[Lack of] Commitment to Jesus in a Culture of Non-Commitment

Commitment.  It doesn't seem to be a real popular action among college students... especially when it comes to Jesus.


And can we really blame them?

As a culture (both Christian and non) we've not done a very good job of modeling commitment to this younger generation.

In the media, we have promoted programming that displays all of the "fun" that can be had without committing to just one partner, but by keeping your "options open" and enjoying the disconnected physical pleasures with individuals (and/or groups) who are simply interested in meeting an immediate "need" without consideration for the long-term ramifications.

In the home, we shown them that the marriage union is one that can be easily broken if it gets too hard, no longer meets our needs, or simply looses its interest (I recognize this does not categorize all accounts of divorce).  Many of today's college students have experienced the harsh realities of divorce first-hand as they have witnessed the disintegration of their parent's marriage.  Right or wrong, students have lived through the pain of these break-ups and have been profoundly impacted by them.

College Students, Discipleship & Creation Care

Happy Earth Day!


Today is the 40 year anniversary of Earth Day.  Are you taking advantage of this global focus?  Students LOVE things that take a 'global focus' stage!


While there are a number of reasons to challenge college students to be an active part of Earth Day, I wonder if we're helping them to make the important connections between creation care and their discipleship.


Consumerism is dominant in so much of our culture.  It's how we've been trained to view the world we live in... as those who have been made to consume it.  But as Christians I believe we've been given a different charge!

God created us to love Him, to love others and to be stewards of all that He has created.

What Message Are You Sending?

Do you know what message your ministry is communicating to others?  
Does it accurately represent you?  
Your thoughts?  
Your beliefs?  
Do your students reflect this message?  
Do they communicate it with what they say and do?

What we communicate through our ministry says a lot about the kind/s of people that are going to find their way into it.

As I continue to be a student of God's Word, it seems to me that the welcome mat into community with God was extended to ALL - in some way, shape or form - and this, I believe, should inform our ministry.  
His call to love our neighbor as ourselves  is said to be 'just like' the call to love Him with ALL of our heart, mind, soul and strength.  No where does He exclude anyone/s - based on anything - we only read of people excluding themselves based on the choices they make, or are unwilling to make.


As you think about your ministry context, do you extend the welcome mat to:

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:

The "R" Word

Responsibility.


It has increasingly become a dirty word for this generation of students.  


I posted a some reflections back in February where I began thinking about the impact that the 'emerging adulthood' phase of life might be having on our work and ministry with college students (you can find them here and here).


Central to our struggle to draw students into meaningful, long-term, relational ministry might very well be this element of responsibility.


We know that students - most of whom are out of their parents sight, and immediate influence, for the first time - NEED to be challenged to take on more and more of life's responsibilities as they join us on campus community... BUT we also know that one of the key characteristics to this 'emerging adulthood' phase of life is an unwillingness to step into the new, adult responsiblities that accompany all of the new, adult freedoms.

Savoring the Cupcakes

Every campus is different.  No ministry the same.  Even our missions can vary somewhat from context to context... 

One thing we share, however, is our need for encouragement in the midst of our service.  


Whether we consider our ministries to be widely successful, or sparsely fruitful, seeing students 'get it' can be as sweet as the tastiest of treats.  


A few months ago I had a colleague show up in the doorway of my office with an incredible-looking cupcake in her hand.  She knew that I had been in the midst of a challenging season of ministry on campus, but happened to find me with a big smile on my face...

Ideas for April

For most of us, April is the final (full) month of ministry with students before they leave for summer break.  The end is in sight, but there are still more meaningful ministry opportunities for us to take advantage of.

Last week I posted some thoughts on Avoiding Autopilot Syndrome during this post-spring break season of ministry.  Students tend to check out during these final weeks of the school year, and it can be very tempting to 'return the favor' as we are equally tired - from a full season of ministry, and eager - for the change of pace that comes when students leave for the summer.  SO, I thought I might post a few ideas about how we can still connect with, love and serve our students over the month of April.

This list will NOT be complete, so please feel free to add your ideas in the comment section below:

What's In The Center?

