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Reach International Students, Reach the World

Posted on by baptistcollege

International students are on our campuses this fall and in large numbers – one million studying in the U.S.  These students represent countries from all over the world, many of which are from countries where we could not openly share the Gospel. 

As fall approaches, it is good to develop a plan to reach out and befriend internationals. They have many needs: adjusting to a new culture, transportation, friendship, and an understanding of who Jesus really is. 

Here are some steps for to consider as you plan:

  1. Find ways to make contact with students. The international office on campus can be a gateway to connecting with international students.  Making contact with leaders of international clubs can also help in meeting international students.
  2. Find events where internationals will gather – attend these events and make international friends.
  3. Plan an outreach event that internationals might enjoy – an outing to a local attraction or a meal at a BCM/BSM center or in a home. Then invite internationals to come. Avoid pork or beef entrees as these meats can be  offensive for some students.
  4. Offer English classes to students who need extra help with English.
  5. Enlist families to host students for meals throughout the semester.
  6. Plan holiday events where internationals are invited.
  7. Take time to get to know internationals, learning about their culture, family, dreams, and needs.
  8. Let students know of the importance of your faith in Christ as you naturally have conversations.
  9. Pray for ways to connect and ways to share Christ with international students.
  10. Enlist a team of students and church volunteers who commit to engage with and care for internationals.

I have found that international students are some of the easiest to befriend and also very grateful for friendship. I have also discovered that many internationals have misunderstandings about Christianity and what it really means to follow Christ.  So, sharing life, friendship, and conversation can help internationals see the grace and truth of Jesus. 

The steps above are just suggestions and not all inclusive. You may want to be more educated on more ways to relate to internationals and how to best reach them. Here are some resources I suggest you check out – they provide excellent information.

  1. Every International | Everyinternational.com (You will need to create a free account to access webinars, etc.)
  2. Arkansas Go2 International Student Ministry | Argo2.org/ism
  3. Association of Christians Ministering Among Internationals (ACMI) | ACMI-ISM.org
  4. Reaching Internationals |  reachinginternationals.com

Teresa Royall is a Campus Expansion Consultant in Georgia. You can email her at troyall.bcm@gabaptist.org. 

Want more information about resources on connecting with international students? Sign up here: https://ismbaptist.net/connect.

Reaching Freshmen 

Posted on by baptistcollege

One of the most important components of reaching freshmen is securing their name and contact information. Here are ways we do so at our BCM.  

How to Secure Names and Contact Information of Freshman 

 

1. Names from local and state churches. 

(1) State events
(2) Local Association Camps
(3) Attending at BCM events such as our Senior Night
(4) Letters/Emails to all SBC pastors, church secretaries and youth ministers of our state. Our State Convention office sends an email to every pastor,   every church secretary and every youth minister in the state requesting the name, contact information and college choice of the High School Seniors of the church. 

2. Orientations of Your College/University

These are all of critical importance for a church or campus based collegiate ministry. We have a table at each LSU orientation for new students. 

3. Christian High Schools in your State

There are 4,118 Christian High Schools in the US. I would suggest contacting those in your state in February to request the contact information and college choice of their graduating high school seniors. In Louisiana, we network out the names through our state BCM Directors. (Click here for Christian High School Senior email resource.) 

4. Christian High School Co-ops

There are 1,586 Christian High School Co-ops in the US. We contact them in February to request the name, contact information and college choice of their graduating High School Seniors. 

5. FCAs in your State

We contact the State FCA Director to secure area and local contacts for this. 

6. National Summer Conferences

(1) Fuge
(2) Student Life 

7. Instagram Class of 28

We follow all of them that will be attending LSU. If they follow us back we send them a message asking them if they would like to receive a Welcome Bag from our BCM. It will include a BCM shirt and stickers. See U of A info and U of South Carolina info below. We got the idea from them. 

8. Other Freshmen

In all contact to other Freshmen we ask for names and cell numbers of their friends. 

9. Parents Survey

We send a letter to “The Parents of” every freshmen whose names we secure. We ask the parent to partner with us to help their son or daughter get involved in our ministry. We include a Parent Survey they can fill out about their son or daughter. 

10. Information Table

In front of the LSU Union during the Welcome Week and the first week of classes. (Click here for a sample of our BCM Ministry Information flyer.) 

 

How the BCM at LSU Connects with the Freshmen 

  1. Through e-Newsletters (mail chimp) (Click for url link.)
  2. Through Texts – Personal and Group (Clearstream) 
  3. Telephone 
  4. Inviting High School Seniors to be involved in the BCM during their senior year in High School. 
  5. High School Senior Night at a worship service in April. 
  6. Class of 28 Group Me.  
  7. Tiger Saturdays – We sponsor three of them. They begin at 12 noon and last until  dark. They include share groups, games, food, an upperclassmen panel, kayaking,  fishing, and swimming. (Click here to see our Tiger Saturday flyer.)
  8. Welcome Week Events – Waffle Night, Trivia Night, Cookout, Glow Night, Game Night, Survival  
  9. Follow Up System – For freshmen that attend a BCM ministry 
  10. Freshmen Bible Study Groups 
  11. Formation of a Freshmen Praise Band each year.  
  12. Formation of a Freshmen Leadership Team. 
  13. Participation in our State Fall Collegiate Conference. 
  14. Participation in our Mexico Mission Trip. 
  15. Discipleship Partners 
  16. Promotion of Church Involvement – Our local church based ministers that help  sponsor our BCM ministries are invited to the Tiger Saturdays and all of our Welcome Week events. Our goal is that a student is involved in the BCM and a local church. All freshmen are assigned to a local church member to be prayed for during the upcoming school year. (Click here for the Prayer Partner Ministry flyer.) 

