Building a Bridge: Youth to College

Is your college ministry having trouble keeping students who have been involved in your youth ministry?

Many churches have difficulty retaining students who have been involved in the youth ministry during the college years, even if they don’t go away to college.  It’s extremely frustrating to see the students you were sure would be leaders in the college ministry fall away during their college years.   In fact, many of them will show up for morning worship, but have no interest in other college ministry activities.  So what  can you do to bridge the gap?

Here are a few questions you might want to consider.  

1.        How connected is your college ministry to your youth ministry?  Do youth have regular contact points with college students in your ministry?  Do they know the college ministry leaders well?  Consider using college students as small group leaders, discussion leaders or greeters in the youth ministry.  Work with the youth minister to plan times for college students to meet with High School seniors during their senior year.  Even a simple testimony at the start of a Sunday School class can build a bridge. 

 2.       If you are a college minister or college ministry leader, how is your relationship with the youth minister?  Do you pray together?  Do you do any planning together?  Make a point to spend time with the youth minister.  Ask questions about the youth ministry and about the youth.  Work together on activities for High School Seniors.  You both want to see those students stay plugged in as they move into college.   

 3.       How close are the youth and college meeting areas?  Research shows that today’s college students think more like youth than adults.  Consider keeping the college meeting space closer to the youth ministry.  The transition might feel less abrupt and students will feel they are still connected to their friends in the youth ministry. 

 4.       When do high school seniors make the transition to the college ministry?    Try moving students into the college ministry as soon as they graduate from High School.  Over the summer students will begin to build relationships in their new place.  When the school year starts they will already feel “at home” and those going away to school will not feel so out of place when they come back for semester breaks.   You may even want to give new grads “the best of both worlds.”  Consider promoting  them into the college ministry, but encourage them to continue doing summer activities with the youth group.  Why not give your Senior class Sunday School teachers a break for the summer?  Ask them to combine their classes with a college class for the summer.  High School seniors will still see the same teachers over the summer but also become familiar with their new place in the church. 

– Ginger Bowman, Collegiate ChurchLife Specialist, BGCT

Four Truths about Ministry

Not long ago, I was running an errand before one of our midweek programs.  I didn’t have a lot of time to accomplish the task, and I was sure I could run to a particular store and back in less than 20 minutes.  As I was heading into the store, I was stopped by a man named William, who was badly limping, unshaven, and looked like he needed something to eat.  He stopped me and asked if I could give him a ride home, which he assured me wasn’t far.  The Holy Spirit moved in my heart, so I told him that I’d be happy to give him a ride, especially since his place wasn’t far.  We got into my car and began driving, and I asked him how to get to his home.  He told me to just drive and he would get me there.  As we pulled in view of a grocery store, he told me that he was hungry and he’d like some cash to go and purchase a few chickens to cook.  Glancing at my watch, I knew that this additional unplanned stop would cost precious time before the evening’s activity.  I told him I’d be happy to run into the store and buy him what he wanted, since it’s a personal conviction of mine not to hand out cash.  After buying the chickens, we were on the road again.  We had gone about 8 miles (at which point I was questioning his definition of “not far”) and he told me he wanted to stop at a gas station to get a brill-o pad.  At this point I was a little frustrated, because I could have purchased that at the grocery store.  I asked him if he could walk to a convenience store after I dropped him off, but he told me that there were none within walking distance of his home.  After stopping at two different gas stations, we still hadn’t found a brill-o pad.  The third and final station we stopped at did have one, so we picked it up and were back on the way.  We were now in the next town, approximately 15 miles from where I picked William up.  He directed me into his apartment complex, but had tremendous difficulty remembering where he lived.  We finally had to stop and ask several tenants if they knew where he lived before we got to the right place. 

 

As I pulled away, I began to ask God what he was trying to teach me through this experience.  I believe he showed me four truths about ministry:

 

1. Ministry is time-consuming.  We have taken a page right out of the business world’s manual when we expect that ministry can be done in neatly-packaged 30-minute time slots.  This is especially true in college ministry, where a student’s query, “Do you have 5 minutes?” actually means, “I’m going to need the next hour for you to help me through this.”