In my post yesterday I talked about the power of words and some of the different ways we wield them - both for good and for ill.  I asked you to take a look at a couple of well-crafted phrases that I've seen used to describe Christian universities and/or ministry communities and share what you thought the difference/s between them might be.  The two phrases were:

Student-Centered Christian Community

and

Christ-Centered Student Community

I didn't get anyone to bite.  I don't blame you.  I know it can be intimidating to scribe your thoughts to the wall of a blog when 1) you don't know who else might read it, and 2) you don't know where the author is headed.  Maybe today's post will evoke some response!

Well Curve/Recession Connection?

Last week I posted some thoughts on a disturbing trend I've noticed on our campus... a trend where sophomore and junior year involvement in ministry related activities is substantially less in comparison to that of freshmen and senior involvement; and based on some of the comments I've heard, and conversations I've had with other college/campus ministers since then, it would appear that this trend is not unique to our campus.


The well curve of student engagement in spiritual activity on campus can be tied to a number of things... both good and bad.


On the up side, it can point to:

1. students getting plugged into a local church, which allows them to get involved in a multi-generational and/or college specific ministries, or 
2. students taking initiative to create personalized opportunities with friends on campus.

The Well Curve Trend

Over the past few years I have noticed a trend on campus that has me more than a little concerned.

Student involvement in ministry-related activities used to take on the form of a bell curve over the course of 4 years on campus.  

New students would slowly get involved as they integrated into their new community and became aware of new opportunities.  Their involvement would typically peak during their junior year as their influence and level of connectedness were also at their respective peaks.  And then, as their time and attention began to turn to internships and life after graduation, students would become less involved with on-campus ministry opportunities.

More recently, however, I've noticed that the once bell curve has become more of a well curve.

Avoid Autopilot Syndrome

Last week, as I was taking some time at home with my family after being on spring break with a group of students, and I hopped on Facebook and saw this status for a faculty friend of mine:

Next to last day of Spring Break. Just a heads-up to any of my students out there on Facebook: I'm planning on pretty much "mailing it in" with regards to my lectures for the rest of the semester. Whatever your expectations had been, you may wanna dial 'em back a notch or two.

I have to admit... I laughed out loud.

What honesty!  But it got me thinking about how true the statement can be... possibly for my friend, definitely for most students... and potentially even for me.

The spring semester can be an incredible challenge for those of us ministering to college students.   The first half [February in particular] is often filled with struggles related to a lack of motivation, seasonal depression, etc., and the second half is often a sprint to the finish.


In similar fashion to the students we serve, our temptation after spring break can be to slip into auto-pilot, and coast on into the summer break ahead.  The second half of the second semester [for those of us on the semester system] can be one of the most challenging in which to find meaningful ministry opportunities.  But here are a few that I think we need to be certain NOT to overlook:

When Students Learn You're Human

How well do your students know you?

Have you let them into your life?

How much do they really know about you?

What's appropriate?

Do you manage what they know about you in order to shape the way/s they view you?

Is that right?

If you're anything like me, questions like these seem to be ever-present in my mind.

I am, by nature, a pretty private person... and I think that's OK, but I also think there are ways in which being too private [or too public, as the case may be for others of us] can be damaging to our work with students [or our relationships at home].

There are, I believe, important boundaries that are appropriate to maintain between staff and students, ministers and those they serve, home life and work... but where are those lines? And how do you know when you're too far away from a healthy middle-ground?

If we open the door wide to our lives, we risk loosing some of the intended intimacy and privacy that we all need... and is due a family and marriage that God has blessed us with.

If we open the door to narrow, we risk conveying the message that others are not welcome... and relationships with students and ministry become much more of a struggle.

This past week, as I served alongside a group of students in NYC [after a few years of not traveling with students], I found myself in conversations where I had to decide 'how much' of myself and my life I was going to share with my students...

Now I'll admit, it's much easier to share about things that are positive, make me look good, or are likely to create union and harmony amidst the group.