Steve Masters 
Email: lsubcm@eatel.net 
Phone: 225-964-0830

 

How Other BCM’s Reach Freshmen 

Here is info from several other BCM’s, BSU’s, BSM’s with information of how they reach freshmen. Thanks to the BCM, BSU, and BSM staff that provided this information.  

 

Reaching Freshmen 
Tarleton BSM 

 

Youth Groups 

  • Call Youth Pastors around your state each year. Gather graduating senior information for any college or university. Forward those to the appropriate BSM/BCM. Contact the ones attending Tarleton. 
  • We have also began hosting open houses, missions training, and student panels to different youth groups. They have been successful. 

Social Media 

  • Follow #tarleton2028 and the page “Tarleton Class of 2028” 
  • Go follow every freshman on that hashtag and page. 
  • Everyone who follows us will receive a message funneling them towards an online connection card. 

Outreach During School 

  • Move freshmen in 
  • Post up at Walmart during move-in weekend 
  • Do information tables somewhere everyday the first two weeks of school
  • Door to door invites and “trash pickup” 

This is not an exhaustive list but it is a good starting point. We are not allowed to table at orientations, but we will be around campus in unofficial ways. 

Megan Trotter 
Tarleton BSM 
Phone: 903-239-9003 
Megan.trotter@texasbaptists.org 

 

University of Arkansas BCM 
Freshmen Strategies 

 

Before Welcome Week

We aim to get as many freshmen contacts as possible before the new school year starts. We do this through:

  1. A High School Senior Night in the Spring.
  2. Contacting Churches and well attended Christian camps in the summer
  3. Involvement at every incoming freshmen orientation session during the summer. We send every one of these contacts a small gift in the mail during the summer and begin texting them invitations to our welcome week events. 

During Welcome Week

We try to host the best events on campus to connect with students: Corn Hole tournaments,  Lawn Parties, University of Arkansas Football Stadium Tour. We start our weekly programming during Welcome Week so that students can get into the  routine of coming weekly from the start. 

After Welcome Week

We follow-up one-on-one with everyone whose contact information we have via text, personal meet-ups, and small group hangouts. We run a weekly “FreshLife” program for the first month of  the fall aimed to help freshmen meet new friends and connect to BCM and local churches. 

Ryan Scantling 
BCM Campus Minister of University of Arkansas 
Phone: 479-264-5405
Email: HogBCM.com 

 

Freshman Experience at OU 

 

Fresh10 | Recruiting & Gaining Contacts. 

  • For 10 days after moving we have inclusive and fun events where we meet and get contacts for as many new people as possible. 
  • Recruiting ministry goal of 2000 contacts before September  
    • Examples of Fresh10 events: 10pm-1am pancake & live music event that usually sees 600-700, Line dancing, Volleyball tournament, and karaoke/game night 
    • We have a coffee shop and give away around 2000 free drinks to freshmen each fall. They give us names and fill out our survey, and then we follow up with event information  and personal requests to have gospel appointments and visits. 
    • We table a lot and get around 300-500 names within the first 2 weeks of school. We often give away items via raffle in exchange for names. 
    • We call churches in Oklahoma and ask for contact info for incoming students. 

Freshman Challenge | Relationship Form and Contacts Find Belonging. 

  • The tagline for the night and the challenge is “Find purpose and a place to belong”.
  • Freshman Challenge is a large meeting/small group for freshmen. We recruit for this event, but then divide students into small groups based on housing. 
  • Every group has 3-4 upperclassmen small-group leaders who form a missional team called a CORE team. 
  • Freshman Challenge Night Components: 
    • The evening usually has competitive games that accumulate in a house system style point system (competition is fierce). 
    • Usually a leader or staff will present a 10-12 minute Ted Talk on a subject like “prayer,” then we divide up into student leader-led groups to discuss the topic. 
    • The event goes from 8-9:30 with snacks at the end. Groups typically get done around the same time and a party vibe ensues. 
    • CORE team leaders are responsible for follow-up with group attendees throughout the week. 
    • We try to recruit as many freshmen as possible to have a discipleship relationship as fast as possible (this relationship could be a discipleship group or 1-to-1). 

Freshman CORE Leadership | Moving from Connected to Contributors. 

  • We started many years ago having a leadership meeting for new students (mostly freshmen). 
  • The style of the night is classroom and accountability-group focused. The meeting lasts one hour and usually has a discipleship & leadership topic/teaching, scripture memory for the week and weekly review of a portion of the book “Fuel & the Flame” which they are required to read to be in this leadership cohort. 
  • 1 of the C.O.R.E. questions are asked each week in smaller groups:
    • How has CONNECTING with God been this week? 
    • How have you OBEYED God’s word this week?
    • Who have you been able to RETELL God’s story with this week? 
  • Contribution starts with students attending serving at our large group and/or hosting an evangelistic bible study in their dorm (led by upperclassman leaders or staff). 
    • Hosting a bible study is a big push for us and a big ask 

Retreat Early 

We have a retreat in September that is very important to get freshmen at. 

SHANE KAMMERER | BCM 
University of Oklahoma | 1203 Elm Ave. Norman, OK | 73072 
Phone: (940) 368.8581  
www.oubcm.com 

 

Mississippi State University BSU 
BASIC Training 

 

Schedule:

2 days before classes begin; recently this has been held on Monday & Tuesday and classes begin on Wednesday 

Theme:

Student team selects theme; sessions, schedule, and helps interview Family Group Leaders 

Format:

4 large group worship sessions are led by a speaker and a band. Other activities involve family group activities, games, panel discussion, meals, late night option, and local church introduction (family groups rotate in the BSU building to meet and hear about local church opportunities for students). 

