Nor Cal / Nev College Ministries

It was the middle of May and another school term was complete. He sat feeling exhausted from the year. His thoughts darted back and forth. "You would think after eight years of campus ministry; I would begin to see the fruit of my labor. All I feel now is fatigue, and frustration. What happened to me this year? I can't remember working harder, especially these past five months. I did more crisis level counseling recently than in probably the previous two to three years. But has anyone really gotten better? In fact, some seem in worse shape. And even my stable students seemed ambivalent at the end of school. Lord, what's going on? Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a campus pastor."

In Exodus 18, Jethro comes to Moses and gives him some counsel that we all need to hear from time to time: what you are doing is not good!

Here's the full story:

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?" 15 Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws." 17 Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people-men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain-and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country. (Exodus 18:13-27, NIV)

What's the bottom line?

This is true in many areas of life:

• Bestsellers are often books which are selling well simply because they are selling well.

• Rich people get richer.
• Big ministries stay big even when the quality that once drove them to hugeness ebbs. It can take a long time for okay preaching and mediocre music to shrink a massive group.
• Small ministries can stay small even when they possess excellent preaching and off-the-charts worship. They feel cozy and they stay that way.

What's the implication for your ministry?

• Generate a feeling of success. Momentum is your biggest friend or your greatest nemesis. When you've got it, nothing is a problem. When you lost it, everything is a problem. Always be building towards something. Have a friend night, a cool series, or a retreat, or a mission trip, or a summer project just around the corner.

There seem to be some natural stopping points in campus ministry--places that growth stalls out.

The Stopping Points

• 12: at this point the group has a hard time viewing itself as anything other than a cell group. In fact, it's dangerous to start having a large group meeting at this size. Some people can pull it off, but it would be better to get two or three Bible studies going and then combine them when you launch a worship service. See Launching College Ministry.
• 30: at this point the group values intimacy and community so much that they begin to sabotage growth (unknowingly). You need to teach that it's okay not to know everybody in the group. In addition, it's at this point that a college minister first begins to feel the strain of meeting everyone's needs. You must build a team of leaders! Remember Jethro And Moses!
• 70: something usually sticks here - either your worship isn't on par with the preaching, or the fellowship times aren't as fun as the worship is good, or some other critical factor is missing. Find it and fix it.
• 120: at this point the obstacle to growth will not be how you relate to your students but how you relate to your leaders. Your student leaders need to undergo the same paradigm shifts as regards the leadership as they did regarding the group as a whole. In fact, what has probably happened is that the ones who were there at 30 never really had to give up the community that they treasured so much--they just all became leaders together. Now the intimacy of the leaders is threatened. Go back over the same stuff with the same people... (get used to this theme in ministry, by the way).
• 200: at this point your group should have an extremely well-developed small group system, a deep leadership pool, awesome worship, and be taking several missions trips a year. So what stalls? Vision. The group is everything people hoped it could be. Also, the group is becoming more and more inwardly focused and less and less outwardly focused. Consciously assign staff and money to outreach even if it means making some of your members unhappy.
• 400: it's just hard to get past this point. Most campuses don't seem to be able to sustain a group past this point in non-revival periods. Do a bunch a stuff and let us know what works. :)
• Beyond?: they probably exist beyond this point, but very few college ministries ever have to worry about them. See Mega College Ministries.

In ministry it's tempting to try to meet everyone's needs. It's just not possible to do that and so we face a choice: on whom will we focus?

As the primary leader of a ministry, there are two groups you should concern yourself with: the inner 20% and the outer 20%.

During the week you should spend most of your relational time ministering to the inner 20% of your ministry--the core.

At your large-group meetings you should spend most of your relational time with the outer 20%--the fringe.

A phrase that may help you remember this concept is that you disciple the faithful and pastor the unfaithful.

By default, you get more of what you already have. This is as natural as the sun rising in the east. People like being with people like them.

When students walk into a group for the first time, they unconsciously ask themselves two questions:

• Is there anyone in this room I would consider dating?
• Is there anyone in this room I would like to become friends with?

If the answer to both those questions is no, don't count on seeing that student again. As a rule of thumb they're going to drift somewhere else.

What are some implications of this?