I’ve been thinking lately (and most of the time it doesn’t even hurt) about churches that college-age people are attracted to.  I’ve been asking two questions: What characteristics does a church need to have in order to allow college-age people to feel a part of it?  and What are some ways in which churches reach out to college-age people, outside of a “college ministry?”

So, in other words, you can change those questions to ask: what is it about some churches that draw college-age people into them?  Again, I’m NOT talking about a college-age ministry - I’m asking this in regards to the church as a whole.

I would love to know your thoughts…what is it about your church that college-age people click with?  Or, if you’re bold enough, what is it about your church that they DONT click with - so we can make sure we don’t do it…

Here is the promo video for the coming National Youth Ministry Conference.  I’ll be teaching there, doing an eight hour learning track with Kara Powell on transitioning and preparing high school graduates.  Should be fun!

I just wrote an article for Journal of Student Ministries called, “Indoctrinated or Educated?” that was just put on their website.  The basis of it is asking questions that, I think, every leader in the church should be asking.  It’s not an exhaustive list in any way, but I do think it has some questions that should be answered.  You can check it out here.  Here’s the beginning…

“Today church leaders have been bewildered about how detached high school graduates are from the local church.

What’s causing this detachment?

You and me. I’m convinced we’re a major part of the problem.

Self-Evaluation Needed
From my perspective there are many contributing factors to this epidemic of detachment, but here I want to discuss one that relates to all of us: How we define educated. It’s a major issue needing attention in most, if not all of, our churches.

So, to start the process…”

After dinner tonight we came back to the office here at Re-Think and talked.  Reggie told me about a radio interview he heard today with a 15 year old girl who posted a video on YouTube.  Apparently she was bored one night and started to put together a video about the soldiers overseas.  She was burdened for them and so randomly started piecing  video together and over 25 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE WATCHED IT!  Unbelievable how some things just catch on like this.  It’s a powerful video….but 25 million views!!!!?  Nuts.

I left my house this morning at 4:30 am (pst) and headed to the airport.  Unfortunately my daughter, Hope, was up until 1:38 am (yep, I know it to the minute).  Not sure if it was gas, teething, or I gave her too many shots of espresso but she was awake and pointing to everything in the house saying, “Whoaw.”  She’s half way between “wow” and “whoa” at this stage.  Anyway, after a whopping 2 1/2 hrs of sleep I headed to the airport.  Park, walk to the terminal, and see this:

Don’t you love security lines!?  

Now, I’m here, thankfully.  I’m spending a couple days here brainstorming with a couple friends: Abbie Smith and Reggie Joiner.  We have some ideas about a few things and we’re having a two day “pow-wow.”  Details to come, but for now, I desperately need something to eat - that Vanilla Latte and blueberry muffin that probably had a 5 year shelf life at the Denver airport just isn’t cutting it.

I heard a statement the other day that REALLY got my attention: “Without vision people parish.”  This really got me worked up.  I understand this is in Scripture, but the person I was talking to was saying that if we as leaders can’t tell people where we’re wanting to head as a church, people will inevitably parish.  It seems like he was missing the point.

Ok, am I the only one that has theological issues with his perspective?  I have some thoughts I will share…at risk of you pegging my initial thoughts and questions as my end-all conclusions.

It seems like when we talk about “vision” we are at a huge risk of presuming what God is going to do.  As American’s we love to hear vision and can even come to a point where we classify it as “stepping out in faith.”  We can even demand “vision” as a necessary thing for ministry.  But can’t our pursuits of accomplishing something be much more of presumption than faith?  Isn’t it possible that our vision is much more of our dream, than it is a biblical command?  Or, doesn’t it seem like we can often just have American and even worldly desires that we have our “site” on in the church?

The Scriptures teach us, clearly I might add, that we are to “walk by faith, not by site.”  So, why would we have a “vision?”  Could it be that we are so uncomfortable with walking by faith that we need to have our sites on something - and don’t even know how to function outside of that?  Wouldn’t faith suggest we can’t see what’s coming?  Doesn’t faith assume that we trust God with the future and we simply seek to walk faithfully today?

Is it possible for us to have a “vision” and at the same time walk by faith?

