churches do a great job of reaching a large number of students and being a blessing in their lives.  But, they do not connect them to the church as a whole.. So, what is the problem with this?  It is possible to so cater to and direct a ministry at college students that they are not connected to anyone outside their age bracket.  Going to a great week night college events with cool lighting and a smoke machine can make Sunday morning seem pretty dull.

College ministries need to speak to specific college student issues that are not Sunday morning topics.  So, we cannot quit being college student specific in what we do.

TWO ANSWERS:

     1.  We have to lay out the challenge for more non-college adults to be willing to wade into college student events.  Be a part of what college students are doing.  Some of these could be every week people and others could be recruited to come just once.  But, students would get used to seeing a variety of ages and even become friends with some.  And the non-college adults would see the needs and opportunities.

     2.  We must lay out to students and challenge students as to why it matters for them to connect to church in more than the college specific events.  Help them know there is a reason for them to sit next to someone twice their age...or even three times their age. 

I spoke this week with a man who has a son going to college this fall.  We started out talking about the son.  But, we wound up talking about what the father's church college ministry experience had meant to him and how the friendships he had developed with the non-college adults had blessed his life. He wants that for his son this coming year.

It is a very fine line and a tough line to walk, but I believe it is one we must continually try to walk both for our college students benefit and for the benefit of church in the future.

Arliss Dickerson's college ministry books are available at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.

   

     

       

5 Things to do Early This Semester

 1. Look for a student or two to continue a conversation that was started last semester.  It may be about becoming a Believer or it might be a student who asked how you know God is calling you to the ministry.  Whatever.  Make some progress on that conversation.

2.  Send a personal message to all (or as many as possible) to the freshmen that came the first week or two last fall and then disappeared.  Don't make it a "You are a dirty dog message."  Rather,"Hope your Christmas Break was good.  Let's drink coffee or a coke some time soon. Yell, if I can be of help." 

3.  Get back in your habit of walking through the campus Student Center every day.

4.  Check out a new and different time and maybe place to eat lunch where students eat.  New schedules bring new opportunities.

5.  Call a friend who works some where in a tough situation and encourage them.  It might just encourage you too.

Arliss Dickerson's college ministry books are available at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX

Let's Hear it for Van Simmons!

 Van Simmons has announced his retirement from the International Mission Board (IMB) effective January 7th of this week.  Van has been not just a friend to College Ministers, he has been a best friend.

Prior to serving at the International Mission Board, he worked at the North American Mission Board leading the Summer Missions program that sent students all over the U.S.  But, to all of us BSU/BCM/BSM guys, he was "the man" at NAMB.  If you needed help, you called Van.  If you needed to know something, you called Van.  He knew who to talk to and who could help.  When the North American Mission Board went through a reorganization, Van's position was eliminated. But, the International Mission Board knew what an asset Van was to our missions movement, as well as college ministry overall and brought him on to work in Student Mobilzation helping send students around the world.  And, so Van continued to be at all the College Minister meetings and be a continuing encourager to everyone.  We trusted our students to Van. Literally thousands of students were used by God and had God speak into their lives as a result of Van's work.

Prior to going to the North American Mission Board, Van had done campus ministry in Ohio. And, it continued to show.  Van has the heart of a College Minister.  That is why he "got us" and was always able to listen and encourage.  I am sure he did a good job organizing and administrating, but he was never an "Administrator".  In my mind, if you look "Best Friend" up in the College Ministers Dictionary, there will be a picture of Van talking to a bunch of College Ministers.....and probably listening more than talking.

Van, you are much loved and appreciated in the great college ministry family.  Thanks for all the student lives you have touched and thanks for all the times you let College Ministers bare their heart and soul to you.  And, thanks for always knowing the answer or who knew the answer to all our questions.  You have been God's gift to us.

If you can, please let Van know how much you appreciate him.

Arliss Dickerson's college ministry books are available at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.