Church-based College Ministry tagged: , , ,

Church-based College Ministry

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college_students.jpg“Who in our area does a good job of reaching college-aged young adults? Specifically, what church has an effective church-based (as opposed to campus-based) ministry that I can talk to?”

I thought it was a simple question; one I’ve been asking everyone in ministry in the Tulsa, OK area. DOM’s, BCM staff, pastors… no one has a really good answer for me. I was pointed toward a couple of mega churches with large college ministries; but none of them were particularly evangelistic in their outreach (in other words, they appear to be attracting young Christians from their church and others) . And, when you look at their collegiate ministry in terms of percentage of total membership, they’re not doing any better than my church is at reaching college students.

One church I was pointed toward does have a large number of 20-somethings; but they are mostly young marrieds a few years out of school. Another church (also very large) is attracting significant numbers of college students but their approach is to treat their college ministry the same way many churches approach youth ministries: a huge budget spent on fun outings (games, concerts, and door prizes). That may be an effective way to attract young adults but it doesn’t fit my preconceived notions of the best way to do church.

The advice I receive generally falls into two categories: give up and let the para-church ministries reach these kids or throw money at them doing fun things with lots of give-aways.

I’m not willing to do either one of those.

Other advice I’ve received includes:

1) Don’t bother: they’ll only go to para-church campus ministries.

2) Don’t bother: young post-moderns won’t come to an established church.

3) Don’t meet in a church building.

4) Forget about Sunday morning; college students don’t like to get up early.

5) Do fun stuff; lots of trips.

6) Don’t do lots of trips: they don’t have any money and won’t go to things that cost real $$.

7) Focus on relationships.

8 ) And of course, the ever present (at least in Baptist circles) “if you feed them, they will come.”

Lest you think I’ve only spoken to senior pastors, church planters, and other professional ecclesiastic types… all of the above came from college students themselves.

I teach a Sunday school class for college students; recently I asked for their input. I learned several things:

First, the class thought I was about 10 years older than I really am. (It’s the gray hair; I started turning gray in high school.)

Second, Listen to them. They often feel ignored or talked down to.

Third, understand they are a generation looking for community. Well, that’s not quite how they put it. What they actually said was “hanging out” is very important to them.

Finally, they described themselves as the ADD Generation. Not in terms of having a diagnosable disorder. But more in terms of being inundated with information, causes, and opportunities. Their world is changing very fast and it’s hard for them to keep up.

I would add that whatever else this generation may be, “slacker” doesn’t apply. My students both at church and in the courses I teach at college work a lot. It’s not unusual for them to have two jobs if they can’t get enough hours at one. I’m guessing the average college student I come in contact with is a full-time student (12 to 18 credit hours per semester) and works 30-plus hours each week. And, don’t refer to them as a “post-modern” generation. Most of them have no idea what that means.

Now, let me stop thinking like a churchman and start thinking like the family counselor I’ve been trained to be. Some random thoughts about reaching college-aged people:

First, re-define what “college age” means. Traditionally, “college aged” meant 18 to 22 years-old. Baptist churches would have “College and Career” Sunday school classes and ministries: college referred to university students. 18 to 22 year-olds who skipped college and went straight into the work force were in the “career” category. Now, the typical university student takes 5 years (or more) to graduate, not 4. And, many people are taking even longer.

This is especially true in Tulsa. TU and ORU are both traditional four year schools. But the state schools (OSU-Tulsa and NSU-BA) are relying on the junior college system (TCC) to provide the core undergraduate classes. If you stick around Tulsa, there is not the expectation of four years in one school and you’re out.

Second, college students are working now more than ever. Few kids have the luxury of leaving high school and being full-time students without a job. People are taking fewer hours at school and working more; often working two jobs while going to school. These are busy people who are prioritizing their time and are not looking to attend meetings and programs just because someone tells them they should.

Next, sociologists have long seen college as inadvertently extending adolescence. If you think of adolescence as a developmental task and not a time period, this makes sense. The task of adolescence is to answer the question, “Who am I, really?”. Adulthood begins when one has a clear answer to that question and begins to pursue life activities consistent with the answer. (I like thinking in those terms because it explains the presence of 25, 35, and even 45 year-old adolescents.) I think this calls for remembering they are a work in progress. No longer teens, not quite settled into a place where they are comfortable with themselves. Adults, but still working out major life issues like career and relationships.

Finally, no one life stage exists independently of the others. In other words, a strong youth group in a church might help create a strong college ministry. A solid youth group will get a boost from a strong children’s ministry. Which requires a good ministry to parents. Each reacts to and feeds off the others.

Now all I’ve got to do is figure out some way to put it all together. Any help will be appreciated. What are you doing that has been effective in reaching college students?