 

2. Ministry is costly.  At well over $3.00 a gallon, driving a man a few miles was going to set me back.  Drive 30 miles, make several stops, buy two chickens and a brill-o pad for a poor man and the wallet is definitely lighter.  As a married man with kids, I’d prefer to pinch pennies.  However, God has shown me that “my” money is really his money, and that it is to be used to minister to others.  While I don’t spend money every time I’m with people, I’ve learned that some of my best ministry moments happen because I bought a college student a cup of coffee or a meal, or said yes to God when a need arose.

 

3. Ministry is inconvenient.  Well-organized, Type A personalities like me can get flustered in a hurry when things don’t go the way we want them to.  Jesus was often stopped numerous times on a mission to help someone else, as in the case where he was going to heal Jairus’ sick daughter (Mark 5).  Allowing God to set our agendas may seem inconvenient to us, but it ensures that we will make ourselves available when the chance to do soul work presents itself.

 

4. Ministry is heart-breaking. When I realized this man wasn’t even sure where he lived, I hurt for him.  In college ministry, we deal with the same confusion, except that it pertains to spiritual matters.  Some of the students we will pour our time, energy, and money into will still walk in confusion and make poor choices.  But so did Jesus’ disciples, and he was perfect.  Allowing God to break our hearts helps us to remember that God is ultimately in control, not us, and moves us to pray for those who are confused and hurting.

 

I still struggle to remember these truths and put them into practice in my day-to-day ministry.  However, God used this experience to shed light on my selfishness and man-centered goals I had created for my ministry.  Let’s ask God to make us perceptive to teachable moments like this one, because these are the kinds of experiences that He uses to make us better ministers in the time-consuming, costly, inconvenient, and heart-breaking world of college ministry.

 

Allen Duty is Minister to Students at Living Hope Baptist Church in College Station.

Impacting International Students

Last August, I met Punit and Madhavi. Both are graduate students at a university nearby. They moved into apartments on campus with the 70 pounds of luggage they had each brought from their homes in India. Neither had a bed. Neither had basic kitchen appliances. Neither had a desk. Neither had living room furniture. And they lived this way for six months until some members of local churches noticed and began to provide those items for their apartments and much more. They began to provide friendship in Jesus name- sharing not only their lives but the gospel as well. -I Thess. 2:8

 

Often church members would do something that would minister to an international student if they only knew what was needed. Here are several suggestions that your church could implement in order to minister to the nations coming to your cities and towns to study at university campuses.

 

First, contact a campus minister (BSM Director if there is one or a staff member with International Students Inc.) who works with international students on a daily basis and ask them what you or your church can do. If there is not a campus ministry reaching international students, then call and set up a meeting with the director of the International Student Services office at a campus near you. Introduce yourself during that meeting and ask this question, “Whats one thing you’d like to do for your students that you don’t have the time or resources to do which would make their stay here a success?” And listen to see if one of the things they list is something your church could begin to do.

 

Second, invite some international students to your home for a meal. Did you know that many study here for two to four years and are never invited to share a meal with anyone outside of the university? Be sure to check with them about dietary restrictions before preparing your meal. Some may not eat meat or may only eat some kinds of meat. Do your best to honor that restriction so that you can continue to befriend them.

 

Third, ask them what their needs are and look for ways to meet those needs. On the campus closest to me it relates to unfurnished apartments, but your situation may create different needs. Most of these students won’t have a car when they arrive so it may be transportation to and from the grocery store or to the airport for holiday breaks.

 

Fourth, participate in events on the campus which involve international students. Find out when and where events happen that church members could come to in order to meet an international student. Many campuses have welcome parties at the beginning of the year and would welcome the help of American volunteers.

 

Ultimately, I’d like to encourage you to seek to establish a relationship with one or two international students or one apartment full of them. Extending friendship in the name of Christ to them over the long haul of their academic career is where you will find the most fruitfulness of your efforts.

 

-Beth Smith is International Student Ministry Specialist for Collegiate Ministry at the BGCT.  She is available to help your church understand and develop ministry to international students in your community.  For more information email us at collegeministry@bgct.org.   

