As many of you know the CollegeLeader Conference is coming up.  I have been getting emails asking what the conference is like.  Hopefully the website gives some feel of it (for that click here).  But being that this is only our second year, I get it.  Most have never been.  And, in fact, even if you came last year the truth is this year will be a bit different from our first one (that’s a nice way of saying we learned from mistakes made).  More than anything though, we’re more intentional in our approach.  So, I thought I’d share an email I recently wrote to give a little more insight into the heart behind our conference…

Hello College Leader,

I wanted to write a personal email (well, as personal as this type of email could be I guess) to share with you more about my heart for the CollegeLeader Conference coming up October 15-17.  I’m not writing you in hopes that you come.  If that happens great, but honestly whether or not you come has no bearing on this email.  I simply wanted to write you so that you understand what we’re doing and a little about why.

We have intentionally put together a conference that expresses our heart as an organization.  This has all the training you might need, but without the “bells and whistle’s.”  Why no bells and whistles?  Well, we’re pretty sure they aren’t what you need – or even want.  And frankly that’s not what we’re into.  We simply want to help in the day-to-day trenches of ministry, beyond program stuff.  And, I think that’s the heart of many people working in college ministry.  If that’s you, keep reading…

The truth is I could go out and get a bunch of “big name” speakers and a popular band with the hope of attracting a lot of people.  But my desire is to get the right people, not just a large group.  I have put together a team of people that I know live and breathe college ministry, don’t care about their notoriety, but instead simply want to help others in college ministry.  And we simply want people to come to the conference with the same heart.

We want our conference to model what we think college ministry can be like in every church context.  That is not to say large group gatherings, bands, and great speakers are unhealthy.  It is to say however, that those things aren’t necessary to have a successful ministry.  And, we want to strictly focus on the aspects that are vital for your success in ministry to college-age people.

If you don’t come to the [...]

Continue Reading “Heart of a Conference”

I recently wrote an article called, “Bachelor Degree: Passport to Privilege?”  In it I talk about the perspective most college students have in obtaining a bachelor degree.  This is not an issue we typically think of and certainly don’t think of as a problem – or potential problem.  But  I think this is a much bigger deal than we realize.  The implications of their perspective can often lead to a loss of joy, identity, and ultimately calling in life.  As people serving in college ministry, I think, we can play a significant role in preventing the loss of these things.  For that article, click here.

Whether you are officially “launching” a ministry from scratch this fall or simply “gearing” back up for an existing one, there is an article I would recommend you read.  It’s called, “8 Quick Tips for Starting a College Ministry,” written by CollegeLeader mentor Bob Hetzler.  In this article Bob explains some of the pains he went through starting a ministry and then gives 8 universal tips he learned from talking with college pastors from all different contexts.  I think this article can really help us keep focused on what college ministry is all about.  It’s a quick read too…click here for the article.

The following is taken from Appendix B, in College Ministry 101

Doing ministry in a context where a major university is nearby brings lots of wonderful opportunities, but it also brings some serious challenges. The biggest challenge is the sense of competition between the local church and the campus-ministry organizations. To me, this false competition boils down to both parties having a program-driven philosophy of ministry. When everyone’s out to build his own program, there’s bound to be competition. If we stay focused on discipleship and assimilation, however, there’s no reason why our churches can’t complement the work of all those campus ministries.

The best way to put an end to the sense of competition is by serving in those campus ministries. Rather than duplicating efforts, it makes much more sense to join forces, come alongside each other, and support each other with our resources. Here are eight ways you can help bridge the chasm between local churches and campus ministries, so both of you can do more to reach out to college-age people:

For all 8 ideas, click here.

