Mark Your Calendar for May 2-4 for the National Collegiate Ministries Summit in Nashville,TN

If you work in the area of Collegiate Ministry on the church or campus side, I hope you have May 2-4 circled on your calendar for The National Collegiate Ministries Summit in Nashville, Tennessee at Lifeway. A significant change in the conference is our hosting it at Lifeway instead of a Convention Hotel. This allows you to tailor the cost to suit your budget or non-budget. You can choose the hotel and cost of your choice or stay with a friend. The Registration/Program cost covers the evening meal on Wednesday and Lunch on Thursday.

The Summit opens on Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 with our Early Bird Mega Seminars which will be repeated again at 3:15 with six different ones to choose from. The Mega Seminars include topics like Mentoring, Hot Topics, Dialogical Apologetics, Disaster Relief and Collegiate Church Planting. Dr. Tim Clydesdale, author of First Year Out will be leading one at each of those times.

A new addition to our program will be our Idea Labs where you can hear topics like, "How to Reach More Men", "Going Big: Taking Your Ministry to the Next Level", "Creating a Culture that Engages Lost Students" and more. We will also have some groupings by similar situations to allow you to connect with and learn from others who share your issues.

Speakers for our plenary sessions include Jon Acuff, Gabe Lyons (who will also lead a Mega Seminar on Thursday morning), Pete Wilson and Eric Geiger.

Hotels close to Lifeway are already beginning to be booked. Registration/Program fee (including 2 meals) is $120 through JANUARY 31. On February 1 the cost is $150. So, make your plans. We want you to be part of the gathering of the Collegiate Ministry Family. Also, College Metro, the church collegiate ministers organization will be holding their annual conference in conjunction with The Summit.

One Other Item: I do a blog with Collegiate Ministry ideas and articles at www.arlissdickerson.blogspot.com with a new article posted about once a week. Comments, idea and questions are welcome.

Arliss Dickerson

Contract Worker, Leadership

arlissdickerson@gmail.com

Some Aid for ER regions to attend Summit 2012

There will be a limited number of aid available for those in ER regions that would like to attend the Summit. We will be sending that through the state directors office and Robert Turner in early January. So be on the look out for the e-mail.

Daniel Berry/KBC

3 Key Words for Your Fall Ministry

In the last minute rush to do all the details before school starts, sometimes it helps to remember some of the main things. There are 3 words I believe are key in ministry to students. They are Ownership, Identity, and Example.

Ownership-Do the students already involved in your ministry feel like it is theirs? Do they feel responsibility for it. The more ownership your core students feel...especially your leadership or ministry teams, the more they will invest in the ministry and the more they will want to involve others in it. That comes from knowing their efforts and decisions matter. Make sure your leadership team has some say in key decisions. Give them some choices....but make sure they are all choices with which you as the leader can live!!

Identity-There are two parts to this. First, does your ministry have a clear identity on campus. Market people call this "your brand", but in my language, I would say do all you can to make sure the campus knows you are there and that they have a favorable impression of your ministry. First class publicity and welcome events go a long way in this. Some years a go a student friend who was attending a major university where he was a member of "the top fraternity on campus". I asked him how much they spent rushing students each year. It took my breath away when he said, $50,000. Are you doing all you can for students to know about you and have a correct understanding of your ministry?

The second part of "Identity" is one of the callings of our ministry and that is to be helping students discover their identity....who God made them uniquely to be. I recently attended an event where adults in their 50's talked about what their BSU had meant for them and done for them. A constant thing repeated several times was, BSU had helped them discover their identity in a safe environment.

Example-You attract who you are in most cases. Make sure you are the example to your leaders that they need and make sure your leaders understand how important their example is to other students. Do the freshmen see people they want to be like? Are you modeling to your students what you want them to be like....in your relationship to Christ....in your relationship to others.....in your work habits....in your vision for the campus?

Two other things: First, as you plan and serve in this coming school year, make sure you have the Collegiate Ministers Summit on your calendar. It will be in Nashville May 2-4 with speakers such as Gabe Lyons. As usual, there will be outstanding worship times, mega seminars and best of all the chance to be with college ministers from all over the country who share your calling and passion for reaching this generation. It will start on Wednesday and end Friday at noon. If you are interested in other articles on college ministry, you can check out my blog at arlisdickerson.blogspot.com/.

Arliss Dickerson

Leadership Contract Worker

WHO YOU ARE FOLLOWING

Here are some of the responses to the question of "What blogs do you follow?"

http://exploringcollegeministry.com/

www.arlissdickerson.blogspot.com

http://youthleaderstash.com/ - sure it is written by youth minister, but there are great games, images, and such. Also, this guy will make promo images and such for you if you email him your game, preaching series, etc... That is really nice.

http://obscurestore.typepad.com/ - it is a collection of random news stories, which can be great for illustrations and discussion starters.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/ is a great collection of blogs on theological issues and reviews of books

Collegeministrythoughts.com (church-based)

http://theresurgence.com//

FOLLOWING ON TWITTER:

Rick Warren

BradBaker (Saddleback’s College Minister)

Tony Morgan

Pete Wilson

Michael Hyatt

Brad Lomenick

Seth Godin

here to lead

Scott Williams

Ron Edmondson

Catalyst Leader

EdStetzer

Jonestony

The Changing Face of College Ministry

Baptist Collegiate Ministers in Alaska and Indiana have recently learned that their jobs as now funded will end at the end of this year. This is due to the change in funding thru the North American Mission Board and different states sorting out their priorities with changes in funding. These are some of the most effective college ministers in America. What does this mean for all of us?