Timeline:

  • Spring Semester – Family Group Leader applications and interviews. Each family group has a male and female leader. There are 17 Freshmen groups and 6 Transfer groups; therefore, 46 leaders are needed. 
  • Summer – recruitment at all of the summer orientations, seeking to inform and enlist as many newly enrolled students as possible. We also are able to obtain a list of Baptist preference students. From this master list, we send multiple mailings, email, texts, and a phone call. Students register for the event online. There is a $30 fee that is charged that includes a t-shirt, program cost and all meals. 
  • BASIC Training – students are placed in groups according to their entering as a freshman or a transfer student. These leaders are tasked to lead 8-12 students in small group and large group activities. These range from games, small group Bible studies, and large group activities. 
  • After BASIC Training – These groups are asked to meet weekly for the fall semester and most choose to also meet the spring semester. They go through a book of the Bible that is selected for them.

Challenges:

  1. Packed calendar – Campus events stacked before the start of school (Greek recruitment, New Maroon Camp, Band Camp, other start up events, etc). The university calendar could drastically alter or cause this event to cancelled. 
  2. Getting names of new students Each school has different policies about providing new student info to faith based groups. Groups need to expand their reach of getting names (churches with graduating seniors, Super Summer, camps, community college transfers, etc). 

Micheal Ball 
MSU BSU Director 
Cell: 662-312-8655 
Email: michael@msubsu.com 

 

University of South Carolina BCM 
Freshmen Strategies 

 

1. High School Senior Night in the Spring before fall.

Huge win for students already connected to our ministry to invite people they know. We recognized that you only really need to have 5%-10% of the room be high school seniors to have a successful night. There is many positive things that come from our current students starting to think about recruiting people they know and if they are invited but don’t come it starts the conversation.  

2. Orientation at the university in the summer.

This is a no brainer. We get tons of contacts from this in the summer.  

3. Open House.

This is a USC specific thing but they do a guide for local businesses for students to check out while they are in on the two days orientation. Our BCM Center is one of the featured buildings to check out. USC runs 20+ orientation during the summer. Some we only get a few that come and check out the open house. However, sometimes there are ten to fifteen students that come by.  

4. Welcome Bags.

We promote this really heavy and use it as a promotional tool but any student we connect with during the late spring to summer process we give them a bag that has: Flyer, Wrist Bands, T Shirt, and a handwritten card. We will deliver these bags in the late summer after we have collected contact information from students. The ones in SC we will deliver them and the ones of people in different places we will mail them. We will not mail the shirt but we will put a voucher for a free shirt that they can get when they get to campus. 

5. Coffee/Food Meet ups.

Outside of Columbia, the two largest counties in SC that feed into USC are in Greenville, SC and Charleston, SC. We have set dates that we will go to those  areas and meet up with students that we have contacts on. We do this later in the summer. Our state convention works to secure contact information from camps throughout the summer. Usually, we connect with local ministers in the area that help with the recruiting efforts. We will usually pick another area or two that is manageable to do a meet up at as well, depending on where contacts are coming from through the summer from welcome bag sign ups.

6. Statewide organization at campus and with youth ministries to secure contacts.

Our state convention puts in a lot of effort to connect with youth pastors and help the process of transition.  As well as some awesome churches and youth pastors that will make individual calls to BCM’s across the state to get their students plugged in. 

7. Alumni prayer walking and contacts.

USC has many alumni in the local area. MANY of them serve in their churches and are strong relational contacts for us. We do a prayer walking night and emphasis in prayer to help them recruit and connect students to the BCM that they know personally. 

8. Social media.

We make a strong push on social media to connect with students by following accounts connected to freshman. When they follow us, we will reach out, share info about the ministry, and ask them if they would like a welcome bag. 

9. Move-in help.

We will help with move in days at the university. 

10. New student focused events.

The first week we are planning multiple events that new students can connect with and utilize multiple churches at each of those events to host, connect  and promote Sunday morning opportunities that they can connect with corporate worship. 

11. Foundations.

During the three weeks of each semester, we offer a spiritual discipline and leadership time for new students to connect with each other and dig into the basic disciplines that will help them create God honor rhythms for college. We call the hour and half time “Foundations”. 

Adam Venters
BCM Director at The University of South Carolina
Phone: 425-202-6512
Email: adamventers@scbaptist.org 

 

Sam Houston State 
Freshman Outreach 

 

During the Summer

  • Attend and table at all freshman orientations 
  • Gathering contacts all summer and following up with a personal text from our student leaders to invite them to our Welcome Week events in the Fall Semester. 

Freshman Move In

  • Have a team of students help move freshmen in and invite them to Welcome Week events. 
  • Table and hand out popsicles and water to new students and families moving in Bearkat kick off (freshman move in a week early to learn about campus and SH traditions) 
  • Table and hand out popsicles during the day while advertising for Welcome Week
  • Plan Barbecue at the B and Game nights 

Welcome Week

  • Have events starting from Friday night before school starts (for returning BSM students) casting vision for connection to new students 
  • Text all summer freshman contacts we received during Orientation 
  • Having events every night for the first week Saturday to Saturday (ultimate game night, water kickball, volleyball, Barbecue, Campus scavenger hunt, Sing-o etc.)
  • The goal is having our leadership team connect personally with every freshman that attends to invite to coffee or lunch for follow up. 
  • Advertise our small groups (Freshman to Senior) 

Second Week of School

  • Follow up, Follow up, Follow up
  • Goal is to get our upperclassman to approach incoming students that have connected for Dship groups. 
  • Start our weekly outreaches to the campus (Henna, Stickers/Soularium, Coffee, Spiritual Surveys) 
  • Advertise our Servant team opportunities to new students who want to connect and serve in our weekly outreaches. 

We strive to connect our upperclassmen to our underclassmen as much as possible whether that be through gospel appointments, small groups or discipleship. 

Chris Smith 
Director, BSM at Sam Houston State University 
Phone: 915-238-8511 
Email: bearkatbsm@gmail.com 

 

Oklahoma State University 
Freshmen Outreach 

 

New Student Orientations 

We partner with the school to work new student orientations on behalf of all faith based orgs and as a result are given all contact info of students that show interest in faith groups. This usually gives us a few hundred names to follow up with over the summer.  

Summer Camps 

We go to two different youth camps over the summer and meet with incoming students to OSU. We bring along current students who give them some insight on how BCM has helped them grow in their faith and connect to local churches. We also bring along info cards, stickers, and a free t-shirt so the students know we really care about them and want them to connect with our ministry when they mover to Stillwater in the fall.  

Welcome Week 

This is where we focus our main efforts in meeting freshmen. New students start moving in the Wednesday before classes start so we host an event on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of that week specifically designed to meet and engage with as many new freshmen as we can. We host a pizza party on Wednesday by the freshmen dorms and have students fill out a super simple form on our website to get the free pizza. Then we follow up the next day with everyone that filled out the form and checked the box that they wanted to stop by with a free gift. Thursday we host a worship night and give away free t-shirts to all who come and fill out the simple form. We follow up the next day as well with everyone that checked the box while getting a shirt. Friday we host a glow-in-the-dark ultimate Frisbee night to try to reach some of the more athletically inclined students. They play in a tourney, we have side games going on, and competitions for giveaways that help us gather info. Again, we follow up the next day with everyone who gave us permission to. In addition, on Saturday we host a sand volleyball and free snow-cone event where we give out free snow cones in Eskimo Joe’s cups (if you are from Oklahoma that makes sense, ha ha) that have the BCM logo on them.  

Then we take all that contact info and invite them to our freshmen Bible study that starts the next week.  

This has worked to be effective in reaching new freshmen. We have been having well over 100 freshmen each week to our freshmen Bible study over the last several years.  

Paul Lewis 
OSU BCM, Director 
Phone: 918-261-4863 
Email: plewis@oklahomabaptists.org

 

Caring For Students When They Come Home

Posted on by baptistcollege

You made it! You have students mobilized on the mission field and at camps.  You just sent this year’s graduates out with a great celebration.  You get a chance to unwind from the routine of midweek services, coordinating small groups, and student leader meetings.  It’s time to enjoy the summer and think about caring for students when they come home! 

While college campuses dwindle to a remnant of students, you as a church leader have an incredible opportunity to care for students when they come home.  By all means, rest and reset for the year, but also take advantage of the sweet time you get with these students who have been at another college campus.  

Use The First Summer

Caring for students when they come home is different.  They’ve been in the grind and are back to rest and reset like the rest of us.  There is even more free time available and less stress without a final looming over them. Caring for students starts the week they graduate from high school.  Using their first summer to connect with them immediately after high school graduation can change the whole college experience.  We would always be at  senior Sunday to welcome them into college. They need to know who you are and feel comfortable coming into the group.  We would also use the senior Sunday School teachers to help us connect.  They would pick a date to all walk over to the college department together so that nobody felt alone.  We would also take a group of students to tour the college they plan on attending in the fall. On that tour, we would introduce them to local college ministers and visit their churches.  Helping the High School Grads feel a part of the group in the summer will help them even more when they start on campus.  

Focus on Fellowship

Students feel cared for when they have a place to belong.  Another way to care for students in the summer is to plan a weekly event with a high focus on fellowship. We always tried to do our Bible studies in a home if possible, and if they had a pool, even better.  Each week we would eat dinner, pray and study the Bible,  and then have fun.   In the summer, you should expect the group to change, the first half of the summer will be different than the second half.  The first half of summer, students may not be taking a class, or they may be waiting on camp to start or a job to line up.  Prepare yourself to watch the group change and adapt to the needs.  

Get Creative with Connections

Sometimes, caring for students who come home means we don’t forget them.  Students may feel forgotten when they get home and they are alone.  One way we connected with students was sending post cards or care packages.  If a student is away at camp, we would get our group to write them a note and send it with some of their favorite snacks.  We would also send welcome packages with hand written notes to incoming freshmen.  This gave the summer group a way to serve and connect with other students.  This also meant the world to the student receiving the care package.  They knew the group back home loved them and couldn’t wait to see them again. 

Plan a Retreat

Another part of caring for students is giving them an opportunity to get away together.  We would end the summer and simultaneously kick off the school year with a beach retreat or collegiate week.  The beach retreat was the highlight of every summer.  We would pile them up in a retreat center in Gulf Shores for a few days.  The days would be semi-scheduled with volleyball tournaments and the evenings would end with a worship service and share time.  The students tended to make their own traditions, like giving the worst sunburn award and making it a competition of staying up the entire night before we head home.  On the last night, students share their excitements and fears about the upcoming year and we would pray together.  Collegiate week was the same.  It was a time to get away and get to know students from other campuses.  It was always a meaningful time to end the summer.  

