The Future of College Ministry is… In Your Pocket

By Russ MartinBig Ideas & 'Best Of', Blogathons

Could mobile phones and social media be God’s gift in helping college students discover Jesus?

Curious students in Montreal are scanning QR codes postered across campus and connecting with Christians.

Students in Asia in sensitive-access countries are using collections of images and thought provoking questions displayed on smartphone apps to engage their friends in gospel conversations.

Young pastors in Kenya are being trained in theology and leadership via learning courses delivered on a mobile phone. Villages might not have electricity, but their young pastors attend seminary on their mobile devices. (Yes, there are ways for them to charge their devices).

What about your campus?

  • If a distraught student shouts “why am I here” into cyberspace some dark night at the library on their phone are you listening?
  • Could a “check-in” to your weekly meeting build momentum?
  • Is your latest conference promo available within one swipe on a mobile phone for a student in their dorm who wants to invite their roommate?
  • Does your phone buzz when someone comes to faith on your campus?

The future is in your pocket. What mobile technology ideas do you have that will accelerate your campus ministry’s ability to help students discover Jesus?

 

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8 thoughts on “The Future of College Ministry is… In Your Pocket”

  1. Russ,

    Great post. I think this is a huge area of growth for us in ministry. I read tech blogs and it strikes me that there is very little innovation being done in the religious arena. We use tools already existing (which is definitely needed, “fish where the fish are”) but I would love to see some very creative missional believers leading the way in this.

    How could we think outside the box in such a radical way that we have a ministry technology idea as explosive as twitter?

  2. My question and concern is about how we do pastoral care when our primary contact is online. Certainly online status updates can make pastors aware of pastoral needs, but usually counseling and other caring acts need to be done in physical presence or at least in audio contact.

    1. I’m not sure many college ministers would consider their “primary” contact with students to be online, unless “primary” only means “most common.” Usually there are regular chances to see many of our students in-person. And then when we do take the additional step to plan a meeting with a student (or a phone call, like you said), it is all the more appreciated because it’s different from their usually-online life.

      But I’d also point out that students are very comfortable with and impacted by “care” that takes place online. They carry out “pastoral care” with friends all the time via chatting, texts, Facebook messages, etc. – and sometimes they’re even more willing to be vulnerable in those spaces. Online pastoral care also has the benefit of immediacy (instead of having to schedule a coffee shop sit-down), as well as the chance for us to weigh how we respond AND for these hurried-and-harried students to weigh what we write them, too.

      Face-to-face has its definite benefits, obviously. But for Millennials, the online / in-life distinction just isn’t there in the same way it is for older folks (like us Gen-Xers!).

    2. Good points Andrew. Online is certainly not a substitute for face-to-face. Rather, I think they are complimentary.

      However, in my experience, many students don’t make a distinction between online and face-to-face. Both are “real-life.”

      Evangelistically, the online medium I think actually encourages more authentic responses and engagements. I’ve watched at different evangelistic events where people are very hesitant to raise their hand and ask a question, but they will gladly text, post of a forum etc…

  3. Thought provoking article!

    I love the question, “Does your phone buzz when someone comes to faith on your campus?” I would love to get texts, tweets, and facebook messages on a regular basis form students telling me of people coming to Christ on campus!

    I am always looking for more practical ways to challenge students to intentionally share the gospel. I think at one of our next large group meetings, I’ll make sure everyone has my cell phone number and challenge them to text me this week every time they went out of their way to have a spiritual conversation, share the gospel, or lead students to Christ.

    Acts 20:24,
    John Aaron Matthew
    TN Tech BCM Director/ TBC Collegiate Ministry Specialist

    1. Great idea. Students text like crazy and it’s a pretty efficient way to capture (and celebrate) this information.

  4. Hey Russ! Thanks for this post.

    I’m curious to know what you’ve seen to be some of the more effective online/mobile resources with the college-age group. Is it Facebook and texting, or is there more?

    Also, are there ways you might suggest we go about better training and equipping our student leaders to be more intentional in their online presence with those that they lead???

    Thanks for helping us to think in this direction!

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