My Comfortable Room, A Missions Reflection

I sit here in my comfortable room

I wonder if you’re okay

As you show the Way

Sewing, digging wells, teaching, living life far away

You choose the road less traveled

To bring Light to the dark 

One day at time, one heart at a time 

People’s lives are changed

Priorities rearranged

Because by faith, hope, and love

You have made yourself available to plans

Bigger than any guidance counselor could offer 

As I think of you and pray

My comfortable room becomes less

My heart more restless

My mind races to possibilities

I gotta do something 

All around me is hopelessness

I don’t have to go very far

Dressed fine and in a nice car

Or in rags, scruffy, with old shoes

Are those who need someone

One day at time, One heart at a time

To care enough to offer faith, hope, and love 

As I think of them and pray

My comfortable room becomes less

My heart more restless

My mind races to possibilities

I gotta be something to do something 

Jesus help me be more like You

So that I can see people like You

And do that for which I’m made

Giving away faith, hope, and love

To a world tired of hearing about another

Loaded cup of red Kool-Aid I think of You and pray

Comfort has lost its appeal

My heart is pounding

My mind’s about to blow

No more sitting around

Here I go…

  Trey Bledsoe is Minister to Students at Canyon Creek Baptist Church.  Trey and students from Canyon Creek have participated in several Go Now mission projects. 

Connecting with Collegiates

For most people it’s easy to plan events, coordinate meetings, and teach lessons. It’s not as easy to make real connections with students. So how do we do it? How do we move past the church roles into authentic relationships? It may be simpler than you think.

Shawn Shannon, BSM Director at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor recalls a significant experience in her life: I went on a sort of ‘you’re off to college’ retreat right before I went to school. I could have easily stayed lost in the group there. But one of the leaders caught me on my way out the door that night and walked and talked with me a bit. He asked me about what I thought was ahead. Then he challenged me to live out my discipleship before the campus community (professors and peers) by simply doing two things: 1)going to class 2)prepared. He helped me connect my personal life with Jesus with the rest of my Daily Doing. It was a word fitly spoken and I was readied soil. So I did those two things, and they made an amazing difference in how I lived my college days.

As an adult who works with students, I see three good gifts in this: Time: This adult saw me as a person worth the spending of his precious time. Timing: This was at a moment of significant risk and opportunity–a crisis in the best sense. Truth: He did not give me advice, really, nor did he talk down to me. He laid out to me a truth about sowing and reaping, cause and effect. Applying that truth set me in a good path.

There is an old saying: Where there is the desire to learn, the Teacher will appear. I believe behind every valid teaching is the Master Teacher. I am glad this elder brother of mine was an attentive servant to his Master. It made (and still makes) a difference.

Five Mission Projects Your Group Can Do

Because of work and other responsibilities, many students are not able to take a full week to do a mission trip. But they can be on mission. Even an afternoon project can be a life changing experience in the life of a student. Here are five good ideas:
1. Serve a meal. Most larger towns and cities have several organizations that serve meals to the homeless or underpriviledged in their communities. They are usually well organized and welcome the help of a group to serve a meal.
2. Provide Free Lawn Service. Most likely there are some people in your church and community that are not able to take care of their lawns. Plan an afternoon to weed someone’s flowerbeds or plant some perennials for them to enjoy.
3. Have a Party. Host a block party in a local apartment complex complete with food, games for kids and some fun giveaways. Provide information about your church. Just be sure to work with the management and keep them informed of all of your plans.
4. Wash a load. Make a chore a little easier for someone. Collect quarters at your church, then take them to a local laundromat with whom you have made arrangements. Offer to pay for a load of wash for customers and provide some children’s activities while parents are busy doing the laundry.
5. Say thank you.Plan a special appreciation meal or gift to say thank you to the service staff at your local community campus. Let the custodial staff, grounds keepers, or food service staff know that you appreciate them.
Mission projects can be great opportunities for growth in the lives of students. As you plan, consider what impact each project might have on your group. You will have the joy of making a difference in the lives of those you serve and those you serve with.

Key Disciplines Strengthen Discipleship

“What exactly is discipleship?” “How do I do it?” Are questions students often ask. Sometimes the concept of discipleship can seem overwhelming. We can help students grow as disciples by making the process a little more practical. Discipleship doesn’t have to add another meeting to your weekly schedule. Simply helping students focus in on some key areas of their spiritual lives can go a long way. Here are a few ideas.

Prayer. It’s more than a casual conversation. Prayer is a discipline, and scripture tells us it is effective. Yet, most Christians spend very little time in prayer. Help students enrich their own prayer lives by including some prayer “exercises” in your group times. Have a prayer time that is just for giving thanks. Give students some silent time to spend in personal confession. Pray for a specific area, ie. missions, lost friends, your church. Give your group weekly prayer “assignments.”