For me, many people ask what my vision is for my church.  Well, I don’t have one.  Stupid?  Maybe.  But I know one thing: I have a hard enough time fulfilling 1 Peter 5:2 today, much less be concerned about what it means for tomorrow.  I’m a shepherd, not a fortune teller.  I’m a Christian, not God.  I have a hard enough time embracing the things God has called me to today.  Plus, James 4:13-17 scares me:

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’  As it is, you boast in your arrogance.  All such boasting is evil.  So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Is it possible that our vision to accomplish things in our city is wrong?  Is the sense of our vision not as much faith as it is arrogance?  Could we as people (who’s life is but a mist) simply seek to be faithful today, and have confidence that if the Lord wills something to happen that it will actually come to be?  And, can we have faith that He will accomplish that whether we had a “vision” for it or not?

These are thoughts and questions I’ve been having.  For me today, walking by faith simply means being faithful to God in whatever circumstance He has me in today.  I trust Him in that as well as with whatever He may bring for tomorrow.

This may or may not be a surprise to you, but there is more and more talk about college ministry in the local church.  In fact I think it’s more than every before!  One of the things I’m most excited about is there are a few organizations trying to provide resources to those of us working with college-age people - and specifically in the local church!

It’s an interesting time.  Most resource companies are saying the “market” isn’t big enough yet to “invest” in resources.  I understand this, but to a VERY limited degree.  Some companies simply don’t have the resources to invest at this point in time, so to taking on the costs of producing resources is just not feasible.  But, there is one exception: Simply Youth Ministry.

Let me just be honest here.  It was over a year ago that I talked with Andy about college ministry resources. Was there a “market”?  No.  Was there a need?  Absolutely!  So, they have been investing in the need for over a year now.  I love it.  That’s ministry.

They are still working on providing more resources themselves, but they are also compiling some resources from all around that are specifically geared toward those of us working with college-age people - and specifically in the local church.  They now have a growing and developing college platform!  Keep an eye out.  They are also offering 10% off anything they have in that platform right now (in fact this coupon will allow 10% off anything in the store - it automatically takes it off in your cart).

Anyway, thanks to Andy, Doug, Nadim, Chris…and the rest of the gang there!

College-age people are constantly looking for what God has in store for the rest of their life.  This age stage is filled with hope - hope of a successful career, marriage, family, freedoms, etc.  One of the most common questions they’re trying to answer is: what does God want me to do with my life?

Although there are healthy aspects to this question, there are also dangers.  Sometimes looking forward causes us to be discontent with today.  Other times wondering about what God will do in the future leads us to be unfaithful with what He’s called us to do today.  This is one of the biggest discipleship issues in college ministry!  Getting college-age people to focus on being faithful today is one of the most difficult things to accomplish.

But this is where we must focus!

Helping them find a career path isn’t our job.  Our job is to help them walk in faith, today.  Here are four questions I would suggest you ask those you meet with that are concerned about their life direction:

1. Do you think God cares about what job you have in the future?  Why?  Why not?
2. What do you think God is asking of you today?  
3. Are you being faithful to that?  If not you can ask: Well, what makes you think He’ll give you direction for your entire life if you’re not even being faithful today?
4. Do you think looking forward to the future causes you to lose site of today?

My book is due to Zondervan this coming Friday!  I have an appendix on the issue of reaching out to commuter campuses, and I’m interested in knowing what you’ve done that is affective.  If you’ve worked with commuter schools and there are a couple things you’ve found to be effective throw them out and who knows, they may end up in the book.  Now, I can’t pay you for it, but I can say that if you have an idea I don’t already have down I will include your name in the book.  I have this appendix written out already, but again, I would love to know some of your ideas - plus others who read this blog might find them very useful as well.  So to get your thought’s rolling here’s a few questions:

What have you done on campus that’s been effective?

What have you seen that hasn’t worked on commuter school campuses?

Since there is very little, if any, campus life on commuter school campuses, how can you penetrate the social networks or people?

Are there certain people in certain positions that you’ve found helpful to you?

If you’ve had a formal club on campus…has that helped?  If not, why?  If so, how?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Last night I finished speaking.  Steve Fee led musical worship the whole week, but man, last night was simply amazing.  Honestly, the set of songs after I spoke was one of the coolest “worship” experiences I’ve had.  Let me just say this - Steve “rocked the house.”  Kids were engaged and everyone knew it.  He put together a set of songs that hit just about every point of the message.  It’s amazing when we can worship to songs that are directly tied to Scripture.  Thanks Steve.