What do you do with college students/ministry?
Do you include the college director on the family team? If so, how does that work?
Anything would help!!
College Ministry and Orange
(6 posts) (4 voices)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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Lance,
Great questions! I've seen it done different ways -- included in family ministry and not. Most college ministries I've seen, have a program mid-week either on a college campus or on the church campus. I'm no expert in this arena so I'm going to ask around and hopefully come up with some info for you.
Sarah
Posted 2 years ago # -
That is a good question. I think the most important thing (in my mind) is that youth leaders and college leaders begin to prioritize the way they work together. I would love for youth leaders to be in constant conversation with college leaders so that they know what they need to prepare their seniors for, and I would love for college leaders to view graduating seniors as part of their ministry (regardless of whether or not the students are moving away). I think with a strong small group leaders model this can be possible. Graduates need to know that they have a place in their home church when they are at home—it needs to be intentional.
As far as family ministry goes. I don’t know. There could be a place at the table for college ministers to bring a new perspective about the “end goal.” But at the same time “family ministry” takes on a whole new look when you are working with college juniors and seniors who are graduating, choosing a profession, getting a job and getting married.
So my rambling conclusion is that the college minister needs to understand the family ministry strategy and should be in conversation with the youth pastor on a regular basis...and might or might not be a part of the “family ministry team.”
From Kristen Ivy on the reThink team
Posted 2 years ago # -
Lance.
Maybe a better question: As a parent, when your son and/or daughter goes away to college, how would you want a church to be intentional and strategic regarding your kids? I think sometimes we think too much from a ministry perspective and not from a parent's perspective (and in no way implying we take the place of the parent). "Flipping the field" has really challenged my preconceived ideas of what should happen regarding college ministry within the Orange strategy.
Just a thought...
Stuart Hall
Posted 2 years ago # -
This is a great question. I agree that the college minister needs to understand the family ministry strategy and be in conversation with the youth folks regularly however, I think that from an organizational stance college ministry is best served as the entry-point into the adult ministry offerings.
We have done college students (and by extension, young adults) a great disservice by viewing college ministry as an extension of the student (youth) ministries in our churches. What has happened is that from a design standpoint we have tried to replicate the youth group feel for college students. While there is a great deal of hype and camaraderie that comes out of a highly programmatic “youth group for college students” ministry, it does a horrible job at preparing students to enter into the adult church and ministry population (especially as they move on to new geographic locations and are trying to find a church on their own). They have come to expect that someone in the church will provide them with a peer-based programmatic, event-driven ministry that they can just “show up” to. Few churches offer that kind of opportunity for their adults. I think this is why there is a huge young adult void in many churches. There simply is no “youth group” for young adults and churches haven’t transitioned students well.
I think that the best time to transition from student to adult is during the college years – that’s when it’s happening in their other spheres of growth (financial independence, time independence, emotional independence, etc.) – so it seems that during a high time of life transition, we have an opportunity ripe for coaching students in how to equip themselves for ownership and independence when it comes to spiritual growth and service in a local church. In my college ministry goals I have three things (wins, if you will) for my college students that show me I am preparing them well. By the time the time they graduate college I want them to be able to say: “God cares about what I do” (an emphasis on living out a Christian worldview), “I am responsible for my own growth” (be it educational, emotional, relational, or spiritual), and “We do life together” (emphasizing the importance of living in a community of faith).
We make a big deal with our high school seniors in transitioning them from the high school ministry to the college ministry, beginning in June. That way, regardless of where they are going to college or where they will be plugged in come the fall, they get a glimpse of what a healthy college community of faith looks and feels like.
From Andy Campbell a College Small Groups Director at Fairfax Community Church
Posted 2 years ago # -
Stuart:
I just wanted to say that I think that perspective and question that "you flipped" is excellent. At the present time, I do not have an answer; thus I will read and learn.
Posted 2 years ago #
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