Strap in and hold on… It’s August!

I was talking with another member of our ministry team last Monday and she said:

I started to notice something building last week… and this week it’s DEFINITELY here!

With the flip of the calendar page, most of us now see things like the return of student leaders, the arrival of new students and the start of the new academic year on our calendar… staring at us and reminding us that — ready or not — HERE WE GO!

As I do the first working day of every month, I’d like to suggest some things I’m thinking about that might be worth you considering at the beginning of this new month… so here we go:

• Take a staff retreat – August can feel like a tough month to pull-off a staff retreat, but I truly believe that it’s one of the best ways to start the new ministry year.  A staff retreat can be a great time for individual team members, and the team as a whole, to make sure that hearts and minds are tuned-in to God and how God is leading and to make sure that the team is together in terms of the mission and vision for the upcoming year of ministry together!
• Invest in your student leaders – Investing in students in some intentional and specific ways, on the front end of their leadership experience, is HUGE!  If you can get your student leaders back for a few days, before the school year starts, it can significantly multiply their confidence, preparation, sense of connectedness to the other leaders, you and the ministry, as well as get your team started with some good, positive momentum.
• Map out your fall semester – Once the academic year starts it’s like a roller-coaster ride — there’s no stopping it until it reaches the end!  So take time over the next few weeks to: 1) put together your calendar (re-occurring and special events, staff meetings, one-on-ones with your staff, etc.), 2) establish your budget, 3) identify any conferences or retreats you want to be a part of, 4) anticipate any potential conflicts or disruptions to your schedule and how you will deal with them.  Now is also the time (if you haven’t already) to: put together your line-up for what you will speak on, decide what your small group content will consist of, identify local outreach opportunities for your students to serve through, as well as when and where you will do a fall/winter/spring break mission trip, etc.  If you don’t work your calendar now, you will run the risk of it working you all semester long!
• Be involved in Welcome Week – Depending on what kind of ministry you are (campus based, affiliate, church, etc.) you may be able to be involved (to varying degrees) with Welcome Week activities on your campus.  From helping new students move-in, to being a part of ‘ways to get involved on campus’ opportunities, to potentially even hosting a worship service and/or service opportunity for some (or all) of the incoming students… the only thing that may limit your opportunities here are your creativity and/or your access to campus (if you don’t have ‘total access’ to campus, you should definitely know the person who does!).
• Start the year with a BANG – Plan to start the year big!  Often, our first event or two will be the biggest crowd we draw all year… so if you can capitalize on this with a killer event, worship service, service opp., etc. than it will definitely help to create some good momentum for our ministry efforts.  As you know, we usually have a 2-3 week window of time at the beginning of the school year, while students are setting their schedules and trying to figure out where they want to commit their time, to make the case for why they should be involved with what we’re doing.  I don’t like that this is the way it is… but it is… so we would be well-advised to plan accordingly!
• Make plans to join me for the 2014 Faith On Campus FALL Forum – The Faith On Campus FALL Forum is a two-day event being held on the campus of John Brown University, in Siloam Springs, Arkansas on October 20th & 21st, 2014.

  This event will feature extended conversations with Dr. Rod Reed and Dr. Patricia Snell Herzog.

  Designed specifically for campus and church leaders who serve as leaders and mentors to students (in a wide-variety of capacities), the goal of our two days together will be to explore and engage topics and themes related to the intersection of Christ, culture, and the college experience.

  You can read more about the Faith On Campus FALL Forum by clicking here.

Finally, let us join together in praying for the work that God wants to do in us, and through us, in the month– semester — and year ahead!

Grace and peace to you all!