Church Connections

As summer ends, students start heading back to their campuses, ready for another year.  If they haven’t connected with a church at their campus, help them find a place.  You may have some connections with other campus ministers that would help.  You can be their advocate and bridge the gap for them.  

Summertime can be the most fun time of the year to work with College students.  Plan a weekly gathering, a few fun events and an end of summer sendoff, and your students will feel like they have been cared for while they are home.  At the same time, your ministry isn’t starting over but is energized and ready to reach the campus.  

Cody Albritton is the Discipleship Pastor at North Monroe Baptist Church in Louisiana. You can follow him on Instagram @codyalbritton.

Making the Most of Your Summers

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When I think of collegiate ministry, I equate the year-long experience to an incredible ride down the rapids of the middle section of the Ocoee River in southeast Tennessee.  The fall semester is the immediate launch into Class III rapids called “Grumpy.”  It is typical to be launched out of the boat with the only choice of riding the rapids with your body tucked and your feet in front of you until you reach the calm waters a few hundred yards downstream.  And this is just the beginning of an exhilarating ride of Class III and IV rapids for several hours.  In the fall semester, instead of several hours, we have several months of full days of ministering to a strategic group who desperately needs to hear the Gospel, to mature in their faith, and come to a place where they can reproduce the Gospel into others’ lives on campus and beyond.  By the end of the spring semester, you come to the end of an incredible journey where you are completely exhausted.  But, like any journey, you need a quiet season to recuperate, which is called summers for us.  What do you do to make the most of this slower season of ministry?

Here are a few suggestions I have learned from my years of serving as a campus-based minister:

1. Celebrate the “wins” from the school year.  How have you seen God move in the lives of your students and yourself? 

Someone came to faith in Christ… a young leader grew in their leadership skills… a student who has a deeper, consistent, and growing walk with Jesus… a disciple-making student who has made a difference in the lives of other students… a student who overcame his/her fear to share the Gospel for the first time… a student who took the plunge to spend his/her summer on mission for Christ… etc.  I make sure to share these God stories with our ministry supporters.

2. Rest…Play…Recalibrate. 

There is no way you and I can keep a year-round pace like we live in the fall and spring.  Soon after students have departed for the summer, take some time to rest your body, mind, and soul.  Then play! You need a hobby that recharges you.  For me, it is exercising and fishing.  Then, I learned this next idea from a fellow campus minister.  I take two consecutive weeks off without doing any ministry-related activities.  I will take a week to enjoy with my immediate family and a second week just to be at home or visiting extended family.  This allows me to recalibrate to a more normal pace.

3. When I am not doing #1 and #2 in May and June, I work on personal development and the BCM facility and grounds. 

I want the BCM to be a student-friendly, welcoming, and functional place of ministry.  There are some maintenance needs that are best done when students are not around.  Additionally, I focus some time on personal development through reading and listening to others who have a pulse on Next Generational ministry and trends.

4. July is my “framing” season. 

This is where I take the input from student leaders from the end of the spring semester and my evaluation of the previous year to begin developing a “frame” for what the upcoming school year needs to look like.  I am consistently evaluating and making adjustments to improve the quality of the ministry from year to year.  Much of my evaluation and framing is built around connecting with new students those first three weeks of the semester, most effective practices of evangelism and strategies of evangelism for students, fine-tuning our discipleship model, making plans to teach and mobilize students to live on mission for Christ through our mission partners, and best practices to partner with local churches in significant ministry opportunities.

5. August is equipping and empowering the students and local churches…

to engage the campus through ministry platforms which focus on evangelism and disciple-making to “people-groups” on campus.

I pray you have an incredible summer of being recharged!

Ben Maddox is the Campus Minister at TN Tech BCM in Cookeville, TN. You can follow him on Instagram @benmaddox98 and the ministry @tntechbcm.

Including My Family in Ministry

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As a husband, father, and minister it is without question my family is my primary ministry calling. My wife and I are blessed with three children who are currently 22, 19, and 17. While I have always desired and prioritized my wife and children being involved in my ministry, each season has been different. The season we are currently in has been one of the most unique and challenging related to my family’s involvement in ministry. For most of our married life, my wife had part-time jobs and she ministered alongside me. She was the stereotypical minister’s wife who worked part-time plus for free. We wanted our children to minister with us teaching them how to serve others and live sacrificially. Now my wife has a full-time job and her availability is not the same. Our high school children have been busy with school, extracurricular activities, work, and hanging out with friends. Our college-age students are busy with the same sorts of things as they are becoming independent.

There are three things I have sought to do regularly and with intention related to my family’s involvement in ministry during this current season. 

The first is that their involvement is an option that is always available, but never a requirement or expectation.

When our kids were younger and my wife was not working full time, they were involved in most of the aspects of ministry because it was the rhythm of our family. As they grow older our kid’s faith has become their own. As they grow in their faith and find their own passions and interests, we offer them to be involved in the campus ministry I lead, but we do not force them to. My children and my wife know they are always welcome at anything we do, whether it is a time of worship, small group bible study, outreach, or just a fun event. I would love for them to be at everything, but I also realize it is just not possible and many times they don’t want to be, and that’s ok. Our middle child is currently in college and this semester is a participant in my campus ministry. I have loved every minute of it. I love seeing him grow in his faith as a college student and my son; it’s the best! When he is at our events I try to treat him just like any of the other college students. I want to give him his space and for people to know him as an individual rather than my son. Recently he went on a mission trip with our BSM. I gave him his space, treated him like one of the group, and of course stole moments as a dad to see how he was doing. It was so special having him there and seeing God work in and through him. It is not an expectation that I place on him as his dad though, it is his decision to be involved. 

