We have a unique place, and voice, in the lives of college students.

Our ministry with them is different from most other forms of ministry, primarily because of the context in which it occurs — on a college campus, during the formative college years of life.

But does our ministry reflect this unique context?

Do we help students to make the connections between their faith and their academic pursuits?

Previously I posted a some thoughts ‘On Helping College Students to Identify Their Calling [A Little Sooner].

It was a reflection on a post put out by HigherEd.com that discussed the research, and results, of a study put on by The Social Science Research Council that served as the catalyst for the recently released book, ‘Academically Adrift’.

The post, and book (from what I could gather), seem to suggest that a high percentage of college students are NOT showing signs of significant learning during their college years.

The reason they gave was a lack of academic rigor.

While this may be true, to some extent, I offered up the possibility that it might have more to do with the fact that many of today’s students don’t know why they are at college — or studying what they have chosen to study — and therefore, they simply don’t care enough to put forth much effort.

It’s a lack of discernible calling.

And in the comment section of yesterday’s post I was challenged to come up with some ideas for how we can help students to identify their calling, and therefore help them to see the connections between their academic pursuits and how God wants to use them in the world.

Again, using our unique role, in this unique context, to help students make the most of their educational experience.

So here are some ideas I have on how we might be able to help students more quickly identify their calling:

• Make it a part of your yearly teaching rotation — an obvious opportunity is to include a series on vocation/calling in our yearly teaching schedule.  Don’t allow it to slip into your 4-year rotation… but make sure that it is a part of every year — preferably towards the beginning of the fall semester — as a way of setting the tone for the new academic year.
• Create a ‘class’ or bible study around the theme of calling — another option is to create a class or bible study that we offer to students multiple times throughout the year.  It could be as simple as a 4-week experience that we offer, or something more in-depth.  There’s a lot of room for creativity and flexibility here.  Students who go through it will generate a buzz that will attract other students in future semesters.  Consider offering it in both the fall and spring terms.
• Host a weekend retreat focused on calling — if you really want to get students to make the connection between their faith and academics, create a weekend retreat that focuses on calling.  Create space for them to sit silently with God, while working through relevant scripture and questions that can help them to better understand how God has uniquely designed them, how God might want to use them in the world, and the kind of education and formal training that might ultimately be necessary.
• Include questions about calling when debriefing student experiences — retreats, service opportunities, mentoring programs, mission trips, etc. can provide great opportunities for students to be opened to God in some new and formative ways.  Taking some time to debrief/reflect on these experiences with students is an issue of stewardship! Adding a couple of vocationally-related questions to these times can be very enlightening.
• Season conversations with questions about calling — a natural part of our everyday conversations with students should include questions about their studies — How are they going? What are they enjoying? What are they learning about themselves in the process? How does it fit with what they want to do? With what they think God has called them to do? Simple questions, in the midst of everyday conversations, can be significant for students!
• Collaborate with the Office of Career Services on campus — find ways to connect with, foster relationships with, and collaborate with the Office of Career Services.  I recognize that on state school campuses this might be a much more difficult task… but NOT impossible.  Be creative and don’t close the doors on this opportunity before you fully explore it!
• Finally, we need to make sure that students know how much we value higher education and it’s connection to how God wants to use them in the world — we need to show them what it looks like in our lives, by sharing our stories, and how it ties into our own sense of calling to reach out to college students during this formative time in their life. We cannot convey to them that their education is not important, or even less important that than their involvement with us. We need to help students recognize that they can approach their studies as they would any other spiritual discipline — with an attentiveness to God and a desire to meet God in that place.

So there you go.

This list is by no means exhaustive… so please take a moment to share your ideas in the comments section below!

How do you help college students to identify their calling?

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If you like the kinds of conversations you’ve found here at FaithONCampus.com, then I highly encourage you to check out The 2013 Faith ON Campus Summer Institute! This year I will be joined by author and leadership guru Tim Elmore for a two-day conversation about the unique challenges and opportunities that exist in mentoring this generation of college students! Find out more here. And find out how to win your ticket to the conference here.