Competing Missions

Last Monday my post centered on the question: Are we the local church OR an arm reaching on to the campus?


One of the big reasons I tend to believe that we are an 'arm', and not the local church, is because of the context - and more specifically - who controls it.


Campus ministry is, to a certain extent, subject to the academic institution.  Unlike the local church, campus ministries  will have to - again, to a certain extent, play by a certain set of rules... that they have no say in creating.  Whether it is an institutionally-based ministry on a Christian campus, or a para-church or church-based ministry that reaches out to any given campus; all will have to shape their mission and ministry to fit within the larger mission and communal guidelines of the campus community (or run the risk of being banned from campus).

Are We the Local Church OR an Arm Reaching On to the Campus?

I love campus ministry!  There's no doubt in my mind that this is what God has created me for... It's such a unique context for ministry; walking alongside young people during some of the most formative years of their lives.


But I've recently been challenged in the way I think about the work I (we) do on campus.


For quite some time I've believed that our work with college students - in the form of campus ministry - is not meant to replace a students' involvement in a local church, only supplement it.  


I've thought that what we provide students is something that's specifically designed to meet them where they're at in life - a contextualized ministry.  Amidst some incredible life transition, as students are being prepared and equipped to go out into the world and make a difference, we get to come alongside them and: 

• encourage them to love God and others, 
• challenge them to make their faith their own, 
• create space for them to grow and nurture a biblical world view, and 
• model for them ways to live into Kingdom priorities and responsibilities.

All of this gets to happen on campus... right where students do the majority of their living, relating and recreating.

But is it enough?  

Hocking Jesus

:: [Guest Post by Michael McCord] ::

NOTE:   As you read this I will be walking the streets of Nassau while introducing other campus ministers to the mission possibilities there. I wrote this blog post several months ago after returning from a mission trip with eleven students. It is mostly in response to a deep conversation we had about what will happen when the students leave college. See, they get it – they’re tired of churches that are more concerned with creating their own world rather than changing THE world for the sake of The Kingdom.

So as our students walk across their stages and receive their long expected degrees, will there be a church they can be part of? Will there be a movement of Jesus followers who actually pray as Jesus taught us… and believe it?

9 "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread.  12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

I was recently walking through the straw market in Nassau, Bahamas. I’ve been there close to a dozen times on mission trips through our Wesley Foundation. It’s a familiar experience to me. What struck me during my most recent visit was the likeness that I found between the current church models and this collection of traders.

When you are new to the scene, you instantly become overwhelmed by the shear size of the venue and the number of traders packed into the space. At times, you may be pressed against the musky cigar trader who’s covered in sweat and whispering, “green, mon, want some green” (note: green is marijuana, for those who don’t know) while a little old lady from one of the cruise ships elbows her way through the crowd. That’s just another typical day in the straw market. What one realizes once they have been to the market several times is that most of the merchants are all selling the same thing. In fact, they actually work for the same boss.

Organic AND Pragmatic

:: [Guest post by Nic Allen] ::

Greetings Campus Ministers…my students are heading your way!

Last Saturday I had the privilege of watching a half dozen students I had only met that morning at 8am dive in and get dirty doing flood relief work here in Franklin, TN (the greater Nashville area). You see they were invited by a friend who only months before had begun attending our youth ministry at the invitation of another friend who no longer attends. Sounds complicated, eh? That’s because it is. Student ministry in the world today [at least in my neck of it] is two things: organic and pragmatic.

Organic…living…breathing. That’s a good thing, right? Sure. We’re talking about people and their lives. There is an ebb and flow to student ministry. Homegrown kids are fewer and farther between. Many of the students we funnel toward college ministries today lack the typical Sunday School, Bible Drill, VBS experiences that typical youth ministries build on. Students don’t participate in student ministry [generally speaking of course] because their parents encourage [read: push] them to do so or because it’s the only hang out atmosphere in town. Students have enough options and for the most part, student ministry can’t [or honestly shouldn’t try] to compete with those environments. Students become part of youth ministries because of relationships. While they may check it out once for a myriad of reasons, they’ll only dive in and stick it out if they have friends. You can create an environment where relationships are forged and strengthened but you can’t make it happen. It’s natural. Relationships…that’s the organic part.

