College-age Or Singles Ministry?
A college pastor drove up to the house where their college group meets. Stepping out of his car, he noticed that a few of his college-age students were walking to their cars, so he yelled out,"Hey, where are you guys going?" The reply was,"Uh...we got to go." Go? They just got here. He watched them take off and wondered what had happened. As he entered the house, he noticed that the group looks a little thin. In fact, he's been noticing this for a while. The group seemed to be different. Some of those that once were college-age when he first started the group were still around but the younger students are dwindling. Some have altogether left the group. As he mingled with those who were there, he observed that most in the group are in their late twenties or early thirties. He hadn't noticed this before but the mid-week gathering had transitioned into a post-college group. As he began the evening, he felt the "distance" in the room. They struggled through singing and barely made it through the Bible study. Very few participated and when they did, usually the older ones controlled the discussion. The evening ended with some prayer and immediately the younger students left. He stayed and chatted with the remaining few, and then grabbed his stuff and headed out the door thinking to himself,"What happened?"
Have you seen this in your group? When does a college ministry start to look like a singles group? It can happen very easily, especially if your church doesn't have a direction for young adult ministries. Since child development experts would put the ages of 13-24 in adolescent stages of growth, most college pastors would agree that college-age ministries deal with those who are transitioning from adolescence into a young adult developmental stage. A ministry that covers ages 13-31 can almost be impossible to navigate and frustrating for those involved. So, what should be done? Here are some tips.
Have you seen this in your group? When does a college ministry start to look like a singles group? It can happen very easily, especially if your church doesn't have a direction for young adult ministries. Since child development experts would put the ages of 13-24 in adolescent stages of growth, most college pastors would agree that college-age ministries deal with those who are transitioning from adolescence into a young adult developmental stage. A ministry that covers ages 13-31 can almost be impossible to navigate and frustrating for those involved. So, what should be done? Here are some tips.
- Start by evaluating your ministry. Take a step back and see what the needs of your group are before you make any decisions.
- Evaluate with your leadership. What do those you minister with think about your group? Talk about your ministry with your pastoral staff. Get away on a retreat and see if the Lord is leading the group in a new direction.
- Make a decision. You'll need to take action. Doing nothing will kill your group.
- Have a plan. A plan is a good thing. You may not have all the details worked out but understanding what your ministry is about (college-age or singles) will help give focus to your group.
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on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 4:20 PM.
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Bob,
I appreciate your post... I think the challenge is, and I faced this when I was a college and singles pastor in the past, is when it is optimal to have an 18-24 year old group, a twentysomething group, and a singles group but do not feel you have enough people or resources to accomplish this
I did find some success in being comfortable with even groups as small as 3 or 4, as I then worked on mobilizing them to invite new people to come in. Which sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't, depending on how excited the group is to get out and reach...
What are your thoughts?
Hey Zach,
Post-college age can be a tough ministry to start. Singles are a breed of their own. Being single myself, I know what this group goes through, especially in the Church.
What I found to be hard was fitting in to a "singles" group. I really believe that you're still solidifying your identity as late as your early thirties. Many singles still need to be a part of a group and if your church is small in numbers or do not have very many singles near your age...it makes it tough to begin or keep a singles ministry going.
The other side of the issue is...should you even have a singles ministry? Does a singles ministry isolate the group from the rest of your church? What I'm bumping into w/ churches is that after college there is another drop off of those in their mid-twenties to early thirties in churches. Some of that could be if they were not connecting w/in the church during their college years, even if they were involved w/ their church college group, they probably will have a dificult time transitioning into "church adulthood" once there is no structured group to belong too.
I have a lot of questions myself. I'm starting to look into this age period (post-college) a little more. Thanks for your comments.
Bob,
I appreciate your thought on integrating every sub community into the larger community of believers... sometimes we segregate folks more than we probably should.
Thanks for the thoughts!
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