Secondly, as our kids have entered adulthood, we are very careful concerning the ministry conversations we have in their presence.

We should always do this, but I feel it is even more important during this season. We do not want to gossip or be overly critical concerning ministry and the people involved in their presence. 

The third thing is the most important and probably the hardest. I strive to be the same person at work and home.

I want to be the same man at an event with college students as I am on Saturday doing chores with my wife and kids. If I am fun, energetic, and always talking about Christ at work but am grumpy and never speak of God at home what message does that send to my family as they witness both? If there is a disconnect between who I am when I minister and who I am at home it can have disastrous consequences on my marriage, my children’s faith, and for our relationship. My wife and teenage/young adult-children deserve the very best I have to offer, not the exhausted grumpy leftovers after a full day or week of leading and ministering.

Eric Hunter is the Campus Minister at West Texas A&M. You can follow the ministry on Instagram @wtamu_bsm. 

Preparing International Students as they Graduate or Transfer 

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As we befriend international students, inevitably they will graduate or transfer on to another college. Here are some suggestions on how to prepare them as they leave:

1.) Prepare them to be alert for facing culture shock as they leave their current college. If they go back home, they will have experienced change and it may take some adjustment being back home. If they transfer to another college, they will have another setting that most likely will not be like the college they are leaving. Help them be aware that all colleges are not the same.

2.) If they are an unbeliever, share the gospel with them and give them a way to access the Bible (an actual Bible or on through an app – the NLT is a good translation for international students). Even if you have already shared the gospel with them, it is good to share one more time.

3.) For Christians leaving, cast the vision for them to see the need to share Christ with people where they will be going – whether back home or another college.

4.) Help them give away any items they have accumulated but cannot take with them.

5.) Find ways to stay connected – there are many ways available – what’s app or Signal. Get their contact info and make plans to keep in touch. If you use Signal as a communication method, have the students download the app before leaving the country. Be aware that Facebook and Instagram may not work in their home country.

6.) For students transferring to another college, you can find out where the students can find Christian community.  ACMI (Association of Christians Ministering Among Internationals) has ACMI Link which gives info on Christian groups on various campuses. To access the Link you need to be a member of ACMI. Here is info on ACMI – https://www.acmi-ism.org/. If you decide to become a member, you will need an endorsement and you can contact Teresa Royall at troyall.bcm@gabaptist.org for this endorsement. You can also email Teresa who has access to our Baptist ISM workers and can try to find a BCM at the college where the student is going.

7.) For students going home IMB can sometimes find someone on the field who can connect with the returning student. You can contact John Barnett at jbarnett@imb.org.

8.) Celebrate their time with you before they go. You can do a special time of recognition and memory sharing one-on-one or in a group setting. Find out ways to pray for them and to encourage them as they go.

This information was discussed on last month’s International Student Ministry Call. If you have international students on your campus, you can greatly benefit from these calls! The next one is “Change: How can we face it well?” Join us at Thursday, April 11 at 2 pm ET. Sign up at ismbaptist.net/connect. 

Ministering to Indian Students

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There are thousands of Indian students coming to campuses in the United States. Most of these students are not Christians and come from a Hindu background. Our International Student Ministry team had Andy Pearce, with ISI, give some valuable insights on engaging Indian students at a recent zoom gathering. Here are some insights he shared:

Community:

To engage Indian students and build a friendship, it is good to remember that Indian students come from a collective culture, meaning that community is vastly important to them. Their community involves extended family and affects many decisions they make. 

Time:

Sharing the gospel in words does not make sense to Indian students. It takes living life with the students, sharing meals, showing care for their practical needs, in order to help them see the reality of the gospel. So, time is needed in order to effectively minister to them and build meaningful relationships. 

Spirituality:

Hinduism embraces many gods, and Indian students are fine with having Jesus as a god in their lives. But they have problems with believing that Jesus is the only God to worship. The students appreciate having Americans come to their festivals and gatherings. They like to share their food, but be aware it will most likely be spicy!

Resources:

Here are some worship songs that make sense to Hindus:  https://www.youtube.com/@aradhnamusic

Here is a website that is good for Hindu students to read about Jesus using familiar terms: https://muktimarga.com/

Here is a website that has articles, podcast and a video course: https://margnetwork.org/

What a great opportunity we have to engage Indian students while they are in the U.S. While it takes time to develop deep friendships, it is surely worth it as these students can encounter the grace and truth of Christ through us! -Teresa Royall, GA BCM

The International student ministry team has monthly Zoom calls in which they discuss and share helpful information like this. Recently on another call, Mike Shipman, IMB/Diaspora Ministry Collective, met with those in attendance to share about his book, Any 3, and share his experience in engaging Muslim students and people groups. The conversation was inspiring and encouraging as we develop relationships with students from this faith background. Mike challenged us from Scripture to not be ashamed or hesitant to begin spiritual conversations. Students from this background are open and willing to have these conversations. Several participants asked Mike questions about how to encourage fellow believers to join us in having Gospel conversations with Muslims as well as with those from other faith backgrounds, being aware of miscommunication of biblical truths, and what are the specific truths to remain focused on. Find a link to his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Any-Anyone-Anywhere-Muslims-Christ/dp/193912400X

Join us for our next International Student Ministry Zoom call! Thursday, March 14, 2 p.m. ET. Topic: Preparing international students for graduation/returning home. Sign up at this link! http://ismbaptist.net/connect.