It's a different story, however, when the questions that are being asked... or the comment/s you're feeling led to share, have the potential to create awkwardness, tension, or unease amidst the group... especially when you're traveling, serving and living together. Trips like this, I have found, can also be some of the best places to take take a chance on opening the door a bit wider because students have the chance to watch you, sit with you, ask more questions... and really experience your true self.

On the trip I had the chance to share openly and honestly about:

• the challenges of being away from my family for 8 days [or 9 by the time we finally made it back] and the willing and necessary sacrifice that this was for our family;
• some of the challenges and struggles that we've faced as a ministry on campus this past year; and
• a hereditary skin condition that had me struggling to get around by foot our last few days - letting students see me physically struggle was almost harder than admitting to some of the aforementioned challenges...

As the team asked questions, and as I was willing to be appropriately open and honest with them, you could almost see the bonds forming - or strengthening - between us.

It was a good trip for me. I think it was good for the students in a lot of ways as well. And I think as students got to experience the more 'human' side of me they realized that us 'minister-types' aren't as 'scary' as we're sometimes made out to be.

What do you think?

How have you experienced this tension, this dance, in deciding what you share or don't share with students?

Do you attempt to 'manage' how students view you?

How do you attempt to be 'appropriately' private and open at the same time?

Guest Post :: Simple Church & College Ministry

In an attempt to recoup some time with my family I've asked a couple of friends to write a guest post for this blog... said it could be about anything they wanted to tell those who minister to college students.

Today's post come from Benson Hines.

In the first half of 2007, I read Simple Church, by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger, as part of my duties as a full-time church college minister. That would be a turning point of sorts in my study of college ministry; Simple Church, along with a few other well-timed books that year, helped me see just how much could be gained by appropriating principles from outside the college ministry world.

Little did I know that I would soon find myself observing college ministries all over the U.S. - and it would be quite handy, in a field of ministry where we have very few objective measures, to have some guidelines to inform my questions and observations.

One of those "guidelines" discussed in Simple Church is the principle of Movement. It describes the process of helping a ministry's members transition to deeper levels of involvement. College ministry is certainly accustomed to having different involvement levels available (like large-group meetings, small groups, and leadership), but we don't always place priority on helping our students progress through these levels well.

If your college ministry was evaluated on that basis, how encouraging would the results be?

Adapting the recommendations in Chapter 6 of Simple Church, here are three ways in which Movement is achieved:

1. Define how ministry activities correlate with students' various levels of involvement. When a student first comes to our ministry, what activities are they most likely to participate in? As they grow in their involvement (and, hopefully, grow in Christ!), which activities provide deeper impact? Though every student is different and our structure may end up messier than we'd prefer, we should have a clear understanding of how students can progress through our ministry - from the time they enter to the time they graduate. Having a clear picture of this "path" enables us to encourage and facilitate Movement (as described below), and it also keeps us from programming too much at any single level of involvement.
2. Encourage Movement. As shepherds, it's our job to point students to the activities that will help impact them further. Simple Church helped me to get comfortable with discomfort; students should actually feel some urgency to deepen their level of involvement over time. We have to define the levels of involvement for our students, express our hopes for Movement (both corporately and one-on-one), teach students why each level of involvement is right and good, and use each level of involvement to point students to the next level.
3. Facilitate Movement. While we may focus lots of energy and helping students enter our ministries, we don't generally put the same effort into helping students progress, for example, from being "regular attenders" to serving in a committed capacity. Besides defining what Movement looks like and encouraging it to take place, we must help students take steps toward deeper involvement.

Simple Church suggests various ways in which this can take place. Two of the most applicable for our field include creating short-term or one-time opportunities for "trying out" the next level, and creating "bridges" between involvement levels. Sometimes, students might not deepen their involvement because the "step" required to move to the next level simply feels too large. By creating activities that provide more incremental steps, we give students the opportunity to progress easily and successfully.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? How have you seen this play out (or not) in your ministry?

Benson Hines has spent a decade in college ministry, including researching all sorts of college ministry throughout the U.S. for the past few years. He shares what he’s learning at exploringcollegeministry.com.

People of Similar Heart & Mind

There's something beautiful that happens when we come together as the body of Christ.

I've been reminded of that this week during my time in NYC with a group of students.

