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Navigating Beginnings: Glory-Seeking Ministry in the Academic Life (Scholar’s Compass)

Image courtesy of markuso at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of markuso at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory, as the waters cover the sea. — Habakkuk 2:14 (HCSB)

Reflection

I didn’t want a career in the university world. That’s not how you were expecting this devotional to start, is it?

My original intention when I began studying physics as a university freshman was to become a high school physics teacher. Then, I became involved in campus ministry (with my weeknights full of meetings and my backpack full of gospel tracts) and fell in awe over Bible passages like the one above. God’s glory, I came to learn, is the purpose for which we are created, and his people need servants to help them live out that purpose. This, I learned was the foundation of Christian ministry.

But while I had learned a good foundation of Christian ministry, I had not embraced a wide enough scope: I thought that the only meaningful way I could live out this ministry was to be a pastor, missionary, or campus ministry staff member. By my junior year, I was fairly certain that meant I needed to head to seminary after graduating. One question haunted me in the midst of this certainty: What am I supposed to do with my love for physics, and for seeing others enjoy it? [Read more…] about Navigating Beginnings: Glory-Seeking Ministry in the Academic Life (Scholar’s Compass)

Disruptions to Campus Ministry – Past, Present, Future

The Hickerson Family, sometime in the 1950s
A haggle of Hickersons in their native 1950s Oklahoma habitat. Mike's father is the bald one with glasses.

At the Faith on Campus blog, campus minister Steve Lutz outlines Four Disruptions That Could Shake Up Campus Ministry. It’s a good list that matches research I did earlier this year on trends in higher education. Steve’s list, however, led me to thinking about disruptions that have already taken place in higher education and how they have affected campus ministry.

My father and I graduated college about 40 years apart – he with a Bachelors in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa, I with a BA in English from the University of Louisville. I became a Christian at the beginning of my junior year, then became heavily involved with InterVarsity as a student leader during both of my senior years (you read that right). My father wasn’t as heavily involved with campus ministry, but he did attend a Bible study that, as best as I can tell, was affiliated with InterVarsity. More on that in a second.

In the decades between our college experiences, a number of changes took place with direct impact on campus ministry. Here are just a few.

The Role of Faculty. That Bible study my father went to? It was led by one of his chemistry professors. This was fairly common in those days of InterVarsity’s ministry. InterVarsity staff covered territories that includes several campuses, and they would only visit each campus a few times a year. On-campus activities were led by students and faculty. Granted, my father went to a private, church-affiliated college while I attended a public research university, but none of my professors even mentioned their religious beliefs in class – not even when their biases had obvious impact (such as a literature professor who could not separate the religious beliefs of certain 20th century poets from the religious beliefs of her mother). [Read more…] about Disruptions to Campus Ministry – Past, Present, Future

Query: Intergenerational Ministry Bibliography

In addition to the seminar mentioned in Query: Social Media, Community Development, Campus Ministry, I’m preparing a Bibliography for the upcoming Graduate & Faculty Ministry National Team Meetings.  What do our friends in the Emerging Scholars Network have to share as resources (articles, blogs, books, webpages, etc) on

  1. Ages and life stages.
  2. The question of generational distinctives.
  3. Using the World Cafe to encourage good teamwork.

Note:  It’s not necessary for the recommendations to focus on campus ministry.  We’re looking for the best resources available. We’ll use discernment in application to our context.  In addition, please pass along

  1. Stories about/models of campus ministry which have intergenerational elements that you have found a blessing during The Critical Junctures in your journey through higher education.
  2. Recommendations regarding how to include more intergenerational elements into campus ministry.

Update (3/10/2010, 8:15 am EST).

Query: Social Media, Community Development, Campus Ministry

What tips/ideas do you have for InterVarsity’s National Graduate & Faculty Ministry Staff Team Members in Using Social Media Appropriately and Effectively to Grow Communities?  Now’s your opportunity to give input.  I’m leading a seminar on the topic at our April Team Meetings.  Here’s some material I’m seeking to address:

  1. How do we use social media appropriately to
    1. build community?  Note:  How does social media influence our/your definition of community or the various forms of community in which we find ourselves?  The seminar will take the direction of building local, face-to-face campus communities, but I’m also interested in the other forms of community, such one finds in the Emerging Scholars Network.
    2. invite others to engage with our community?
    3. engage others with ideas we are discussing in our communities?
  2. What are some do’s and don’ts for healthy, appropriate and effective use of technology?
  3. What’s available? What’s changing? How do we make decisions?
  4. How do we make decisions about the use of technology when engaging with audiences of different generations in our ministry?  Note:  Please don’t skip.  Due to the overall conference theme, it has particular relevance.  :-)  Feel free to also share How you make decisions about the use of technology when engaging with audiences of different generations in higher education?

Calling out to the community/network for input. …