Finding and Equipping Your Campus Ministry Interns

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Do you have the ability to recruit recent graduates to join your campus ministry staff? Wonderful! Recruiting young campus missionaries or interns is a double win. First, a growing team allows you to engage more of your campus with the gospel. Second, mentoring these young staff helps shape them into lifelong disciple-makers, ministers, and missionaries. It’s a sacred privilege to have a campus missionary on your team! Campus missionaries and interns multiply your ministry effectiveness. And you have the privilege of mentoring an up-and-coming minister eager to learn. It is 2 Timothy 2:2 in action. What a fantastic opportunity! 

Many young staff joined our team during my twenty years leading a campus ministry. In my new role with Texas BSM, I oversee our Campus Missionary program, where recent graduates serve 1-2 years on campus ministry staff. They’re an incredible group! And while most Campus Missionaries have a GREAT experience, some struggle due to personal factors. Occasionally, they struggle due to the role being a bad fit. Disappointingly, some interns struggle due to needing more support from their campus minister. Let’s create an environment for them to THRIVE. Here are some things I’ve learned about having a successful intern program. 

RECRUIT THE RIGHT PEOPLE.

  • It’s better to have no intern than the wrong intern. Yes, it might be tempting to recruit anyone willing to serve. After all, the harvest is plentiful, and the workers are few. However, this may not set your intern up for success and might backfire for your ministry.
  • The first question is, “Are they already doing what I’d want them to do on staff?” Are they already sharing their faith, taking initiative in leadership, and investing in younger students? If so, then they’ll probably be a GREAT staff member! Ask yourself, “Do I want to replicate this student’s DNA in our ministry? Would I want more students just like them?” If the answer is yes, they may be a great intern.
  • The second question is, “Are they spiritually, relationally, emotionally, and financially healthy enough to serve?” The rigors of full-time ministry may be too intense for someone with crippling mental health struggles. A high-conflict person may cause discord within your ministry. A graduate with substantial student loans may need to move into a professional career out of financial responsibility.
  • Start recruiting early. Like REALLY early. Often, I initiate the conversation with potential interns during their junior year, maybe even joke about it when they are sophomores. Plant the seeds of possibility in their mind. “What if you gave a year or two after graduation to serve Christ on campus?” Then, start talking to them seriously during the fall of their senior year. Many sharp students are already getting other internship offers, job offers, and making decisions about grad school. You’re way too late if you talk to them a few weeks before graduation. 

THEY ARE MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL.

  • Once they’re on staff, treat them as co-laborers and fellow ministers of the gospel. Your intern has received the Holy Spirit, obeyed God’s call to serve, and exhibited leadership abilities. Listen to them. They have invaluable insights that you don’t have about what current students think. 
  • Give them Great Commission responsibilities. Their best hours each day should be spent doing evangelism, outreach, and disciple-making with students. Don’t only give them menial tasks. Give them ownership of specific ministry programs. Allow them the freedom to try, fail, get coaching, and try again. 

THEY ARE LEARNERS.

  • Help them plan their daily and weekly schedules. This internship will be the first full-time job for many, and time management skills are a steep learning curve. Especially in their first few weeks, check in daily to ensure they have significant ministry tasks to work on. They want to be productive and make an impact. Help them know precisely how!
  • Coach them step-by-step on how to do each ministry task they are assigned. Many are insecure about their abilities and lack experience in leading campus ministry. Whereas Millennials generally wanted autonomy, Gen Z wants mentoring and clear guidance. They see you as the expert they are eager to learn from. They likely want even more clear direction than you are providing. Give them clear resources for discipleship meetings, Bible study curricula, and evangelism training resources. (We created a handbook packed with resources for our Texas Campus Missionaries: CM Handbook.) Make it difficult for them to fail!
  • Meet with them regularly. Check in briefly every day. And, at least every week or two, have a ministry check-in meeting with them. Ask them what is going well and what is a struggle. Give them tips & pointers for ministry success. Communicate clearly what they are doing well. Give them coaching in areas where they struggle. Talk with them about their long-term vocational plans. Invite them to “Give a year; pray about a lifetime” in college ministry.
  • Make sure they have a “personal mentor.” In my program, every Campus Missionary is tasked to enlist a same-gender, older personal mentor who will meet with them regularly to ask about their spiritual life, personal life, mental health, and relationships. This mentor can be you, someone on your staff, or someone in their local church.
  • Make sure their financial needs are met. While some Gen Z students are conscientious of their finances, others are idealistic. They may commit to serving without thinking through how to budget, whether they have insurance, how they’ll handle car insurance, etc. Have these conversations early and ongoing. 

Finally, have fun and bless them. Take opportunities to do fun things together. Invite them to your home for meals. Let them see your family life. Take staff outings to build camaraderie and unity. Remind them often, “You’re an answer to my Luke 10:2 prayers. I’m grateful to God for you!” 

Gary Stidham is the  Director of Training for Texas BSM. You can email him at: gary.stidham@txb.org. Or visit: linktr.ee/garystidham

Connecting with International Students during Easter 

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As international students step onto college campuses, they are taking in all the sights and sounds of a new place. They are figuring out where to hang out, where they belong, and learning different customs. International students anticipate learning new things about a new place and culture. They want to learn and connect with others. There are certain cultural moments that can create open doors to connect with International students. Holidays are always a great way to share culture, memories, special traditions and to include international students in the regular rhythms of your life. Easter is an incredible opportunity to leverage gospel conversations as the death and resurrection of Jesus is the entire reason we celebrate Easter. So, the gospel naturally comes up in the conversation as you discuss Easter. 

