It’s official—Fall is here. If your weather is anything like Tennessee’s weather (where I live), then you probably need to see this announcement on a blog. It is still 93 degrees. Can it really be Autumn? Even though the temps don’t feel like it yet, not only is Fall coming, but we are in it! Young adult ministry can be like that at times. We’re in the trenches with people. Real life journeys. Real life problems. We know and trust that God is moving, but we don’t always see the immediate signs. We can often look back with hindsight … [Read more...]
Why True Connections Matter
Have you ever read a familiar story in Scripture and been surprised by how “fresh” an encounter from the pages of the Bible can be? That was me this morning. I was reading (actually listening to) Mark 5 and found myself drawn into the story of Jesus healing the woman from bleeding who simply touched His robe in the midst of the large crowd. I was captivated by the woman’s faith and understanding of Jesus. I was captivated by the needs of the crowd that pressed in to be near Jesus. But, most of all, I was captivated by Jesus Himself. … [Read more...]
Say Hello to CollegeMinistry.com
For those of us in young adult ministry, we are always looking for new ideas, the latest resource, and a community of practitioners who understand why we do what we do. If that sounds like you, be sure to check out a new website that was created for college ministry leaders by Baptist Collegiate Network (BCNet). BCNet is made up of folks like you who are on the front lines of ministry. You can find this new tool at www.collegeministry.com, but let me give you a little insight into the most important features! Downloadable … [Read more...]
Does Technology Help Us or Hurt Us When Discipling Young Adults?
Words like Bible study, memorization, fasting, prayer, and solitude are synonymous with the process of discipleship. You can’t grow as a disciple of Jesus without intentionally spending time in God’s Word and developing spiritual disciplines that help you submit to His Kingdom and ways. Though distractions from engaging in spiritual disciplines have always existed, young adults today have a whole new arsenal of distractions that seek to pull them away from what matters most. From Netflix to Nintendo Switch, new technologies can be a … [Read more...]
What are College Students and College Ministry Leaders REALLY Most Interested In?
I don’t know about you, but it seems like I’m in lots of meetings and conversations that try to evaluate and get to the bottom of what young adults, college students, and college ministry leaders are really thinking about, struggling with, and where they are wanting to see change. Sometimes, we are able to guess correctly, and other times, we may end up missing the mark. But, as a part of my day-to-day work, I get to manage some events for college students and college ministry leaders, and I can tell pretty clearly some of the topics … [Read more...]
5 Change-Ups for Summertime Ministry
Summer is almost here! Whether you lead a college ministry or invest in the lives of young adults in some other capacity, the summer can be a great opportunity to change up your normal ministry rhythms to try out some new ideas and to add some much-needed REST to your annual calendar. Every ministry context is different, but perhaps one of these summer ideas will be a good way to change up your typical ministry plan. Don’t do the discussion. By this, I mean don’t YOU lead the discussion. Vibrant discussion is always a key … [Read more...]
4 Characteristics to Consider When Selecting College Student/Young Adult Leaders in Ministry
It’s that time of year when many college and young adult ministries are selecting leaders for the new year or semester. Giving young adults an opportunity to step into leadership roles allows opportunities to develop their spiritual gifts, explore future and deeper ministry involvement, and fulfill a greater call on their lives to invest in God’s Kingdom. These are all great things, but if young adults have never truly served in a leadership role before, you may be wondering what non-negotiable traits they need to possess and what … [Read more...]
3 Habits for Handling Hot Topics
If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media lately, you know there is no shortage of hot topics hitting our news feeds these days. Abortion, politics, racism, gender issues, and the list goes on and on. These are not simple, trivial topics but rather culture-shaping issues that the college students and young adults in our ministries are grappling with daily. Young adults have unprecedented access to information on these topics, but— perhaps like never before— they are craving the help of a community or mentor to help them … [Read more...]
3 Potential New Ministry Emphases for the New Year
Happy New Year! You can’t post a blog at the beginning of January and not somehow mention the new year, resolutions, starting, re-starting, or something of the sort, right? How about three potential NEW ministry emphases for the new year? If you work with college students or young adults, January is always a great opportunity to re-visit your ministry strategy. If you are looking for some ideas to breathe new life into your ministry to young adults, here are a few ideas to consider: 1. NEW Missions Emphasis Perhaps nothing … [Read more...]
What is the ONE Bible Study to Teach Young Adults?
Fall is always a busy season of travel for me. Lots of conferences. Lots of training events. Lots of opportunities to see my college and young adult ministry friends and colleagues across the country. With the travel, of course, comes lots of GREAT conversations about ministering to this new generation of young adults … and LOTS of questions. Probably the most common question I get is something along the lines of, “If you could only teach one thing, use one resource, or center ministry around one thing in the coming semester, what … [Read more...]