I think I often take for granted the kind of fellowship that I have built into my daily and weekly schedule and assume that all other believers naturally do that same... but this assumption has been proven false this week as I've heard story upon story from students on our team who have simply been blessed by being in community with people of similar heart and mind this week.

They've even seemed surprised by how good this intentionally community has felt.

I find myself wondering how true this is of the rest of our campus... or even this generation...

It would seem that in an attempt to be accepted by others, and to have friends, many students have set aside any prerequisites for who should be in their 'Fab 5' or 'inner circle.'

They have so desired community, especially in the new context that moving away to college creates, that they have been willing to settle for something less.

Now please don't hear me say that I think Christians should not have non-believing friends... or that relationships with non-believers are 'less than' relationships with believers, because that's not what I'm saying. What I am saying, however, is that it seems clear to me that the kind of 'inner circle' or tight-knit group of friends that Jesus created for himself - and set, I believe, as a model for the rest of us to follow - was that of surrounding Himself with people of similar hearts and minds [or as close as He could get with a rag-tag group of humans]. This was the crowd that Jesus spent the majority of His time with. This was the context within which much encouragement, prayer, accountability and edification happened.

I think this kind of intentional Christian community is something that Jesus still wants for His followers to experience today.

For our students, we must help to facilitate this kind of community. We must help students to see their need for this kind of community, recognize what only this community can offer them, as well as challenge them to make this kind of communal experience a priority for themselves.

As minister/pastor-types, we must model this kind of communal commitment. We, too, must surround ourselves with the kind of iron that sharpens iron. We must commit ourselves to being with people who's hearts and minds will both challenge and encourage our own. We must be willing to submit our lives to the careful watch of brothers and sisters in Christ who will help us to be better followers of Jesus, spouses, parents, friends, humans...

Yes, being committed to a community of people who's hearts and minds beat similarly to our own - and more importantly, to the Lords - is not just important, it's essential!

When Students Lead

When students lead something magnificent happens...

It's hard to put into words how it actually happens, but it is spectacular to watch!

I am a product of a student leader model of campus ministry. Because this was so formational for me, I have sought to implement a student leadership model in every ministry context that provides ample opportunities for students to take on as much leadership as possible. Creating space for ownership, growth, failures and successes has been critical to this model. And while it may not have always been easy, or looked pretty, I know students have come out on the other side of the experience transformed as a result!

I previously wrote about Edgar Dale's 'Cone of Learning' starting a little over a week ago and in my second post on the topic I explored briefly the power of experience. The powerful experiential example I talked about in that post was a short-term mission trip. Equally formative, I believe, is giving students the opportunity to lead out in all areas of ministry. Providing space for students to explore the things they have seen, learned, as well as the ideas they have come up with on their own in regards to how leadership works is a critical developmental opportunity that must be incorporated into how we in collegiate ministry do what we do!

I'm currently on a spring break mission trip in NYC with a team of 15 students, being led by two very capable student leaders. Some ways in which these student leaders have lead-out so far are:

• trip logistics - they have been a part of the planning and preparing phases of the trip.
• team formation - they have facilitated multiple pre-trip meetings that were designed to be both informational and relational in scope.
• travel guides - they have taken care of getting the team from campus to the airport, through two airports, from the airport to our site for the week (via the airtrain and subway systems), and daily from site to site.
• on-site logistics - they have had to think through everything from food to activities to how we can spend our free time.
• spiritual guides - they have led out in morning devotional times, as well as important reflective times at the conclusion of our days.
• empowerers and equipers - they have also done a good job of sharing the role of 'leader' with other members of the team as appropriate and when needed.

Yes, I have been on the trip... but only as a team member. I work alongside everyone else, doing whatever they're doing. And yes, I am here if they get into a pinch, but don't we all have someone we can turn to in times of need?

It's been so good to watch these student leaders work together, lead our team, as well as work with our hosts here in NYC. They have done a fantastic job so far... and I've been reminded of just how significant my own opportunities to lead as a college student were in shaping me.

Yes, there's something quite beautiful that happens when students lead.