In 1 Peter 1:3, we are reminded, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Easter is a time where we get to celebrate the living hope we have in Jesus. We can share that living hope with international students in a variety of practical ways. 

Inviting Students into Your Church and Home 

Out of the 1 million international students in the United States, most international students never step foot in an American’s home. I believe the church can and should change that fact. Easter is a great time to invite international students into your home. Many international students are not invited to church either. Easter is a great time to invite students because most churches are expecting guests and are even more in tune with the needs on that particular day. You can invite them to church for Easter and then, have them in your home for Easter lunch. If that is not possible, you could invite them over for a dinner or lunch leading up to Easter and discuss the meaning of Easter at dinner. Family traditions are a great thing to share with International students to build trust and relationships. You can dye eggs, put together Easter baskets, have an egg toss, make cookies or whatever your family tends to do together at Easter. 

Host an Easter Party 

In addition to having students in your home, you can host an Easter egg hunt because even college students like to hunt for eggs. This could be at your home, a local park, etc. You can include some fun prizes like gift cards or candy. Ask people in your church or small group to donate or to join you to host. You can incorporate the Resurrection Eggs into the egg hunt or 

use them to explain the meaning of Easter afterward. Resurrection Eggs are a great tool with a different object inside each egg that helps to explain the biblical events that led up to the death and resurrection of Jesus. If you incorporate these eggs into a normal egg hunt, you can mark 

them with tape and number them. Instruct your guests not to open them until you all gather together. Then, go through each one in number order and explain them. This is a great tool and visual for people of all ages to understand the true meaning of Easter. Recently, our family has enjoyed making a resurrection garden where you gather things like soil, grass, twigs, rocks and create a tomb setting in a pot that can be seen daily and can be a reminder of what Jesus has

done for us. This could be a neat thing to do with International students that they can take back to their dorm or apartment and function as a reminder each day of the hope we have in Jesus. 

Cook Together 

There are some things that are traditional Easter foods for many families such as ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs, etc. Invite International students over to cook with you in your home. It doesn’t have to be the whole meal but maybe one or two items. You could cook Resurrection Rolls together which are just crescent rolls filled with a marshmallow rolled in sugar and cinnamon. Once they are baked the marshmallow disappears into the crust of the crescent roll. This is a great teaching tool to show that Jesus was put into the tomb after his death but when they opened the tomb, He was not there. He had risen! This is an easy visual that can open up a gospel conversation and it tastes good too. Remember “food is a language we all speak.” Sharing meals together can be a great way to connect and often leads to open doors and builds trust. A mentor once told me that as we minister to International students, “We want to build a bridge of trust that can bear the weight of truth.” We should carry this mindset as we minister to International students. It is often a type of ministry where you have to be in it for the long haul and relationship building is key. 

As you engage and connect with International Students, remember Jesus has already done the work and He wants us to be faithful to tell others about the life-changing work He has already done.

Lindsay Venters loves God, His Word, and the world. She currently serves with International Students at the University of South Carolina at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM). She has a Masters in Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where she also met her husband. She is married to Adam Venters who serves as the BCM Director at USC. They love to serve together to reach college students to know and grow in their faith in Jesus. She loves to connect and welcome international students and strives to mobilize the local church to love on international students as well.

Join us for our next International Student Ministry Zoom call on Thursday, Feb. 8 from 2-3 ET. Our top is “Engaging Muslim students” led by a guest from the IMB. You can sign up here: http://ismbaptist.net/connect. 

Missions Fundraising Made Simple

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Are you familiar with the phrase “Where God guides, God provides”? Maybe some of us are too familiar with this phrase – to the point that we overlook the Scriptural truth of this statement. In Matthew 6, Jesus taught his disciples to not worry about their needs and how they would be met. Using the example of birds not storing food away for coming days, he says “and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26). Then Jesus gifts the disciples this promise: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:33-34). What a promise to which we can cling! We must wrestle with this truth ourselves, and then encourage students to rely on the Lord for provision as they live on mission, whether they’re graduating and figuring out next steps or fundraising for a missions opportunity. 

Here are a few simple missions fundraising tips:

  • Share about your missions opportunity on social media. If security allows for your missions location, briefly describe why you’re going, how you’ll be serving, and what amount you need to raise. List ways others can support you, and be specific as to how others can donate funds (make it as easy as possible!)
  • Go “old school” and mail a fundraising letter to family and friends. Personalize this letter as much as possible, but don’t write a novel. You could include a current picture of yourself and a Scripture that has encouraged you to take this next step. Ask someone to proofread your letter before mailing it to ensure that you’ve communicated clearly. 
  • Let someone on staff at your church know where you’ll be serving, and share your fundraising letter with him/her. Ask if it might be possible to share about your missions opportunity with a Sunday School class, Bible study group, or Women on Mission group (if your church has one). Offer to share what you learned when you return. 
  • Sell t-shirts. Everyone loves a good t-shirt. Plus, the shirts will remind people to pray for you as you serve!
  • Utilize your gifts and talents. What do you do well or enjoy doing? Create arts and crafts, bake desserts or cook meals, or offer to do yard work or other service projects to raise funds. Be sure to communicate how you plan to fundraise – you never know who might be interested in supporting you! 
  • Do some research and see if there’s a restaurant in your area that might be willing to donate a percentage of sales collected from one day or night. 

Below is a copy of the sample fundraising letter we share with our students, to help get them started.

Sample Fundraising Letter

Jessica Jiang is the Collegiate Missions Specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Follow Send Tennessee Missions on Instagram @send_tn.