guy.chmieleski@gmail.com

September 25, 2012Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

How Big is the ‘Front Porch’ of your Ministry?

How big is the “front porch” of your ministry?

It’s another way of asking if your ministry creates space for students to belong — before they believe.

If the house, in this metaphor, represents the “inside” of your ministry — the place where believers go to be fed and nurtured spiritually — then the front porch represents an important place of gathering that is both inviting and inclusive.

And although we’d all like to believe that our ministries do, in fact, offer this… How do you know for sure?

September 18, 2012Student Culture, Trends & Issues

In Christ Alone

This is a guest post I did for one of my new blogger friends, JR Forasteros. He’s a pastor in Dayton, OH and this post is a part of his ‘After Happily Ever After’ series. His blog is a great resource on faith and pop culture. Check out his blog and follow him on Twitter!

In the mid 1990s, the movie Jerry McGuire romanticized the notion of a soul mate — that one person that exists to “complete” us. Maybe you remember these infamous words that still conjure up feelings of desire, destiny, and fulfillment:

September 10, 2012The Campus Minister

Gone Surfing…

No, not really.

It sounds nice though, doesn’t it?

Gone surfing.

Especially as the beginning of the school year chaos begins to subside, and we find ourselves with a little more room to breathe.

Actually, I just wanted to communicate why you might notice a lack of new posts over the next week or so.

September 7, 2012Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

How Will You Talk Faith & Politics With Students this Election Year?

Two months from today, most of our students will have their very first chance to vote in a Presidential election.

This is one of many “firsts” that they’ll have the chance to experience while on campus — away from home, and away from those who have been their most trusted voices and advisers for much of their lives.

With such a big decision looming, who will step in and offer some assistance in the decision-making process?

September 6, 2012Leadership Development

Announcing The Art of Self Leadership Blogathon [Oct. 23-25]

Preparation for the next Blogathon are now underway!

The Art of Self Leadership Blogathon will be a chance for us to talk together about our need to lead self — while faithfully living out our call to lead others. As leaders, we often put our own needs aside in order to focus on those around us. But in order for us to be the effective, healthy, and durable leaders we desire to be, we need to be wise, intentional, and strategic with regard to how we manage our time, establish and protect different boundaries, approach our work, and faithfully live out our call to serve others.

This time will be a chance to explore new ideas and best practices as it relates to our service as faithful leaders, as well as to engage in online conversation about some of the challenges or struggles we face in this area of Self Leadership.

September 4, 2012The Campus Minister

Does Visibility = Influence?

Does visibility equal influence with college students?

Not necessarily.

But given the pace of life most college students live at, visibility makes a HUGE difference.

If you don’t work on campus — meaning you are employed by the institution — you obviously start at a bit of a disadvantage.

You need to make extra effort to get yourself in the path of students.

September 3, 2012Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

If You Can Only Do A Few Things Well, What Will You Do?

How do you deal with your own limitations?

How do you struggle with the notion that you are called to be “all things, to all people?”

How do you live in the tension of wanting to be measured, peaceful, and sane — when expectations (both internal and external) seem to dictate that you do more, be more, and give more?

I think one of the challenges of being a good leader in our noisy culture is the ability to sense what we are called to do and be — and then focus primarily (if not solely) on those things.

August 30, 2012The Campus Minister

We Are NOT Professionals

We are not professionals.

We’re not.

At least I’m not.

You see, I was reminded this past weekend — at an Ordination Service of all things — that those of us in full-time ministry positions are NOT professionals. We can’t be.

To be a “professional” is to imply a level of expertise — which is attainable in a number of fields — but not in ministry.

August 29, 2012Student Culture, Trends & Issues

5 Reasons Why the ‘Sex Before Marriage’ Conversation Is Such A Big Deal

I started this blog — in it’s original form — three years ago.

On January 11, 2011 I wrote I post entitled Is Sex Before Marriage Really A Sin? for the 1st Annual Sex & the Soul Blogathon.

Since that post went live, it has far and away received the most traffic on my site — accounting for 13,000 views.

Daily — DAILY — I’ll get numerous visits to my blog from people who have used the following terms in search engine searches:

FAITH ON CAMPUS

Author: guy.chmieleski@gmail.com