What issues or topics do you feel need to be addressed in Collegiate Bible studies?

Let's discuss how to build a collegiate ministry in a non-college town.

I think we need to discuss commitment to Prayer, the Word, the relationship (to Christ), and then the church and community. Also, local missions and examples of something they can do on campus are points I don't see discussed much out there.

why people dont like christians, can the Bible be trusted, How to develop a christian world view, how to bring light to dark places on and around campus.

quote:

Originally posted by jbrown:
I think we need to discuss commitment to Prayer, the Word, the relationship (to Christ), and then the church and community. Also, local missions and examples of something they can do on campus are points I don't see discussed much out there.

jbrown, you made some good suggestions for discussion. Choose one and get us started.

quote:

Originally posted by davecrim:
Let's discuss how to build a collegiate ministry in a non-college town.

I agree with this post. Much is made about the ministry to college stdents in college towns near college campus. What do you do with those college-age adults that do not live on campus or near campus but attend your church?

How about discussing the relevancy of Christ in the life of a believer living a postmodern world.

As a college ministers wife, what about doing something on what is appropriate and not-appropriate for college ministers to discuss with female college students....A girl recently emailed my husband wanting to know about "sex toys." How does he let girls know this isn't appropriate?

This is definitely a sensitive issue. While we want students to talk to us, male leaders must be very careful how such topics are handled. Are you available to talk to co-eds? If so, your husband can naturally refer such questions to you. After a history of referring these topics to you, students will catch on that it is inappropriate to discuss such issues with him without him risking cutting them off from your ministry.

Re: how to have a college class in a non college town.

I guess what we are doing is just trying to work really hard on staying connected with our last class of HS seniors. We recognize about half stay behind and work or go to community college and are getting left out and dropping out.

For Sunday morning The discussion based curiculum seems to work the best for the class. It drives home the relevancy of the scriptures to todays issues. It also pulls out questions that may seem like side tracks, but are often on their minds. Frequesntly I have to say next week after study we will hit that one, and as long as you keep your work they hand in there.

This fall we are sarting a college area small group with the career/ go to school in the area kids. Lack of fellowship they had in high school seems to be the biggest need for them when the rest of class packs up in the fall and heads to campus. Sunday mornings do not fill it and in genral the church makes the mistake of not understanding how big this need is.

The small group starts this fall and is being headed up by another couple to keep it recharged ( separate from the sunday teaching).

Other thing we did this summer was to keep low cost fellowships going. (Volley ball, bon fires, disc golf, and deck parties). We picked up a few others along the way by doing this.

I guess the biggest need I can think of is material that is geared directly towards college students. It seems like everything is high school and then it jumps into couples or adults or family, etc. I've had to adapt my high school stuff to a higher level or take some adult material and take the romantic couple stuff out of it to make it work for the colege age. We seem to have a void in churches across America in the college age, maybe part of that is because we don't offer anything for them.