A few weeks ago I came across a website that allows college students to cheat on due dates, but without a “lame excuse.”  The website is Corrupted-Files.com.  This is a very witty way of using the complexities of technology to cheat.  Very interesting to say the least.  Having said that, I of course, in no way support this.  However I do think it’s important to understand the pressures our students are faced with on a daily basis – and these types are only getting more complex and secretive/deceptive.  Here’s how it works…

• The student does not have a paper done by the assigned due date.
• The student can then go to Corrupted-Files.com and download  a corrupted file (Powerpoint, Excel, or Word) – the file doesn’t corrupt anything on your computer, it’s simply not able to be opened by the person receiving the file (which in this case is a professor).
• The student purchases the file, names it the title appropriate for the project that’s due, and emails the purchased file to the professor
• It will likely take the professor a day or two to get back to the student describing his/her inability to open the file.
• It may also take the student a day to get that professors email (which is likely intentional on the students part) – thus giving the student a minimum of 2-3 more days after the original due date to get the actual document completed.
• The professor just assumes that something happened to that particular file, not assuming anything is fishy with the interaction with the student.
• Meanwhile, the student is taking the extra time to get the assignment done.
• Once it’s complete the student emails the actual file to the professor without him/her knowing anything that’s gone on.
• The student is not likely to be marked down for being late because it was an “unkown error” that occured.

Interesting.  For an article written about this website, click here.

Well, last week I recorded a few different podcasts for Youth Specialties  and we also did a very quick video about the heart behind College Ministry 101…

Isn’t that a phrase we hear (or say ourselves) a lot?  And, this reality might be hitting home more now that’s it’s August and those kids you’ve spent 4 or more years of your life with are leaving.  Sobering moment.

Well, Appendix C in my book, College Ministry 101  is on this very issue.  In that section I describe 10 practical things we can do if this is the case in your context.  So, I thought I’d share it with you.  Here’s the first 3 ideas from that Appendix.  You can see the full 10 by clicking here.

“I know a number of youth pastors who are interested in college-age ministry, but have no college-age people to whom they can minister. They tell me all of their high school students leave town after graduation, leaving these pastors unsure of how to stay connected. Here are 10 strategies I have found to be effective in continuing a ministry to out-of-town students:

1. Go on a campus visit with your high school students. You can go with them on a scouting trip or even when they actually move. Either way, it shows them you’re not dropping them. Instead, you’re excited about their next stage of life, want to be a part of it, and will be there to support them. Trust me, this involvement will keep the door open for a relationship. It could even be worth assigning part of your budget (if you have one) to the cost of traveling. While you’re on campus, meet with some local pastors to find out what kind of support they offer college students. Then let your student know what options are available for church participation.

2. Pick up the phone. If you’re not able to go to the campus, set up phone appointments with the student or with college-ministry pastors at churches in the area. Talk to them about their philosophy of ministry, how they see incoming freshmen fitting into their church, and so on. Building this type of relationship lays the groundwork for your student. After getting to know the pastor and possibly listening to some podcasts, you may be able to recommend a church to your student. Then follow up to see how things are going and whether or not a connection is happening. Having you help and walk alongside them in this process will mean more to them than you realize.

3. Develop a Facebook group strictly for graduates from your church.Make this group invite-only. This way you can post blogs, send messages, and keep up on what’s going on in the lives of your graduates. This social-networking group can also be a way for your students to stay in contact with each [...]

Continue Reading ““All My Students Move Away to College””

Today I met with the people over at ConversantLife.com.  Man, great people and we had a phenomenal conversation!  Wow, really exciting stuff.  If you’ve never heard of them, they have so much to offer.  If you haven’t been to the site, you need to.  The traffic they are attracting is unbelievable, and the majority of it (by far) is college-age people.  So, if nothing else you ought to browse around and see what it is that’s attracting almost 60,000 unique visitors every month to their site – again, most are the ages of people we’re working with.  Truly amazing.  Anyway, the site is: www.conversantlife.com —– enjoy…

I am pleased to announce that the CollegeLeader Conference now has its website up (CollegeLeaderConference.org) – separate from the CollegeLeader site.  Although there is more to be added (like videos, etc.) I feel much better about it as it accurately describes our desires for the conference.  And, I think you’ll notice some very distinct characteristics about it.  There is also updated info on Workshops, RoundTables, speaker info, etc. that has not been published anywhere else.  Anyway, Check it out here.  Hope to see you there.

Just posted a new article on CollegeLeader called, “God and Majors.”  It’s some very interesting findings about how religious students compare with non-religious students at college.  Thought you might be interested…