Tag: relational ministry

The Campus Minister

The Lost Art of Mentoring

I’ve found myself wondering lately if mentoring — as an intentional form of raising up the next generation — is lost?

In our fast-paced, keep your nose out of my business, anxiety riddled culture — have we lost the know-how to be with people in intentional, honest, and life-giving ways? And just as importantly, has the value of this kind of relationship been lost on this generation of students?

Without faithful examples, and our focus drawn away from mentoring — towards other things — have we forgotten how to do this? Or what it looks like? Or what it can yield in another’s life?

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

My #iMentor Story | Josh Waugh

Growing up in a larger church, you would think that I could go through youth group picking the best mentors out there and entering college as the next Billy Graham.

That’s what everyone would think at least.

In reality, it was not until my freshmen year of high school that my Sunday School teacher and I began a relationship that changed my life forever. Harry Barber (yes, that’s his real name), who was my interim youth minister and incredible mentor, worked together with me every week for a year and a half as he taught me how to lead my peers at church. We did life together and I learned by watching his example.

The Campus Minister

Mentoring—A Huge Gift in my Life | Pete Hardesty

Many people have helped to shape my life.

Especially my mentors.

There was my Young Life leader Danny O’Brien that would pick me up at 6am every Wed. for a Bible study.

Then when I was in college, I was home on break and was paired up with a “prayer partner.” It was an old man named Bill Geigert. He has written me once a month for about 20 years.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of'

#iMentor | Guy Chmieleski

The #iMentor Initiative was started to honor the investment of mentors all over the world, and to encourage potential mentors to take the initiative in starting an intentional relationship with a college student today.

Read my story here.

Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Cost of Being a Bridge Builder between LGBTs and the Church

I feel the costs of the corporate LGBT and Church disconnect have been well documented for what this culture war has left in its wake.

The broader LGBT community’s retelling of this story, in most cases, has the Bride acting more like Bridezilla than the Bride who, when the doors swing open for the first time, is standing in her gown, looking as beautiful as she has ever looked, ready to walk down the aisle and be sacramentally joined with God to the person she loves more than any other on the face of the earth.

And the Church’s retelling of this disconnect, at its core, is in most cases one of denominational and congregations division—separating what many thought was once one of the three unbreakable cords tied to the Lord for good works.

Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Final Rose: Deciding on “The One”

College can be a confusing time—figuring out what we are, what we want to do, and most importantly, who we want to marry.

Okay, maybe not most importantly.

I’ve previously written a post about marrying “The One” and whether or not only one actually existed.

I created this video post for those wondering how to tell whether your current “one” is actually The One. I’m sure you get that question all the time from your students.

Big Ideas & 'Best Of', Blogathons, Student Culture, Trends & Issues

The Naked Truth about Sex in College

The primary reason that college students leave their faith in college is their personal desire for sexual freedom and its incompatibility with religious morality.

Approximately 65% of all college students have had sex.

25% of college women’s first encounter with sex was unwanted or forced.

Less than 30% of college students have had a healthy conversation with their parents about the “birds and the bees”

GK Chesterton says, “The guy knocking on the brothel door is knocking for God”