College Union

One of the greatest challenges facing every campus minister is that of building a ministry staff.  A foundational truth of ministry is that transformation most often occurs in small groups and/or though one on one discipleship.   Uplifting services are great for encouragement, teaching and altar ministry, but lives are nearly always changed in the context of relationship.  The only problem with that is, as every campus minister can attest, there’s a very limited number of students we can personally and significantly invest ourselves in at any one period of time. Jesus settled upon twelve. It was the only the twelve who had ongoing one on one and small group time with the Lord.  For many of us, the number is something less than that.  All of which means that if we want to see real transformation come to more than a few, then a ministry staff has to be built in order to multiply the number of transformational relationships occurring during any one season.

Therein lies the problem.  In the local church, as the congregation grows so too does the giving base and the ability to hire ministry staff.  But, not so for campus ministries.  We are a mission of the church.  Campus ministry growth rarely correlates with a commensurate increase in the ability and/or willingness of the connectional church to provide additional funding.  Thus, the challenge: how to provide the staff needed to build the network of relationships through which the Lord most often transforms the lives of students.

The reality is most campus ministries are already cash strapped long before there is any consideration given to building a ministry staff.  Trying to take on additional fund raising, to the tune of $25,000 – $35,000/staff member, is usually unrealistic.  I find even the thought of it to be overwhelming.   Perhaps, it’s here that we can learn from other, often very effective, campus ministry organizations.

Typically, non-denominational campus ministers are missionaries living on the support they raise.  A good friend and colleague of mine, who serves with Worldwide Discipleship Association, has been living on support for over 30 years while ministering at the University of Georgia.  Over that time, he and his wife have raised 5 children solely on his mission income.  Throughout America there are thousands of people in full time campus ministry who are likewise living solely on support.

The beauty of mission staff is that it spreads out the fund raising needs of the campus ministry.  Instead of the director being responsible for it all, each mission staff member takes on him/herself their share of the ministry’s support.  In effect, each missional staff adds the network of their supporters to the overall support base of the ministry.  In this way, the overall support of the ministry is distributed throughout the staff.  More importantly, the Lord is free to build the staff, and with it the ministry, as He desires independent of the connectional church’s ability and/or willingness to increase its support.  Currently, the Mission Society for United Methodists is involved in partnering with Wesley Foundations to provide a reputable, church related sending agency for those wanting to serve as mission staff.

I believe there are three keys to building a campus ministry mission staff.   First and foremost is prayer.  Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds a house, the workers labor in vain.”  As a Wesley Foundation director, a regular component of my prayer life is asking the Lord to raise up those He would choose through whom to build our ministry staff.

A second key is communicating the vision to ministry leaders.  Student leaders need to be challenged to pray and ask the Lord if He is calling them to campus ministry upon graduation.  We encourage our students to stay and intern one or two years after graduation.  It’s from our ministry interns that our longer term mission staff come.  Many prospective staff have found it helpful to talk with others who already are living on support.  This enables them to learn how it’s done and to be encouraged that if the Lord is calling, He will provide.

A third key is investing in leaders and mission staff such that they are receiving and growing as much as they are giving and sacrificing.  Were I completely honest, I would have to confess that too often in my ministry, both as a pastor and campus minister, as I recruited workers I was more concerned about what I could get from them, rather than what I could invest in them.   I believe the Lord is calling us all to create a culture of investment where we invest in our leaders and they in turn invest in our students.  Begin to think through how you might invest in your leaders were they to become part of your mission staff. Our goal for them should always be that their time on staff will be a vital time of growing and preparation for whatever lies ahead.  We’ll be focusing more on this in coming months.

The Lord’s word to a puzzled Mary is also His word to His campus ministers today who know they need help but have no idea how to get there, “Nothing is impossible with God.”  Start small.  Ask the Lord to begin to identify to you one or two who have grown much while in your care, students He would have you begin sharing the vision with.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.  But, it was built.  How much more the campus ministries God has called and sent us to lead.

Bob Beckwith is the Director of the UGA Wesley Foundation beckwithga@aol.com

Categories: Staff Development
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