The Church

How can you help connect students to the local church in a campus-based setting and a church-based setting?

Connecting students to the local church can be challenging, but is important for their continual sanctification and being a disciple of Christ.

For a Para-church organization and church-base, it is vital to build a strong relationships with each other as a partnership. Local church leaders need to know the para-church organization exist to help students know Christ and to connect them to the local church.  Therefore, both can display what it means to work as one body by not competing with each other or duplicating the same type of outreach to students.

Campus-Based Connection to Church

• Having local church leaders come in and speak at the campus base gatherings as well as share about their church
• Encourage church leaders and members to attend campus base events
• Offering rides to students on Sunday’s to church as well as attending with them if needed  
• Taking students to outreach event hosted by the church
• Connecting students with church community groups
• Do a joint service project or mission trip so students and church members are working together and building relationships
• Have local church members come and share their testimony and the importance of why they are part of a church
• Teach on the importance of being part of the church, the Biblical role of the church, and why all of this is necessary for a believer (Why attend church? etc)

 Church Based Connection to Church

• Be on the campus
• Be intentional to meet students
• Have a place for collegiates. In other words, have someone that one lead collegiates, have ways ready at your church for college students to plug in, and know how you are going to guide them on their faith pilgrimage
• Build relationships with para-church organization and help them
• Be available and encourage students whom you connect with
• Develop opportunities for collegiates to engage in fellowship with each other and other members of the church

What are a few “nuggets” you took away from Michael and Beau today?

1.  Have fun with College Students. 
• Sometimes I forget how important it is to do fun things together with no agenda or purpose other than to fellowship together.  These times are important for building a deeper relationship together and to be joyful.
2. Develop aspects that reach new and different types of students
• It is so easy to get caught up in the same mind set and ways of doing things, while in the process missing out on reaching the campus as a whole. I feel like this is where it is important to utilize the different talents, gifts, and personalities that make up the collegiate ministry.  Have students reach out to those they connect with, those they have common majors with, those they have similar hobbies and interest, etc. and build relationships. It will still be necessary to reach out and learn about those students whom you and possibly none of your students have no commonality with, but what a great opportunity to learn about their passions in life and connect on something new and different.   
3. Acknowledge you do not know it all. 
• We do not have everything figure out nor do we know it all. Therefore, be humble and empower students to do ministry. They do not have to know it all in order to be used in the ministry by the Lord. I am not saying students shouldn't be held to accountability in leadership, but for us to recognize the limitation of their spiritual maturity (in other words their spiritual maturity is not the same as a 50 year old deacon who has walk with the Lord since he was sixteen) and know the Lord will use them despite what they may not fully grasp yet in their walk with Christ.  Besides, we are still in the sanctification process. 
4. We must teach college students how to be part of the Church
•   Many students do not understand the Church nor encounter life with many people outside their own age and/or stage of life. It is important to connect college students with the whole church and not just each others.  You can help them and encourage them to realize how much they can grow and learn in all areas of life from people in the body who are not like them (married, elderly, with children, single, deacons, etc).