Bible Study. Help students understand that personal Bible study doesn’t end at noon on Sunday. Provide resources that they may want to use during their own personal Bible study time at home. Incorporate times of accountability into your group meeting times. Simply ask the group, “what have you been learning in your own Bible study times this week?”

Fasting. We live in a consumer driven society where, more often than not, we feel we should be denied nothing. The discipline of fasting does not come easy for us, but it is a great way to learn self control. Challenge your students to give up a meal during their week and spend that hour in prayer and meditation. Have a group discussion and Bible study on fasting at your next meeting time.

Stewardship. Little lessons can go a long way. Help students learn personal stewardship by doing an inventory of where they spend their money in a week, or how they spend their time. Have them keep a written log for the week, then evaluate their findings together. Help them find ways to be better stewards in their personal lives based on their results.

Intentional Discipleship: One Student’s Story

by Jeremy Higgenbotham, Junior at the University of
Texas in Austin.
Every summer during Freshman Orientation at the
University of Texas, FOCUS (Hyde Park Baptist Church
College Ministry) hosts a pizza party.  These events are
designed for incoming students to meet other incoming
students and learn more about the ministry of FOCUS. 
It was at the FOCUS Pizza Party that I met Everett, a
financial planner who has been discipling
students for twenty-plus years. I was a
little bit nervous about going because I didn’t really
know anyone in the room yet. Then Everett approached
me.

 The first thing he wanted to know about me was
whether or not I was I true believer. I quickly replied
with a matter-of-fact yes.

 ”And how do you know that?” He insisted. We began to talk and he soon found
out that I did have a personal relationship with Christ,
but I was ready to take the next step, ready to mature
in my faith (even though I didn’t know that at the
time). Everett seemed like a nice guy, and he kept
mentioning that he did a discipleship group with 4 guys
every year. I was interested, but not sure if I was
ready.

A few weeks after moving into my dorm, after
everything was starting to settle down, Everett called
me up. He was inviting me to the FOCUS Freshmen
retreat. I had class until late that Friday, so I told him I
couldn’t go. He didn’t like my excuse and informed me
that he would be leaving his office late because he had
a few things to tie up and wouldn’t mind swinging by
and picking me up. I figured this guy was willing to go
through the extra trouble of picking me up, so I might
as well.
On the ride over to the ranch we were having the
retreat at, we talked more about the books he goes
through with his discipleship group, and I told him I was
interested and willing to join. We continued to talk
about it, and he let me know exactly what I would be
committing to if I joined. After thinking it over for quite
some time, I decided it would be a good idea and would
help me grow. I let Everett know of my decision, and I
could tell he was excited.

Throughout the year Everett taught me and the 3 other
guys how to have an effective quiet time, the
importance of prayer, and tips on evangelism. We went
through both Experiencing God and The Heart
of the
Problem, two books that had daily devotionals to
read
and answer. During my time in the group, I grew closer
to God than I had ever been before by spending
precious time every morning reading the devotionals
and talking to Jesus. I had never before experienced
the power and importance of a daily quiet time, but
soon found I could not do without it.

Although we met as a group once a week and went
through the readings, the most valuable part of our
meetings to me was hearing Everett’s stories (and he
has a lot of them). It gave me a chance to see into the
life of an amazing man of God. It helped me see the
way he acts and thinks, and the way he lives out his
life. I was impressed and even shocked by the
situations that he used to share the Gospel of Christ
with others. I wanted to know more, but at the same
time I wanted my life to look like his. I really used this
time to try to soak in as much as I could and truly
understand the driving force behind this man.

I don’t think I will ever be the same after having spent
an entire school year getting to know a true man of
God in a discipleship group setting. The things I have
learned, spoken and unspoken, will forever affect the
person I am and will become. The shot of growth that I
saw in my spiritual life that year was more that the two
years before it combined. Being in a discipleship group
brought me to a new level of faith that I hope God will
continue to build on and that I refuse to turn back on.
Everett is still a true friend a year later, and we still
talk close to every other week. He still encourages me
to this day, and his stories keep me thinking of the man
God is making of me.

Welcome to the Collegiate ChurchLife Network!

The Collegiate ChurchLife Network exists to facilitate, train, and resource the local church’s ministry to college students. Here you will find information about upcoming college ministry events, leadership conferences, and networking opportunities. We will also post a variety of articles about  college ministry and share what’s happening in individual college ministries.  You will also want to check our website from time to time for other resources and contact information at www.bgct.org/college.