Cone of Learning :: Part III :: Too Much Emphasis on the Wrong Things?

For the past couple of days I've been thinking about Edgar Dale's 'Cone of Learning.'

I suggested in a post a couple of days ago that Dale's 'Cone' might have something to tell us about how we do spiritual formation with students.

In my post yesterday, I looked at the top end of the cone - the end that suggests people learn best through actively participating in what is being taught - and suggested that we might see this most noticeably through the short-term mission experiences we provide for our students.

Today I want to focus in on the other end of the 'Cone' - namely, the end that suggests that passive learning methods [ie. reading, listening to someone else, or even looking at pictures] can be some of the least effective learning methods practiced. When any one of these methods are practiced alone the retention rate is incredibly low.

I wonder how many of our ministries fall into these categories?

Hopefully not many! But is that because we've planned intentionally... or did we just happen to get lucky in how the program came together?

Consider what the 'Cone' suggests about discussion... a 70% retention level.

So we add to a reading group [or a students charge to read their Bible daily] a chance to converse with someone/s about it regularly... and what they retain jumps by 60%!

Or we add a discussion element to what Benson Hines refers to in a recent post of his, "the classic 'sing and speak,'" - our weekly large group gathering - an opportunity to:

• break into small groups to discuss the message,
  
• or a chance at the end to ask questions,
  
• or the encouragement to seek out the speaker after the service - or later on in the week - to follow-up,
  
• or even the opportunity to participate in a small group with a curriculum designed to co-inside with message for the week

... it increases the rate of retention by 50%!

I wonder if there aren't some simple, yet creative ways in which we shape some of our more passive programs such that the potential for impact is significantly increased...

I mean, who doesn't want that for their students... right?

We want our students to be more than just 'hearers of the Word...' We also want them to be 'doers of the Word'!

How have you seen this to be true in your ministry with college students?

Cone of Learning

What kind of impact are your ministries having on those who are a part of them?

How much do your students really takeaway from your sermons, small group discussions, experiments and active participation in ministry?

Consider the 'Cone of Learning' (pictured to the right) or 'Cone of Experience' that was put forth by Edgar Dale in 1969. While this depiction may not be what Dale had originally conceived (click here and here to read about this debate), I think this is worth us spending some serious time considering and using to assess whether or not, or to what extent, what we are doing is truly assisting our students to grow spiritually.

I'll probably spend a few days camping out on this...

So stay tuned and speak your opinion!

Waiting to Grow UP :: Part II

So in my last post I talked about the emergence of a new phase of life known as 'emerging adulthood'. At the end of the post I asked:

• What kind of effects is this new phase of life having on the faith development process?
• Are the ways we've approached this age group in the past still effective? Efficient?
• What can we expect from college student in this phase - both as students and student leaders?
• Is there something we should be doing to slow down, stop, or even reverse this process? Is any kind of change even possible?

Here are some of my thoughts:

What kind of effects is this new phase of life having on the faith development process?

• As is the case in all phases of life, there is no 'one size fits (or describes) all'
• A phase of life that is characterized by increased levels of freedoms, without equal or proportionate expressions of responsibility, will undoubtedly impact an 'emerging adults' faith development.
• As responsibility is delayed in many areas of life, taking ownership of one's faith will likely be one of those areas that is also shelved until later.
• A growing and maturing faith would likely lead to an 'emerging adult' who was maturing in other areas of his/her life that would cause them to stand out in comparison to their peers.

Are the ways we've approached this age group in the past still effective? Efficient?

• Some yes, some no
• Degrees don't earn us anything.
• Titles may earn us even less...
• Young people love the idea of community
• Young people live online
• Personal relationships cannot be replaced
• Personal relationships have to be constantly pursued and invested in

What can we expect from college student in this phase - both as students and student leaders?

• Again, not all students will fit into one categorization.
• There have always been students who have been more responsible than others, same with student leaders
• Students like the idea of having a lot of opportunities
• Students like the idea of being well-connected
• Students don't like to be tied down
• Students like to know that their voice is heard and holds power
• Many students don't like to be challenged or denied
• Students expect results quickly

Is there something we should be doing to slow down, stop, or even reverse this process? Is any kind of change even possible?

