The following is taken from Appendix B, in College Ministry 101
Doing ministry in a context where a major university is nearby brings lots of wonderful opportunities, but it also brings some serious challenges. The biggest challenge is the sense of competition between the local church and the campus-ministry organizations. To me, this false competition boils down to both parties having a program-driven philosophy of ministry. When everyone’s out to build his own program, there’s bound to be competition. If we stay focused on discipleship and assimilation, however, there’s no reason why our churches can’t complement the work of all those campus ministries.
The best way to put an end to the sense of competition is by serving in those campus ministries. Rather than duplicating efforts, it makes much more sense to join forces, come alongside each other, and support each other with our resources. Here are eight ways you can help bridge the chasm between local churches and campus ministries, so both of you can do more to reach out to college-age people:
1. Search your own heart. Work through any bitterness or competition you’ve been feeling. You don’t have to agree with everything a particular ministry does, but at the very least, you must be the person who seeks unity with campus ministries. If you can’t get past personal competitiveness, bitterness, or judgment, you don’t need to read any further or try to bridge the gap. You won’t get anywhere if you start with mixed motivations.
2. Meet regularly with the campus-ministry leader. Have coffee or lunch together so you can build a genuine relationship. Ask her how you can pray for the ministry. Offer your support and ask nothing in return. Most of all, mean it.
3. Offer your church facilities. Let them know they’re welcome to use your church spaces—free of charge—for anything they need or want to do. Providing services to them breaks down any walls they may have up on their side. Yes, this suggestion also exposes college-age people to what’s going on in your church, but that exposure can’t be your motivation. This invitation is about serving the campus ministry, not building yours.
4. If possible, offer to help a ministry financially. You may even want to designate a portion of your own budget (if you have one!) toward a campus ministry. Personal fundraising alone supports most of these ministries, so a little help sponsoring an event is always appreciated. If they’re holding a car wash or other fundraiser, go help them. These small gestures go a long way toward building trust and unity.
5. Seek the leader’s advice for your ministry. Chances are, they have great insights into life on campus and the struggles college students are facing. They have likely developed a great ministry philosophy that meets these needs. There’s no reason to compete when it comes to serving college-age people. They need all the care and guidance they can get.
6. Join forces on outreach events. Come alongside another ministry, serving them in any way you can. Whether it’s helping put up posters, handing out flyers, being a part of planning meetings, loaning them a portable sound system, or simply letting them use your church copy machine, extra hands and minds are always welcome.
7. Connect older people in your church with the campus ministry. Showing students the benefits of having older believers in their lives can help them connect to a local church. Even if they don’t connect to your church, you’ll hopefully have helped provide an experience that will make them feel more comfortable wherever they do connect. Your role can be exposing them to the church body, to life beyond their campus. In my mind, that’s a phenomenal ministry!
8. Consider mentoring a campus-ministry leader. Many of these ministries have staff who are right out of college themselves and who might appreciate learning from your experience. Once you’ve established a trusting relationship with the ministry leader, ask your friend if a mentoring relationship would be helpful—and if it would be, make it happen.
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