First, pray for and encourage these folks as they decide what is next for them. Some feel their call from the Lord has not changed and that raising their own salaries and staying put seems the next option. Others are considering going bi-vocational because the need on their campus has not gone away. Some places the emphasis now will be more college church plants. In some campus settings churches are starting their own church plant where there is already a strong on campus BCM Ministry. Let's commit to pray for and encourage these who are in the midst of deciding what is next for them and how to honor God's call on their life.

Second, in your own ministry, do not assume everyone knows the need and sees the effectiveness of what you are doing. Look for better ways to tell your story and to show the need on your campus. Don't take your funding for granted.

As summer approaches here are some different things you might considering doing which helps churches and individuals see the need for and the blessing of your ministry. Also, here are some thoughts that just might help you continue to grow your ministry.

-Take a week and visit pastors/church staff in your area with no agenda or requests...just continue and develop communication.

-Write a personal note to every church or individual that supports your ministry financially.

-Visit the 5 largest youth ministries in your area for connection to future students on your campus.

-Invite some freshmen to be on a Freshmen Leadership Team to grow in Christ and contact/enlist fellow freshmen.

-Consider taking a mission team to one of these campuses whose ministry is being affected.

-Consider making part of next year's mission goal some money for the ministry of one of the campuses experiencing major changes.

-See if there is a way to partner with a church to take a group to Glorieta to gain a greater vision of what might happen on your campus or in your church.

Arliss Dickerson
Leadership Contract Worker, Arkansas State University, adickerson@absc.org

Learning from Others or Being an Expert

One of the things that we can model as leaders is that we continue to learn. I have always been impressed with college ministers' continual desire to grow and learn how to do it better. I am indebted to many from whom I have learned along the way. When I first started out, I remember chasing "a famous BSU Director" around a table at the morning break at Glorieta firing questions at him. He was gracious and took time for me.

Who are the "famous college ministers" that we can learn from? I believe that is YOU! All of us have something we know or do that would benefit others. Recently someone sent me an article about college ministry with some ideas I felt just did not hold up at least in my experience. I had never heard of the person who had written it. I asked why it was being widely circulated and the answer was, "it's on a blog." By the way, when I sent a message to the author with my own thoughts, he was gracious and responded that he had never thought about the points I raised.

As I began to think about that experience and talking with some folks in college ministry who are "experts" to encourage them to begin blogging. If all the good stuff is on blogs, we got to get more good folks blogging. In order to not be too hypocrytical, I took a dose of my own medicine and began blogging. If you are interested, I post some different thoughts and articles on college ministry at my blog which is www.arlissdickerson.blogspot.com.

What about you? What could you post on a blog that would benefit someone else? There is an area in which you are an expert....maybe it might be "Top 10 Ideas that Don't Work".....just kidding! Let's get out there...let's put our thoughts out there...let's help others! Let's be part of the conversation. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

Arliss Dickerson
Leadership Contract Worker

Building a Healthy Leadership Team: 3 Kinds of Students

by Weaver McCracken,

Every campus minister has struggled, at one time or another, with finding and keeping good student leadership. This is so important to those of us who work with student-led organizations. Because of the nature of our organizations, we are welcoming to all students, which is both a good and bad thing. It’s good in that we affirm the value of everyone before God. It can be a challenge if we allow students to fill leadership roles, who are not ready or capable of filling them.

While I would never contend that there is only one way of evaluating student potential, the three categories below have helped me through the years to better understand the students who have journeyed through ministries of which I have been a part. It has also helped remind me of the inherent qualities required of those leading our programs. As you read, I hope you smile a little and maybe even grimace a little as you are minded of particular experiences from your past. Good luck in your search and your efforts to continually develop and nurture good leadership. It’s one of the most important things we do.

Refugees
There are always those students who come our way who are needier than others. Their neediness may come from their circumstances or family background. They may not have been as fortunate as many, who come from loving and supportive homes. Because they have more needs, they are usually characterized as more “takers” than “givers.” And because they are inherently needy, they really are not capable of leading others. They can consume more than their fair share of our time, and if allowed to constantly “hang out” in our BCM centers, can create a negative environment.

Tourists
These students can generally be characterized as “floaters” who never join. They don’t easily invest themselves and are always shopping for their best options. They love a cafeteria environment, where they have maximum choice and are always searching for their best options. They may be sharp and talented, making a great first impression, but they don’t easily invest themselves or give themselves to a cause, since their main cause is themselves. This makes them very frustrating to connect with in a meaningful way, especially as one who will be committed as a leader in your BCM. Their seeming self-absorption blinds them to the needs of others and to what it takes to lead others.

Pilgrims
Pilgrims are a rare find. These are those students who know more about who they are, where they fit, what they can do, and what they want to do both while in college and in the future. They understand that they both can and should make a contribution to those causes they believe in. They more easily make commitments to give and to serve. They invest themselves with a goal of wanting to make a difference and want to be a part of a movement of like-minded persons who believe in a cause, and then they act to support that cause.

These are the kinds of students who are magnetic with their fellow students. Students who are less sure of their direction are drawn to Pilgrims who seem to be natural leaders, have ideas, and seem to know where they want to go. They are often charismatic because of their clear sense of direction. These are the kinds of students we are always looking for in our BCM because they make great leaders. The leader among the Pilgrims is often the person we see as the natural choice for a president.

Pilgrims also make great summer missionaries. Where we often get in trouble with summer missions appointments is when we accidentally get a Refugee or Tourist on the field, and they have not fully understood that their experience will fully challenge their worldview. It is doubtful whether Refugees or Tourists can serve either in primary leadership or summer missions positions in our BCM programs without a great deal of mentoring and guidance.

Weaver McCracken, Ph.D.

Director, Collegiate Ministry

Mississippi Baptist Convention