• I don't know what kind of change is possible in this 'emerging adulthood' phase of life
• I think leaders and minister will have to change our approach/es to connect
• I think we need to challenge students whenever possible to step-up, take ownership and be responsible!

These thoughts aren't complete... but that's what I have right now.

What do you think? What have you seen from where you sit?

Waiting to Grow UP

If you've worked in college ministry for very long I'm sure that you heard the term/s:

• prolonged adolescence, or
• delayed adulthood, or
• "thresholders", or
• emerging adulthood, or
• boomerang kids, or even
• youthhood

in describing a new phase of life that has sprung up between youth and adulthood. If you haven't, here's a good article that USA Today published on it back in 2004.

What this article suggests, as do the many sociologists and psychologists who study this new phase of development, is that today's "young adults" [ages 18-32] are taking longer and longer to assume many of the "adult" responsibilities in life.

With all of the technological advances, adult-themed media and families struggles that have experienced firsthand, it seems that too many kids have grown up too fast.

Upon graduation from high school and "moving on" - be it to college, a job or life outside of their parents home - many struggle to step into new realms of responsibility. They don't however, struggle to step into new realms of freedom!

These 'emerging adults' love all of the opportunities afforded to them outside of the parental home... but don't care as much for the responsibility side of that same coin. Because of this we have seen the birth and rise of the 'helicopter parent' or the more recent upgraded version - 'the Apache helicopter parent' - yes, this one doesn't just hover, it also attacks!

I've been wondering for a while now how this phenomenon shapes our ministry efforts to this age group. Some questions I've been asking myself are:

• What kind of effects is this new phase of life having on the faith development process?
• Are the ways we've approached this age group in the past still effective? Efficient?
• What can we expect from college students in this phase - both as students and student leaders?
• Is there something we should be doing to slow down, stop, or even reverse this process? Is anything even possible?

I'll give some thoughts on these questions tomorrow.

But what do you think?

What questions are you asking in relation to this 'prolonged adolescence' factor to our ministries?

Teaching 'the Dance'

When I was first married my wife begged me to take some ballroom dancing lessons with her. I was reluctant... but who wants to say 'no' to your new bride!

It was quite an experience (right up until the point when I found out that the school I was working at didn't allow their staff to dance - who knew)!

Having been an athlete for most of my life I was amazed at how clumsy I felt.

I think it had something to do with that fact that what I did impacted, and was impacted by, my partner.

Many of the sports I had played were team sports that necessitated each team member doing their part for the whole thing to work... but it was still different.

It was almost as if I was attempting to run a deep route while participating in a three-legged race; or attempting a fast break in one of those two-person costumes that require both parties to move in-step with one another...

It was not easy! In fact, far from it!!

I've had a number of conversations with students recently about their struggles with different habitual sins.

It seems my talks with these students often go one of two ways:

1. They have grown weary of all of their failed efforts and have nothing left to give, OR
2. They confess their faith, hope and trust in God's grace and are waiting for Him to take it away.

In their mind it's all or nothing...

Either it's all up to them and God has no part in the process and is just waiting for them to clean up their act before He will meet with them or show His face again (or they feel worthy enough to approach Him); OR it's all up to God and there's nothing for them to do in the matter.

While one of these paths would be easier... it rarely is the way that God chooses to work. In my experiences our spiritual formation - that which transforms us more into the likeness of Jesus - is more like a dance.

Jesus serves as the instructor and lead dancer in the pair.

We are the willing partner.

We have a role in the dance. But the role is secondary to that of God.

The 'dance' experience is something else - something less - something other - if we're not on the dance floor, or if we've relegated God to a chair over by the punch bowl.

Healing, transformation, becoming more like Jesus... becoming the person that God created us to be requires that we willingly join in 'the Dance'.

We may not be in control, we may not know where we're going - or when, but the experience and the outcomes of joining God in the dance of our life is a dance we must be willing to enter into to and commit to!

Helping students to learn this dance is a significant part of our work on campus.

Don't you think?

How have you helped students to understand 'the Dance' and their role in it?