Updated 4/10/12

Responsibility.

It has increasingly become a dirty word for this generation of students.

No, not all of them… but many (maybe most).

I posted some reflections back in February of 2010 where I began thinking about the impact that the ’emerging adulthood’ phase of life might be having on our work and ministry with college students (those previous posts are: Waiting to Grow Up and Part II).

Central to our struggle to draw students into meaningful, long-term, relational ministry might very well be this element of responsibility.

We know that students — most of whom are out of their parents’ sight, and immediate influence, for the first time — NEED to be challenged to take on more and more of life’s responsibilities as they join with us in campus community…

BUT we also know that one of the key characteristics to this ’emerging adulthood’ phase of life is an unwillingness to step into the new, adult responsiblities that accompany all of the new, adult freedoms.

So my question for us is this: to what degree are we calling our students into new levels of personal (and communal) responsibility?

The collegiate years are supposed to be some of the most formative of our lives.

Students are in transition, and learning how to take on increasing levels of responsibility is one of the ways through which (I believe) God wants to produce new growth and formation in our students.

Are our ministries designed to help students accomplish this?

Do we encourage students to get their hands dirty, with God, in the shaping of who they are becoming?

Do we encourage, or fight against, the current trends in culture that encourage our students to do whatever FEELS right, or best, for them — without much thought for how those decisions will impact others – and ultimately, themselves?

Does your ministry use the “R” word?

If so, how?

If not, why?