Is Graduation Really the End?

They're done, but not gone.  


They're college graduates - prepared and equipped to go out and make a difference in the world - but they don't seem quite ready to step across that threshold from collegiate life to post-grad participation in the 'real' world.

So what are we to do?  Especially if they look to us for answers... or for space to 'hide-out' while they try to figure some things out.

Do we give them a firm, but gentle, nudge out of the proverbial 'nest;' OR do we allow them to hang around for a while?

An Army Behind You

Prayer is our lifeline with God.  It has been of particular significance this past week for me...

Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer.

Last weekend it started to rain and flood here in Nashville and we've been praying in so many ways ever since.

Last Friday I posted some thoughts on our need as pastors and ministers to college students to be engaged in the consistent practice of spiritual disciplines like prayer and fasting, before attending the Pray40 prayer event hosted by the great folks of College Union, in preparation for the 40 Days of Prayer that will kick-off the 2010-2011 academic year in mid-August.

There was so much good stuff that came out of our day of prayer together last week, you can check out some of the teaching times here, but there was a specific idea that has stuck with me and I'm feeling compelled to act on.

Longevity in College Ministry

A few weeks ago I started polling my readers so I could:

• better understand who you are,
• gain some statistical data,
• test out some theories I have,
• attempt to provide some posts that are meaningful and relevant to the work we are doing.

 The question I posed two weeks ago was:

How long have you been serving in college ministry?

Nearly 70% of those who took the poll reported having served in college ministry for 6 years or more (6-10 years 31%; 11-20 years 31%; and 20+ years 6%).  I, myself, am just finishing my 13th year serving in college ministry.  Over my 13 years of working with college students I have worked on 4 different campuses - within 3 different denominations - spanning 3 different geographical regions within the US.  The results of my poll, coupled with my own experiences over the course of my ministry life thus far, have served to confirm a bit of wisdom I was given when applying for my first position in college ministry:

When 'Walmart' moves to town

What do you do when a bigger, more well-known, more financially funded ministry moves in just down the street from you?

Rumor has it that this may be happening to us.

A very successful young adult ministry at a church about 20 minutes from our campus is rumored to be creating a satellite campus at the edge of our campus. This move would likely thwart many of the efforts that our young ministry has worked very hard at over the past few years.

We're not exactly sure what this will mean for us... how we will do what we do... or want to do.

One of the big conversations I've been having with some of you relates to the relationship between the campus and the church... and it looks like I might be forced to navigate some uncharted waters for me, our ministry here, and our campus community soon.

Have you experienced anything like this before? If so, how'd it go?

If I'm honest with you, I feel uneasy. My spirit senses that this could provide an immediate boost to our campus, but ultimately, leave us in a weakened state as an institution that is desperately trying to retain/gain it's Christian identity.

I'd love to hear any words of wisdom on this out there.

Please pray for our God's will to be done on our campus and in the lives of our students - for His glory!!

Grace and peace.

The [R]'s of fall bReak

Fall break is nearly upon us!

This is a critical juncture in the fall semester for students, yes, but for campus ministers as well.

As students leave campus for a few days, we have the [R]esponsibility of tending to the [R]'s of fall bReak.

[R]est - for too many of us, this will be the first time we let up on the gas pedal that has been pressed to the floor since mid-August as students and student leaders returned to campus. For you, fall break might be a time when you literally need to break away from the crazy pace you have been keeping and simply rest in the presence of the Father.

[R]eflection - for some of us, we've been so busy doing ministry, that we have not created enough space to simply be and hear from God about what we're doing... or maybe more importantly, what He is doing in our midst. The fall break can be a great opportunity to slow down and examine what has taken place in your ministry, and on your campus, over the past two months. There is a lot that God wants to teach us from our recent experiences, but it does require that we create space for Him.

[R]econnect - for some of us, we've spent so much time involved in our own ministry silos that we've neglected some important relationships and partnerships on campus and in the local community. Fall break can be a great time to reconnect with colleagues and co-laborers in the work of reaching college students with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and raising up the next generation of faithful leaders.

