Is Your Ministry Broken or Bent…a Little?
None of us who do college ministry would argue that our ministry is ALL we want it to be or hope it will become. Some ministries have become broken over time or as the result of neglect, etc. have just dwindled. Over this past spring, I have tried to give thought to and determine […]
A New “Tradition”
In discussing how we did collegiate ministry here in Pennsylvania/South Jersey a few years back, a fellow campus minister from another region said, “We don’t do traditional Baptist collegiate ministry in our area.” That got me wondering what he meant. Was he thinking of a BSM building, with offices for paid staff and with meeting […]
Introduce Your New Friends to Jesus
A few years ago Kathy and I adopted our first international student; a young woman from China. We met in a park near the university where she was studying law. As we sat down to eat lunch and get to know each other better, we couldn’t believe it when God opened the door for us […]
Why Every Day Is Like Opening Day
For every fan of Major League Baseball, Opening Day is something special. Baseball parks are spruced up. There are new rosters. Teams are a mere 162 games away from their first game in the playoffs. Opening Day is a day full of hope for every baseball fan (even Cubs fans – sorry, couldn’t resist […]
Third Place for International Students
For eight years, every Friday night during the academic year our ministry hosted students for a free meal and a chance to practice English, make friends, and talk about topics that allowed us to share our worldviews. We played music, learned about different cultures, looked forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. We […]
You can reach the nations right here in the United States
In this podcast, Chase Jenkins in Durham NC talks with the No Campus Left podcast about the ministry of First Baptist Durham to international students. Chase brings a lot of energy and wisdom about reaching the nations right here in the United States. For the link click here
How to Get International Students Connected With the Local Church
One of the bedrock principles God has used to guide my heart in evangelism came from a statement in Oscar Thompson, Jr.’s book on relationship evangelism, Concentric Circles of Concern. It is found in the first few sentences in Chapter 1. He said, “The most important word in the English language apart from proper nouns, […]
Church Spotlight: FBC Jackson College Ministry
First Baptist Church Jackson is a 178-year-old downtown church that has maintained an active college ministry for the past 35 years. Centrally located in the metro Jackson area, there are over 30,000 college students attending school within a 20-mile radius of FBC Jackson. The church reaches several small private colleges, one larger state university, and several […]
4 Common Reasons for a Broken College Ministry
I am currently attempting to do a writing project entitled, “Fixing a Broken College Ministry.” I have received lots of great input, questions, and interest. One obvious question is, “How did it get broken?” or “What will it take to fix it?” Knowing why a college ministry is broken is part of deciding what is […]
Campus Ministry Spotlight: Tarleton State University
Our campus ministry spotlight for this quarter is Tarleton State University, a D2 school (13,000 students) in the small town of Stephenville, TX (20,000 people). Tarleton is known as the poor man’s party school. Traditionally, Tarleton has been a regional school, attracting students from the surrounding communities. However, in recent years, the school has begun to […]