In a recent conversation with some of our campus ministers, I asked how those in ministry with youth in local churches could help students stay connected to the church as they leave for college.  I’ll share a few of their thoughts in a moment, but first I’m excited to introduce the following link where you can refer students directly to one of our campus-affiliated ministries in Indiana:  www.youthministryconnection.org/college-connect.   Simply select the school the young person will be attending (on each of the 13 campuses listed we have affiliated ministries), fill out the form, and the information will be forwarded directly to the campus minister on that campus!

Now for 5 ideas from our campus ministers’ conversations:

1.  Get beyond the broad recommendation made to students to plug into a church or ministry somewhere.

Too often in my ministry I would encourage graduating seniors to get involved in a church or campus ministry and send a note or give them a call as they started school in the Fall, but that is where my effort ended.  If we’re truly committed to continued growth and discipleship for our young people when they leave for college, then perhaps we should invest more to help with the transition.  Which brings me to the second thought from our campus ministers.

2.  Help make a campus ministry or church connection personal.

All of our campus ministers emphasized that a cold call or visit to a young person recommended to them does not compare to a truly personal connection.  Some ideas:  Go to campus with the student and arrange a lunch or dinner with the student and the campus minister.  Can’t make it yourself, then do the work to set up such a meeting with the student and his or her parents.

3.  Emphasize campus ministry possibilities early.

Don’t wait until they are seniors to help students connect to the value and importance of campus ministries.  Many of our ministries, including our United Methodist universities, are excited about partnering with local churches.  Invite a campus ministry student to participate in worship or lead a Bible study one night, or explore a joint mission opportunity, or invite campus ministry students to help lead a retreat.  Your youth will make a natural connection and see a kind of ministry they want to be a part of in their future.

4.  Make senior transition a priority!

Many of us agree that helping our seniors transition to college is important, but unsure of just what to do we don’t schedule time or make it a true priority, and then we get busy with youth activity in the Fall as our former students are making the transition.  So what can we do?  Schedule a week or two in the summer dedicated to connecting students to churches or ministries in their new campus community.  Or, if you are blessed with great volunteers, assign a volunteer to helping students make the personal connection as their sole responsibility at the start of the Fall term.

5.  Think partnership!

Ministry with students is filled with transitions.  For those who are not parents, our time of direct influence in a student’s life is short as they transition in and out of our select area of ministry.  Our influence does not have to end, however, if we see the bigger picture of sharing the faith and see ministers in our campus communities not simply as the next area of ministry for students, but as our partners in sharing the love of Christ.  Contact a campus minister or chaplain near you, or where students from your church attend school, and explore how you can be more than just separate steps in the faith the development of students – partners together in the amazing blessing of ministry with students.

Youth Specialties this month released a list of the 20 most visited youth ministry blogs.  To see the list, click here.  There is some great stuff out there, but the list raised a question for me.  There is so much out there today you could spend hours reading all the great information and ideas in the blogosphere.  But what do you need?  What is it that helps you grow in your ministry with youth?  If you could pay someone to sift through all these blogs and find just what you needed, what would you ask them to look for?

People often think of youth ministry as important to the future leadership of our churches, but we who are in youth ministry know that vital ministry with our youth isn’t simply about the future.  A congregation that invests in the spiritual growth of its young people often sees growth in the whole of the community.  A new research study released recently can help you share this fact with leadership in your congregation.  The study of more than 2500 congregations from a variety of denominations states:

“There is rising interest in youth ministry. While not strongly associated with attendance growth, a strong relationship was found between youth ministry programs and increasing spiritual vitality of the congregation.”

For more details on the study you can check out the article from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership here, which has a link to the full study.