[R]edirect - for some of us, this will be the critical point in the semester/year when we recognize that our ministry needs to move in a new direction. It will likely take some of the aforementioned rest, reflection and reconnecting in order to fully realize our need for change, as well as the specific direction/s we need to now move.

So where do you find yourself as fall bReak approaches? What are you (and your ministry) most in need of this season?

Grace and peace to you co-laborer in Christ!

Catalyst - Day 2 - A Morning w/Andy & Malcolm

It's been a full day... a full, great day!  But I'm tired.

I thought it important to get down some highlights from the day and some thoughts on how it might shape our ministry on campus before I get flooded with more insights tomorrow!

So here we go...

Andy Stanley got things started this morning.  Andy is the founding pastor of North Point Community Church.  His job was to introduce the theme for the conference and set the frame work for the two-day event.  Speaking on the theme: On Your Mark, Andy focused on the story of Joshua.  The key to Joshua's success, and ours, as a leader?  Choosing to allow God to make HIS mark through us... and NOT forcing our mark on the world!  He also said that, "living to make OUR mark on the world is TOO SMALL a thing to give our lives to."

WOW!  What a great word!

After a little break... and a chance to step outside and enjoy the beautiful weather... we (13,000

 Christian leaders from around the country/world) got to hear from Malcolm Gladwell.  Malcolm is a best-selling author of books like: Outliers, Blink, and The Tipping Point.  This guy cut right to the heart!  The topic: The Mistakes Experts Make.  Our biggest mistake as leaders?  Overconfidence.  A lack of humility.  Our overconfidence has a way of becoming a snare.  A trap that keeps us from hearing the wisdom of others and seeing what's really going on around us.

There are some insights that need to shape us as leaders, as well as re/shape our approach to ministry with college students:

• we need to decide who's purpose we are serving - God's or ours
• we need to decide what kind of mark we want to make - God's or ours
• we need to decide who we want to be glorified through our ministry efforts - God or ourselves
• we need to decide who we will put our trust in - God or ourselves
• we need to decide who's strength we will work from - God's or ours
• we need to decide whether we will go the path of humility or overconfidence
• we need to decide if we will work with others or go it alone
• we need to decide if we will empower others or hold them back

The choices we make concerning these paths will either point those that we serve more and more to Jesus... or to us.  Toward the Divine or the flawed.  Towards Truth or something less.  And God entrusts each of us with these significant decisions.

Will we be faithful?  

What other REAL choice is there!?!

Catalyst - Day 1 - The Aquarium Effect

I'm attending my first Catalyst conference this week.  

For me it's a mixed bag...

After the first day I can honestly say that leaders, and quality of their messages, have been well worth the price of admission.  I'm a learner at heart... so having the chance to hear from some of the top Christian thinkers, authors, pastors, leaders, etc., is the upside of this experience.

The down side?  The crowds and the pace.  I'm a much bigger fan of retreats over conferences... with much more built in space for silence and solitude... quiet corners for conversations... opportunities to connect with the presenter/s... and I don't anticipate much of this here.  

Nonetheless, I'm expecting good things from my time here in Atlanta!

One of the most notable highlights for me, today, was a session I sat in on that was led by Alan Hirsch.  He was a fun, funny, quirky Australian with a strong native accent - even though he's relocated to L.A. - and he was dialed in from word one.

The part of his presentation that most hit home to me was when he started to talk about the high percentage of high school students (he said 80%, but I've heard as high as 90%) that head off to college with a "strong" faith and end up throwing in the towel during their years on campus.  

Why does this happen?

Alan used the aquarium as a metaphor for the kind of environment (church/youth group) that most high school graduates leave in coming to the university.  It's an environment characterized by:

• safety
• no/low risk
• control
• no/low challenge
• a near perfect equilibrium

It is an artificial environment that forces it's inhabitants into an untested way of living that renders them unable to survive in more challenging environments.

