The transition between high school and college is always one of the most difficult for students to make. Many high school students end up remaining in church youth groups long after they have begun college because of the fear of the unknown. Many enter college and never get plugged into any type of campus ministry because they are unaware that they even exist.
If you are a youth minister, one way to help bridge the “great gulf fixed” between high school and college is to inform your high school juniors and seniors about Baptist Collegiate Ministries. We are located on hundreds of campuses of colleges and universities throughout the U.S. By simply visiting the SBC Campus Connect website at www.sbccampusconnect.net , you can enter a student’s information regarding what school they plan to attend and the campus minister at that school will receive the information. He or she can then contact the student before they even arrive on campus and they already have an instant connection with a campus ministry.
Not only can youth ministers help with this but it can also be done at larger events to help get the word out. In Spring 2011, at a Youth Evangelism Conference in Lakeland, we set up laptop computers for high school seniors to come by and enter their own information. Every senior who entered their information on the SBC Campus Connect website was entered into a drawing for a free i-pod. Little promotions like this can help as dozens of students willingly participated for the chance to win the prize. More importantly, these students are already being contacted by campus ministers throughout the state of Florida and beyond so that they have an instant connection when they set foot on their college campus.
While SBC Campus Connect will certainly not solve the problem of the dechurched students altogether, it is one way to build a bridge. Baptist Collegiate Ministries is an arm of the local church on the college campus to provide leadership, discipleship, missions, and evangelism opportunities for college students on the front lines of ministry. Don’t let your graduating seniors miss out on this chance to stay connected.
Lance T. Beauchamp
Director, Baptist Collegiate Ministries
Florida State University
(904) 588-2104
lancebeauchamp@fsubcm.org
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
