“What are your plans now?” This question tortures most soon-to-be college graduates. High School Seniors are barraged as well, “Where are you going to college?”  They are asked over and over again. I hear it when my friends ask, “When are you getting back into your Doctor of Ministry program?” Even my seven-year old twins aren’t immune to our culture’s obsession with the future. “What grade will you be in next year?” What do you want to be when you grow up?”  Truly, middle class North Americans love planning for the future. Perhaps no sub-culture is more future-oriented than that of higher education. Faculty and staff are planning for their upcoming semester or their tenure applications, students are planning for the next week, for the rest of the semester, for next semester, for after graduation, etc.

In the fall start-up season, we campus ministers may be more susceptible to this future-oriented tunnel vision than at any time in our ministry year. We have come out of summers full of planning for the upcoming school year, filling in chapel calendars or small group schedules, planning for messages, and writing new curriculum. In the first few weeks of the year, we’ll be busy training new leaders, communicating vision, connecting with faculty colleagues, meeting new staff colleagues–all future-oriented activities). We’re looking ahead in anticipation of what God will do—and all at a time when the harvest is ripe and plentiful–with the past few months of a students’ life as the low-hanging fruit God has given us. If we would only pause to look back.

When we as ministers buy in to this future-oriented, transactional mentality, we miss out on a huge opportunity for spiritually significant transformational conversations and relationships. At the beginning of the school year, our students are coming out of a wide variety of summer experiences—from life-changing mission trips or summer ministry, to mind-numbing summer “Joe Jobs,” from wallowing in a pit of poor moral decisions to tension-filled summers in family systems they are all-too-happy to leave when they return to college. Each of these summer experiences is dripping with discipleship lessons and spiritual mentorship opportunities.

My primary ministry for the last 14+ years has been leading short-term mission trips (10 years in leadership of Bethel’s Solidarity Missions Partnerships). In that context, I have learned that some of the most significant growth for students involved in short-term mission happens in conversations when they return. In fact, healthy and purposeful debriefing can be as impactful as the future-oriented training on which we put so much focus (God willing, in four years I’ll be able to support this last statement with a footnote referencing my aforementioned doctoral dissertation). Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Though he had neither short-term missions nor the North American university student in mind, his wisdom is spot-on. Securing life-change after a significant life event requires processing — verbal, generative/artistic, social, solitary, formal, informal, etc. With a tool belt of good questions and experiences, we as campus ministers can encourage deep and lasting growth for students. God can use our fall conversations to lead students toward spiritual wisdom which–thus far–may only have been whispered by his still small voice.

How will I seize this ministry opportunity as students return?

Anticipate Schedules. I will look at schedules for Welcome Week, a student leadership training retreat, and the first few weeks of school—making note of those moments in the schedule when I know students will have a little space for conversation.

Prepare Questions. I will put a few strategic questions in the back of my mind—to be asked at the right time. Questions (from the ubiquitous to the unique) followed by sincere listening will be my September ministry tools.

How was your summer? will be as common as breathing on our campuses. We, as campus ministers, can be the ones to really listen to students’ answers.

What’s life like for you these days? was a unique question I still remember being asked by a college mentor of mine. Somehow, it caused me to open up on a whole new level with him.

Pray for Leading. I will be more specific in my prayer. Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I too often find myself interacting on campus with only a vague sense of “wanting to be used in someone’s life.” I will pray for God to lead me to one or two students to whom I can listen deeply and practice presence—thereby deepening a ministry relationship for the future.

Finally, keep in mind that listening and practicing presence are not passive activities. While these things are incredibly fruitful, this can be our most exhausting ministry. Follow the example of our Lord Jesus who went off by himself to pray “as was his custom.” Take time now to renew yourself, build-in times to recharge during the school year, and may God give you all you need to prepare for this upcoming season of ministry. Even now, our students are wrapping up those summer experiences which will provide us rich opportunities for their growth and transformation into Christ’s image.

What do you think?

What are the most fruitful reflection questions you ask students?

What are your most challenging obstacles to reflective conversations with students?

How can you build helpful rhythms into your upcoming school year to make these conversations more likely to happen?

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