Although Alan did not go into remedies, there are a few that come to mind... a few ways that churches/youth groups might re/consider the way they approach their work with young people:

• expose students to some of the struggles of life that they might typically be shielded from
• give students increasing levels of responsibility - of varying kinds
• challenge the status quo - push students beyond the safe, cliche answers
• deal with the raw, painful issues of their lives - student live with so much weight

If we want to see students' faith "survive" the college years - which really should define and shape those years - we need to re/think about how we're preparing them for those critical years.

There's no formula to how this can/should happen... but I think the statistics demand that we take an honest assessment of what we're doing, its effectiveness, and willingly make the necessary changes.

Those are my thoughts... what are yours?

The Church and the Campus

We need to recognize that we are on the same team!

It's high time that all of us involved in ministry stop working against one another and start working with each other... towards the same end - the spiritual formation and redemption of those that God brings our way!

While some of us may be already approach ministry in this way... I think there are far too many of us that do not.

Instead of seeing each other as brothers and sisters - co-laborers in the field - we see each other as competition... or even worse, the enemy!

Of these failing relationships, one falls more heavy on me...

It's the rifts between the Church and para-church and/or campus-based ministries that reach out to the millions of college-aged students around the world.

We must begin see our collective work as the stewardship of souls that God brings into our company... and what starts in the Church, at some point - in many instances, needs to get passed on to the campus.

Students who move off to campus can really struggle to connect with a local church in the midst of this great transition.

Campus ministries are in the strategic position to step in at this point and help students to find their feet - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Now please, do not hear me advocating for campus ministry involvement at the expense of finding a new church home... because that's not what I'm doing!

However, what we offer on campus is something that is designed to meet the unique and specific needs of college students, while also pointing them towards the local church!

We want them involved in both!!

We see ourselves as missionaries - to a unique and specific field - and hope to connect with students as they enter a new environment filled with new people and new ideas.

The critical college years are often when students make decisions about faith - whether or not they believe what their parents and/or pastors taught them, as well as how central it's going to be to how they live their life.

These really are CRITICAL years!!

Ultimately, as campus ministers, we hope that after our students leave our campus... they take their campus ministry and "new" local church experience and translate them into new levels of commitment and involvement in the local church... wherever God might take them.

Friends and colleagues in the Church... we need you to see us as your eyes and ears on campus... we need your support, encouragement and prayer.

We need your friendship and respect.

Know that you have ours!

Grace and peace

Day 2 of 40 Days of Prayer for Campus Ministry

Who is your pastor?

One of the essentials of anyone doing campus/college ministry - serving as a pastor to so many on campus - is finding a nurturing, life-giving pastor that we can bring ourselves under.

It's called leading up.

And if you're anything like me... this can be something that is too often overlooked because of how busy we get serving and investing in the lives of others.

This practice of "leading up" is one that involves us as pastors bringing ourselves under the care, support, encouragement, accountability and blessing of one that is older, wiser, more experienced and solely interested in our success a fellow minister of the gospel!

Hopefully this includes a mentor in our field of campus ministry... it really needs to!

But it most definitely should also include the pastor at your local/home church!

Now, if you're ministry is a church-based ministry, this will be both easy and complex.  For you, the challenge has less to do with brining yourself under your pastor's leadership, and more to do with how safe you feel brining up absolutely everything to this person that also serves as your supervisor/employer.

For those of us that minister from outside of the local church - in campus or para-church settings - our need to be worshiping in the local church, under the care and leadership of a pastor that we respect and are willing to hear from, is paramount!

We cannot justify skipping out on the local church because of "all that we do throughout the week on campus..."

We cannot justify skipping out on worshiping in the local church because of the campus worship events that we lead or participate in...

We cannot justify not being a part of a local church congregation because we cannot find one that "fits" with everything we believe or desire...

We cannot justify it because we need it, our students need to see us in it, the local church needs it... and God requires it!

• Who's your pastor?
  
• How do you lead up?

• How significant do you believe this to be?  Does the amount of time you give to it congruent with how important you believe it to be?
  
• What changes do you need to make?
  

Leading up is an essential for the work that we do because it so significantly shapes the people we are becoming.