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?

Profound Change

I just read a quote from a study conducted at Abilene Christian University (ACU) a few years ago that stated:

When we asked students to think of a specific, critical incident or moment that had changed them profoundly, four-fifths of them chose a situation or event outside the classroom.

Does this surprise you?

It's definitely not the message you hear communicated by admissions staffs or administrators... those messages are almost always focused on the significance of what happens in the classroom.

And this post is not meant to downplay what happens in the classroom... I myself have taught in the classroom for the past 4 years - and I love it - and I know students are impacted in that setting!

This statistic does suggest, however, that the kinds of opportunities we provide for students through our ministry opportunities - and God's ability to profoundly change students through those same opportunities - have the potential to be some of the most meaningful and life-changing of a students experience!

What an important reminder - as we move towards the middle of the term and the season of spring break mission opportunities - of our need to be:

• prayerful
• intentional
• unceasing
• and expectant

as we go about the work God has called us to!

Our call is to be faithful to the One who has called us, and those He has called us to... and the profound change is something we can only leave up to Him!

How to Best Reach Your Students

How are you reaching your students?

Do you know?

I found myself struggling to answer these questions toward the end of the fall semester. And what made matters worse was the fact that I have been in this ministry setting for 4.5 years!

Unfortunately I had fallen into a trap that I think a lot of us in ministry are prone to... attempting to use what has worked - or is working - in other ministry contexts, in our current context.

We think, quite naturally, that if it worked "there" than it should work here... right!?

And we hope that it does. Because we know how to do "that." We were good at "that." "That" has become quite easy for us...

Sometimes, however, it goes beyond our ministry programs, to something less obvious... like our approach.

I've come to believe that our ministries, or the various programs within our ministries, take on one of three forms:

• Pastoral. Those programs that are geared towards our students who already believe and are bought into making faith central to their life and their college experience. We LOVE these... don't we?!
• Missional. Those programs that are designed to reach out to those who do not know the love of Christ, or those who walked away some time ago. Depending on the kind of campus you serve on, this could take on a much larger or smaller percentage of your programming... regardless, it NEEDS to be a part of all of our ministries!
• Prophetical. Yep, I said. And it wasn't until I was earnestly praying sometime last semester that God opened my eyes to this. Just as there was in the time of the Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah - many of God's people had chosen other priorities... and forsaken their First Love. This population of our campus community NEEDS to be awakened to their present state and lack of Kingdom priorities... but I'm not exactly sure how to best go about that... because the Old Testament I read depicts prophets who served God faithfully and were constantly met with resistance, opposition, threats, beatings and even death!

As we grow in our understanding of the campus culture that we are called to serve, I believe that we must also determine how best to reach the different kinds of students we have.

Not all will be ready for a pastor.

Some will need a missionary to share the good news of Jesus...

And others will need the kick in the pants that only a prophet can bring!

What do you think?

Grace and peace to you as you reach out to each and every one of them!