Happy Labor Day!
For most of us — a new academic year is now well underway.
For some of us — it’s just about to begin.
Either way — I hope that this extended weekend serves as a great chance for you to refuel and recharge as we prepare to push on into a fall of ministry with college students.
Below are the Top 10 most viewed posts from the month of August!
A special thanks to all who contributed guest posts to the Back to School Blogathon — a few of which made this month’s Top 10 list!
10. 5 Reasons the ‘Sex Before Marriage’ Conversation is Such a BIG Deal
I started this blog — in it’s original form — three years ago.
On January 11, 2011 I wrote I post entitled Is Sex Before Marriage Really A Sin? for the 1st Annual Sex & the Soul Blogathon.
Since that post went live, it has far and away received the most traffic on my site — accounting for 13,000 views. (Read more)
9. The #1 Thing on the College Freshman Mind | Michael Johnson
You may already know the top issues for your incoming freshman, but Dr. Tim Clydesdale has actually asked them. And in a workshop at this year’s National Collegiate Summit he shared seven common themes uncovered by his interviews with college-bound high school grads.
The #1 theme? Navigating relationships (making friends, finding a boy/girlfriend, getting along with roommates) and managing gratifications (particularly sex and partying, hence connecting gratifications to relationships). (Read more)
8. Against the Current: Understanding the Mindset of an Incoming College Freshman | Tommy McGregor
When I was in college, I went rafting with some friends. We were coasting down a medium-size rapid when, all of a sudden, we dropped about four feet on a dip that we didn’t see coming.
Falling off my tube, I remember having to swim upstream to get back onto my float that had become lodged between a rock and a hard place.
Tired from the struggle, I remember wondering if the experience was worth it at all. (Read more)
7. The 2013 Faith ON Campus Summer Institute
The Faith ON Campus Summer Institute is a two-day event held on the campus of Belmont University, in Nashville, TN on June 4-5, 2013.
This year’s event will feature extended conversations with author and leadership guru, Dr. Tim Elmore.
The college years are some of the most formative in life — but many of today’s students are wasting the incredible opportunities that lay before them.
We need to find better ways to come alongside today’s students and help them better navigate this critical season of life. (Read more)
6. Top 10 Issues College Students Face
There’s so much that makes up the college experience… so many opportunities, so many potential pitfalls.
How well do we assist students in navigating the waters of the college years?
Maybe before we can accurately answer this question we must first ask:
“What are the big issues that our students are dealing with?”
If we’ve not taken the time to answer this question than we must ask ourselves, “how relevant is our ministry?” (Read more)
5. MY NEW FAVORITE WAY TO FIND SEEKERS ON CAMPUS | B Tyler Ellis
A College Student, A Homeless Man, And A Rabbi Walk Into A Coffee Shop.
That may sound like the opening line of a bad joke, but it actually describes an experiment I started last semester at the University of Delaware.
A couple of volunteers and I were discussing the example we have in Jesus and his disciples, who were intentional about sharing their faith with friends “friendship evangelism” and with strangers “initiative evangelism”. When we scrolled through our phone contacts to count how many friends we actually had who weren’t Christians, we realized something had to change. (Read more)
4. The College Ministry Year: 12 Months of Ideas
I’m excited to announce the launch of my newest eResource:
The College Ministry Year: 12 Months of Ideas
The College Ministry Year is a quick read, offering ideas for ministry, leadership development, investing in student leaders, self-care and more! (Read more)
3. Bread for the Journey: Books to Use for Students Who Want to Grow | Byron Borger
I’ve been asked to contribute a few suggestions for resources that can be used to equip those who do campus ministry so that we might do the job well, insightfully, profoundly.
I love that simple verse in 1 Chronicles 12:32 that names the reputation of the “sons of Issachar” who “understood the times and knew what God’s people should do.”
Reading widely can help us become Issacharian, helping us understand our context and how best to serve. (Read more)
2. 5 Lies (Student) Leaders Believe
Yesterday was our day of campus-wide leadership training.
It’s a time when we bring together all of the students leaders of varying student groups across campus for some shared training and team building.
For the day, we set aside the planning and preparation for our specific areas to recognize that we — as leaders — are not alone on campus. There are others who aspire to similar heights, and face many of the same challenges that we do. (Read more)
1. Is Sex Before Marriage Really A Sin?
Does that sound like a loaded question to you?
Loaded or not, this is a question that more and more young believers are asking — and in all seriousness.
There seems to be a growing belief among some Christians that sex BEFORE marriage is NOT a sin.
They can quote to you all of the biblical passages that talk about adultery, and give their rational for why they believe those passages only apply to married and divorced individuals. (Read more)
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And there you have it! Hope you have a great September on campus!!
