Category: Big Ideas & ‘Best Of’

Big Ideas & 'Best Of', Transitions

It’s Important to Remember That Move-In Day is NOT About YOU

Most campuses I know of seem to have some sort of formal programming and process for welcoming students to campus, helping them to get moved in, and then oriented to their new community, before classes begin.

Most of us went through this process as a first-year student… once upon a time… and it may be that we have forgotten some of the emotions and overwhelming feelings of disorientation that often accompany this time of transition.

And on move-in day specifically, new students and parents are about one thing and one thing only — getting into (and then settled in) their dorm room.

So let me encourage us — each and every one of us — to be about that one thing as well.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

Campus Mapping || A More Strategic Approach to Ministry on Campus

While at a conference last summer I had the chance to sit in on a session led by Creighton Alexander, Campus Pastor at the University of Alabama Wesley Foundation, where he talked about coming up with a strategy for ministry on campus.

He shared a lot of good stuff, but there was one idea in particular that seemed to jump out at me — and has stuck with me ever since — and it’s the idea of “mapping our campus.”

There’s a good chance that many of you already do this — in fact, we all do to a certain extent because we all have “strategic relationships” across campus (and if we don’t, we should!) — but Creighton’s idea, while simple, was profound to me.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

Technology: What is Essential for Ministry?

I’ll be the first to admit — I’m not the most tech-savvy person I know.

In fact, I really dragged my feet when it came to:

getting a cell phone and
getting on Facebook
But I must say, that after slowly easing my way into the waters of technology and social media, I’ve really come to enjoy much of what it has to offer.

So yesterday I posed the questions (on Twitter, Facebook and Google+):

If you have all 3: a smartphone, ipad/tablet and laptop/pc – which do you use the most? Why? Which of these 3 would you give up first if you had to? Why?

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

Utilizing Google+ for Ministry

Have you heard about Google+ yet? OK, but have you taken the time to check it out? Or try it out?

If not, let me be the first to introduce you to this growing addition to the social media world… and tell you that its intent is to rival Facebook for our all-purpose social networking allegiance.

I found this 4-minute video that does a pretty good job of describing what Google+ is all about: