Archive for the 'Calling' Category

College Students as Exiles

Published on January 2, 2012 by Chris Bean in Calling, Campus Ministry, Faith, Gospel and worldview.

As I was looking back over Steve Lutz‘ recent book on missional college ministry, one particular idea resonates with a challenge I have encountered in my own context of campus ministry at the University of Cincinnati.

During my 15 years of working with high school students as a youth pastor, I know that I was often guilty of making a statement like this: “Be careful not to lose your faith on the big bad campus of ___________.” Beware of Babylon!

And unfortunately, many of our Christian/churched kids enter their college years with an unhealthy temptation to disengage from the campus and culture.

Jeremiah 29 contains a letter written to the exiles who found themselves in a situation somewhat similar to that of a college student. Diversity, pluralism, humanism, a hedonistic culture…there are plenty of forces which seem to work against the fragile faith and worldview of many young Christians. But the surprising word to those exiles via the prophet Jeremiah included these verses:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

God intended for the exiles to have an impact on the culture around them…to engage it. Instead of fearing the new environment and assuming an isolated and antagonistic posture towards it, the mission of God included prayerfully investing their lives (building houses, families, relationship, influence, etc) in the place where God had positioned them for this season.

I believe God has equal concern for the habitat of college students…universities, dorms, fraternity houses, classrooms, etc.

“We can’t look at college as a rest stop on the way to the rest of our lives. God wants us to engage our mission field.” (Lutz, 57 of College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture)

Especially when I observe many Christian students at college, I see that they tend towards a couple of mistakes:

  • Seeing the campus environment as something to avoid and by which not to be spiritually tainted
  • Missing God’s mission for their time on campus because they see college simply as the means to their own personal success in life

There’s another way to live and invest the resources of Christ (Gospel, faith, your life) in such a way that our sent-ness results in the welfare of the city/campus.

For those engaged in the field of campus ministry who want to press in a little more on this missional approach, I highly recommend Steve Lutz’ book on the subject. Check this out for a more comprehensive review of Steve’s book from fellow campus minister Guy Chmieleski.

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The Goal: “Perfect” Disciples

Published on November 28, 2011 by Chris Bean in Calling, Campus Ministry, discipleship, Faith and Gospel.

There’s a quick easy read on discipleship by John Stott, which ended up being the first title I tackled during my most recent retreat for study and prayer. Stott called attention to 8 neglected aspects of Christian discipleship. For more information on his book, The Radical Disciple, check out this link.

One of the chapters discussed maturity from the context of Colossians 1:28 and I was reminded of the significance of my own calling to disciple college students. Some scholars believe that Paul was addressing an early form of Gnostic heresy in his letter to the believers in Colossae. The problem was manifesting itself in a false dichotomy between average and elite Christians. (Get a quick overview of Gnosticism here).

I find that this particular heresy continues to be quite rampant in Christianity today. Many believe that there are varying degrees of Christian commitment which are acceptable to God and He doesn’t actually require holiness or “perfection” from everyone. But Paul sends a kill shot right into the heart of this heresy when he reminds the Colossian Christians what he is all about:

“Him we proclaim, warning EVERYONE and teaching EVERYONE with ALL wisdom, that we may present EVERYONE mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”   Colossians 1:28-29 (ESV)

The Greek word for maturity or perfection is teleios and shows up 19 times in the New Testament. Whenever it is used, there’s a comparative not an absolute sense of the word which is in play. A mature/perfect disciple is NOT absolutely mature/perfect without any further room for growth but mature/perfect in comparison to a newborn…or a spiritual infant. So the implication is that Christian maturity is an expectation of a disciple (“radical” as Stott points out in the root sense of the word).

In the context of campus ministry, this goal or calling can be quite challenging because of the complexities, transitions, competitive demands which characterize the average college student or young adult. However, that could be said of high school students and senior citizens just depending on the day. The deeper challenge is helping a student have a grander vision for their own spiritual journey than occasional church attendance or participating in a weekly fellowship/bible study. Following Christ demands a singular focus and commitment which leaves many Christians occasionally saying “Lord, Lord…” but mostly living for “Me, Me…” (Matthew 25:44)

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My #1 Challenge

Published on October 3, 2011 by Chris Bean in Calling, Campus Ministry and Finances.

The question is often posed to me, “What are the biggest challenges of being a campus minister?”

And I often skip over my #1 challenge because I think people are looking more for answers like:

  • the pluralistic environment of campus ministry
  • the transient nature of young adults
  • the high degree of authenticity which college students require
  • etc, etc

But my #1 challenge is certainly financial sustainability. Obviously, not all campus ministers have to deal with this particular issue. Those in church-based college ministry often receive a consistent paycheck and have a budget for programming etc. That is not to say that all of my campus ministry peers who receive a salary from the organization are totally exempt from this pressure. Some may not be raising support for their individual salary, but they are expected to find new streams of fiscal resources to sustain ministry to the college and university campuses they engage.

Although I have posted previously about the benefits of this model of campus ministry (especially the partnering model which the CCO uses), I would be lying if I said the constant stress of being under-funded isn’t my #1 challenge. And after two years of working pretty hard towards becoming fully-funded…we have yet to close the gap. The financial anxiety of raising support is the ONLY thing that could keep me from enjoying this calling for the next 20 years!

However, in the midst of this challenge…we celebrate God’s faithfulness! The fact that God has provided for us during the last two years in such a way that we were able to buy a home this past summer is bordering miraculous. We continue to trust, that in God’s timing, we will reach our goal of being 100% funded. Often, when we least expect it…God brings someone across our path who wants to give $100, $50, or $30/month towards our ministry of transforming college students in Cincinnati. When that happens, God’s ability to provide never ceases to blow us away.

If you’d like to be one of those who partner with us to put that piece of the ministry in place, click on the $upport link above.   ;-)

 

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